Sometimes the inconsistent solution will be simpler by moving the complexity to the choice of the mode of interaction. Sometimes not.
"ls" lists files. Sure. Simple interactive command. But, thinking about this, "echo " also lists files. "ls" provides information about files. Sure. Simple interactive command. But, "stat" specifically provides information.
So, I would reach for
stat --format "%n %a"
To get name and octal permissions. You are correct, and wrong at the same time. Easy enough to accomplish -- but using * instead of ls. Note that the "space in filename" becomes the big issue (use %N in stat format).
So your conclusion is 100% correct. Thank you for your post and insight
ls -l | awk '{print $3}'
ls -l | cut -f 3 -d ' '