Awk is ok but often when I come across a script that I need to optimize because it’s too slow, the easiest gains come from replacing awk command. Most of them use awk for the most mundane stuff that can easily be done with shell parameter expansion instead.
Depends on the operation. There are some things, especially interacting with remote servers, that can be done with a GUI tool. For example, exploring a kubernetws cluster. Sure, you could enter 5 different commands to get the info you want, or you can use a GUI app like OpenLens that is constantly sending dozens of commands in a polling loop to display all kinds of info on one view.