Excel or Git and GitHub First — What Beginners Should Pick

Beginner · First Skill

Excel or Git and GitHub First — What Beginners Should Pick

NK Neha Kapoor · Lead Trainer, Data & Developer Skills | Updated 12 November 2026 | 13 min read Free · Career Guide

Excel and Git/GitHub are not competitors — they are different doors into the same career.

Quick summary — which one should you learn first?

If you want to work with data, start with Excel. If you want to work with code, start with Git and GitHub. If you are not sure yet, start with Excel — it is faster to learn and gives you immediate, visible results.

In this guide you will learn:

What Excel gives you — and why it is still the most used data tool in the world.
What Git and GitHub give you — and why every developer needs them.
How to choose — based on your career goals and learning style.
How to learn both — without getting overwhelmed.
How to talk about them — in interviews and on your resume.

SECTION 01What Excel gives you as a beginner

Excel is the most widely used data tool in the world. Almost every office job uses it — and almost every data career starts with it. For beginners, Excel is the fastest way to get results you can see.

Excel Skill	Why It Matters	Career Signal
Formulas and functions	Every job touches spreadsheets	You can handle data
Pivot tables	Summarising data is a core skill	You can analyse, not just list
Charts and dashboards	Visualising data gets attention	You can communicate insights
Data cleaning	Real data is always messy	You can handle the real world

Beginner Excel:
"Summing a column"
=SUM(A1:A10)

What this gets you:
- Basic data entry and totals
- Simple formulas
- A starting point for everything else

What it signals:
- You are not afraid of numbers
- You can learn a tool quickly
- You are ready to go deeper

Intermediate Excel:
"Pivot table + VLOOKUP"
=VLOOKUP(A2, Sheet2!A:B, 2, FALSE)

What this gets you:
- Real analysis and reporting
- Faster, cleaner summaries
- The ability to answer business questions

What it signals:
- You can turn data into insight
- You can work independently
- You are ready for a data role

excel-beginner.md

Key insight: Excel is the fastest way to get from "I don't know data" to "I can do something useful with data" — often in weeks, not months.

SECTION 02What Git and GitHub give you as a beginner

Git is a version control system. GitHub is where you host your Git repositories. Together, they are the backbone of modern software development — and increasingly, of any collaborative work.

Git & GitHub Skill	Why It Matters	Career Signal
Commits and branches	Every project needs version history	You can work without losing work
Pull requests	Collaboration happens through PRs	You can work in a team
GitHub profile	It is your public portfolio	You can show your work
Issues and projects	Planning happens in GitHub	You can manage work, not just code

First Git Commit:
git init
git add .
git commit -m "First commit"

What this gets you:
- A version history for your work
- The confidence to experiment
- The foundation for every future project

What it signals:
- You know how to work safely
- You can track your changes
- You are ready to collaborate

First Pull Request:
git checkout -b my-feature
git push origin my-feature

What this gets you:
- A public record of your contribution
- A way to work with others
- The workflow used by every tech company

What it signals:
- You can collaborate
- You understand code review
- You are ready for a real team

git-beginner.md

Key insight: Git and GitHub are not just tools — they are the language of collaboration in tech. Learning them early makes everything else easier.

SECTION 03How to choose — based on your goals

The right first skill depends on where you want to go. Here is a simple way to decide.

Your Goal	Start With	Why
Data analyst, business analyst, operations	Excel	It is the core tool in these roles
Web developer, software engineer, data scientist	Git & GitHub	You cannot work in code without them
Not sure yet	Excel first	Faster to learn, useful everywhere
Want to build a public portfolio	Git & GitHub	GitHub is your portfolio

Pro tip: If you are leaning towards development, start with Git and GitHub — even before you are good at coding. It is easier to learn Git when your projects are small.

SECTION 04How to learn both — without overwhelm

You do not have to choose forever. Most beginners learn both eventually. The key is sequencing — learn one, get comfortable, then layer in the other.

Weeks 1–4: Learn Excel basics — formulas, tables, charts.
Weeks 5–8: Learn Git and GitHub — commits, branches, pull requests.
Weeks 9–12: Build a small project that uses both — a data dashboard tracked in Git.
Ongoing: Use both weekly — Excel for analysis, Git for tracking your work.

Pro tip: The best way to learn both is to use them on a real project. Pick something you care about — a budget, a hobby — and track it in Excel, then version it in Git.

SECTION 05How to talk about them in interviews

Both skills are valuable in interviews — but you need to frame them correctly. Here is how to talk about each one.

Skill	What to Say	Example
Excel	How you used data to solve a problem	"I built a dashboard that cut weekly reporting time by 60%."
Git & GitHub	How you collaborate and track work	"I use pull requests for every change — it keeps the team in sync."

Weak Answer:
"I know Excel and Git."

Interviewer: "Cool. Tell me more."
You: "I use Excel for spreadsheets and
Git for code."

Interviewer: "Okay... anything specific?"
You: "Not really."

The conversation ends here.

Strong Answer:
"I learned Excel first because I wanted to
work with data. I built a budgeting dashboard
for my team that pulled from three spreadsheets
and cut reporting time from two hours to
twenty minutes.

When I started coding, I learned Git and
GitHub. Now I version every project and
use pull requests even when working alone —
it keeps my history clean and makes it easy
to roll back if something breaks.

The two skills together mean I can analyse
data and track my work — which is exactly
what a data role needs."

The conversation continues.

skill-story.md

Key insight: When you talk about Excel and Git, focus on the problems they solved — not just the tools themselves.

SECTION 06Interview Q&A — Excel vs Git and GitHub

Q1Can I learn both at the same time?

Yes, but it is usually easier to start with one and layer in the other. Excel is faster to learn, so many beginners start there.

Q2Is Git and GitHub necessary for non-developers?

Not strictly necessary, but increasingly useful. Many teams use GitHub for documentation, project planning, and collaboration — even outside code.

Q3Which one is more useful for a data analyst?

Excel is more immediately useful — it is used in almost every analyst role. But Git is increasingly expected for versioning analysis and collaborating on notebooks.

Q4How long does each take to learn?

Excel basics: 2–4 weeks. Git and GitHub basics: 3–6 weeks. Both are achievable for beginners with consistent practice.

Q5What if I choose the wrong one?

You cannot really choose wrong — both skills are valuable. If you start with one and later realise you need the other, you can learn it. The important thing is to start.

SECTION 07Test yourself — Excel vs Git quiz

Five questions. No sign-up.

0 / 5

Pick an answer to see why it is right or wrong.

SECTION 08Frequently asked questions

Should beginners learn Excel or Git first?

If you want to work with data, start with Excel. If you want to work with code, start with Git and GitHub. If you are unsure, start with Excel — it is faster to learn and useful in almost every role.

Is Git and GitHub hard for beginners?

The basics are straightforward — commit, branch, push, pull. The concepts take a few weeks to internalise, but you do not need to master everything to start using it.

Can I get a job with just Excel?

Yes — Excel is a core skill in many analyst, operations, and administrative roles. But adding Git and GitHub makes you more versatile and future-proof.

Do I need to know coding to learn Git?

No. Git is a tool for tracking changes — you can use it for writing, data, or any file-based work. It is easier to learn if you have some technical comfort, but not required.

Which skill looks better on a resume?

Both are valuable — but for different roles. For data roles, Excel is essential. For developer roles, Git and GitHub are essential. Having both makes you stronger in either.

What I would do in the first 30 daysLayoff · 14 min Why sending 500 resumes won't workJob Search · 14 min Rebuild your resume for the AI job marketResume · 15 min Which skills to learn before applyingSkills · 14 min 90-day career recovery roadmapRecovery · 16 min How AI can help you prepare for interviewsAI · 11 min

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Excel or Git and GitHub First — What Beginners Should Pick