Ask Data Dawn

The difference between a 70K data scientist and a 200K one is not just experience.

It is SQL mastery.

At 70K you execute basic queries, join tables, and clean data. You run the SQL someone else designed.

At 200K you architect solutions. You use window functions and CTEs to solve complex business problems, design and maintain your own data pipelines, and understand query optimization and database design.

One tier executes. The other thinks like an engineer and builds systems that scale.

Here is exactly what got my business to its first 100K.

The second speaking event was harder than the first.

The first time you have no expectations. The second time you are trying to beat yourself.

Here is everything I learnt.

If you’re using Codex only as a one-off coding assistant, you’re missing one of the most useful parts: automation.

Codex can act more like an AI work assistant when you give it the right recurring tasks.

The easiest place to start is with work you already repeat every week:

checking campaign metrics
reviewing a spreadsheet
summarizing changes
turning Slack threads into action items
prepping a weekly report
spotting what needs attention

My rule: if you’ve done the same task 3 times, it’s probably worth automating.

But the quality of the automation depends on the prompt.

Before you schedule anything in Codex, write out:

1. What should Codex do?
2. How often should it run?
3. What inputs should it use?
4. What should the output look like?
5. When should it flag something to you?

Then test it manually before you let it run on a schedule.

A good Codex automation isn’t just “check this dashboard.”

It’s more like:

“Every Monday, review last week’s campaign performance, compare it to the previous week, highlight major changes, explain what’s working, flag what’s underperforming, and send me a concise summary with recommended next actions.”

That’s where AI automation gets useful.

You’re not just saving time.
You’re turning repetitive business operations into repeatable systems.

Start with the boring recurring tasks first. They’re usually the best ones to automate.

Save this if you’re building AI workflows with Codex, ChatGPT, or other AI agents.

See you there? 😘