Should we do Vibe Coding or Programming? | Hrehaan Sabharwal x Shivohm Gupta, an AI Data Scientist | Career Quest with Hrehaan (HQC) | Episode 6
Should Kids Learn Coding or Just Vibe Coding? The Truth About Data Science & AI | Ft. Shivohm Gupta | NIT Srinagar Do you really need to learn programming in the age of AI and Vibe Coding? Can anyone build a production-ready, scalable product without coding fundamentals? In this episode of Career Quest with Hrehaan, I sit down with Shivohm Gupta - Data Scientist at Oracle (OCI), B.Tech in Computer Science from NIT Srinagar, Software Engineer turned Data Scientist, and a Tabla Visharad by age 15. He breaks down what Data Science actually is in 2026, why fundamentals still beat AI tools, and how he builds human-centric AI chatbots for Oracle Cloud. In This Episode, We Discuss: 0:00 - Intro to Shivohm Gupta - Data Scientist + Musician 1:15 - Two graduations: B.Tech CSE from NIT Srinagar & Graduation in Tabla at 15 3:10 - Hobbies, Cricket, Drums (learned from YouTube), Guitar (Tried but failed) and life beyond Tabla 4:30 - Why Data Science? From Software Engineer at Capgemini to Data Scientist 6:45 - Is Data Science hard? The reality 8:20 - Role of Data Science in the age of Gen AI & Agentic AI 11:40 - What does a Data Scientist at Oracle actually do? Real-life Chatbot example for Oracle Cloud 14:30 - Old Chatbots vs Modern AI Chatbots - Static vs Dynamic & Human-Centric 17:50 - Should students learn programming or just do Vibe Coding? 20:30 - Vibe Coding is great for Doctors, Lawyers, Non-Engineers, but NOT for core engineers 21:45 - How to build Production-Ready, Scalable & Reliable Products 24:00 - How long to learn fundamentals? Python, Java, OOPs, Modularity 26:15 - How many hours did he study before college? Smart Target vs Time Table 29:00 - How difficult is it to get into NIT Srinagar? 31:00 - Rating himself 8/10 - Why learning never stops in AI 32:30 - Inspirational Message for Students - Be Consistent, Be Dedicated, Give 100% Key Takeaway from Shivohm: "Vibe coding lets anyone code, and that's amazing. But if you want to be a core engineer and ship a product to real users, you MUST be fundamentally strong. You should know WHAT to ask AI. AI makes you faster, fundamentals make you reliable." About Our Guest: Shivohm Gupta is a Data Scientist at Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) building AI agents & chatbots. He started his career as a Software Engineer at Capgemini. He completed his B.Tech in Computer Science from NIT Srinagar and also holds a formal graduation in Tabla which he completed at just 15 years of age. Thinking of a career in Data Science, AI, Software Engineering? This video is for you. Welcome to Career Quest with Hrehaan! 🎙️ Hrehaan Asks. Experts Inspire. I, Hrehaan Sabharwal, interview professionals from diverse fields - engineers, doctors, pilots, chefs, IAS, lawyers, scientists, artists, entrepreneurs & more - to help students make informed career decisions. For Professionals: If you want to inspire students, reach out to me. 📧 http://hrehaan.sabharwal.11@gmail.com If this helped you, please LIKE, SHARE & SUBSCRIBE for more career guidance!