# Data science

Two years ago I inherited a small data science team with no handover, no documentation, and production models nobody could explain. This is the conversation I wish someone had with me before I started: the challenges, the costs, the thinking behind every move, and the one belief that carried it all. Build systems that outlive the people who built them.

The job hasn't disappeared. The mental model has changed. Here's what the roadmap looks like for data scientists and engineers entering (or navigating) the AI agent era, with a South African lens.