Introduction to excel for beginners.

Jobby-John — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 17:05:17 +0000

What is excel
Microsoft Excel, is a spreadsheet program made by Microsoft. This is a tool used to organise data in rows and columns, carry out calculations, analyse data, visualise information with graphs and charts, automate tasks using formulas, functions, or macros. Excel is widely used in business, schools and other entities to perform all the above functions.
Working with excel
When working with excel it is key to remember how to edit and save any changes made in the worksheet. To save a workbook you can use the shortcut ctrl+s. This saves any changes made on the workbook and prevents the loss of any unsaved work.
Excel has a column side and a row. The column side are labelled in letters while the rows side is labelled by numbers. This can be seen in the image below.

Working the excel
Working with excel is easy. It involves entering columns and row values and storing them in excel. For instance, let us assume you are the principal of a certain how school and you would love to know the perfomance of the students in the last examination. You can use excel to find the best performing student, the mean score, average score, lowest score and such.
In this article I will input data for 10 students in the class and their scores in various subjects and carry out analysis using this data. This is the data that we will be using.

Analyzing data.
Mean- This is the average score for specific selected data. For instance in our data we can use the average function to find the mean score of the students in each subject. We use the function =Average(). Please note that all formulas in excel must start with an equal sign =.

Sum- This adds the various points and finds the total points. In this we use the function = Sum().

The Min and Max functions
The min and max functions finds the minimum and maximum values in a specific column. We usually use =Min() for the minimum and =Max() for the maximum value.

Count function.
The count function is used to find the specific number that exist in a certain column. In this function we use the formula =count()

The if and ifs function
The IF function checks whether a condition is true or false and returns one value if it’s true and another value if it’s false. The IFS function checks multiple conditions in order and returns a value for the first condition that is true. For instance in our data we can use the IF function to assign grades on the scores. For 90 and Above we can assign A,for grades between 80 and 90 we can assign B and for grades between 70 and 80 we will assign a C. The rest below 70 will be F. We will use this formulae =IFS(J2>=90,"A", J2>=80,"B", J2>=70,"C", TRUE,"F")

VLOOKUP AND HLOOKUP, XLOOKUP
In Excel, the LOOKUP function is used to find a value in a row or column and return a related value from another row or column, usually requiring the data to be sorted, while HLOOKUP (horizontal lookup) searches for a value across the first row of a table and returns a corresponding value from a specified row below it, and XLOOKUP is a newer, more flexible function that can search both vertically and horizontally without needing sorted data and can replace older lookup functions like LOOKUP and HLOOKUP.

Understanding Git in a simple and elaborate way.

Jobby-John — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 06:03:43 +0000

*Understanding Git Version Control: How I Push, Pull, and Track Changes *

When I first started programming, I kept overwriting files and losing progress. Sometimes I would break my project and have no way to go back. That’s when I discovered Git — a version control system that completely changed how I manage code.

In this article I will explain how I track changes, commit, push, and pull code using Git in a simple way.

What Is Git and Why Do I Use It?

Git is a tool that tracks changes in my project files over time. I use it to:

Save different versions of my code
Restore old working versions
Collaborate with teammates
Upload my projects to GitHub safely

** How Git Works **

This is the basic workflow I follow every day:

I edit files on my computer
I stage the changes
I commit them. This is like saving them as a snapshot.
I push them to GitHub
I pull updates when needed

Step 1: Installing Git

Before using Git, I make sure it’s installed.

I check by typing on the terminal on my computer

git --version

If Git is not installed, I download it from:

https://git-scm.com

Step 2: Setting Up Git (One-Time Setup)

The first time I use Git, I tell it who I am for instance my name is chege and my email is chegejohn2030@gmail.com

git config --global user.name "Chege"
git config --global user.email "chegejohn2030@gmail.com"

This information is key as it appears in my commit history so others can see who made each change.

Step 3: Creating or Cloning a Repository. In this step there are two options available

Option 1 — Initialize Git in My Project

If I already have a project folder, I open it and run:

git init

This creates a hidden .git folder that starts tracking my project.

Option B — Clone an Existing GitHub Project

If the project already exists online, I use:

git clone https://github.com/username/repository-name.git

This downloads the project directly to my computer.

Step 4: Checking File Status (Tracking Changes)

Whenever I modify files, I check what Git sees by running:

git status

This tells me:

Which files were changed
Which files are staged
Which files are new ** Understanding File States**

Red files → Changed but not staged
Green files → Ready to be committed

Step 5: Staging Changes

Before saving changes permanently, I move them to the staging area.

To add one file:

git add index.html

To add everything:

git add .

Staging lets me choose exactly what I want to include in my next commit.

** Step 6: Committing Changes (Saving a Snapshot)**

A commit is like taking a snapshot of my project at that moment.

I save my changes using:

git commit -m "Added homepage layout"

How to Write Good Commit Messages

I always try to:

Keep it short
Be specific
Describe what changed

Clear messages help future me (and teammates).

Step 7: Pushing Code to GitHub

After committing, I upload my code to GitHub using push:

git push origin main

Here’s what this means:

origin → The remote GitHub repository
main → The main branch of the project

Now my code is backed up online.

Step 8: Pulling Updates From GitHub

When someone else updates the project or when I switch devices I use pull:

git pull origin main

This downloads the newest changes and merges them into my local project.

** Push vs Pull**

Action	What I Use It For
Push	Upload my changes to GitHub
Pull	Download new updates

Viewing Project History

To see all saved versions of my project, I run:

git log

This shows:

Commit IDs
Author names
Dates
Messages It helps me track progress and debug issues.

*Understanding Branches *

Branches allow me to work on new features without breaking the main project.

Creating and Switching to a Branch

Instead of two commands, I usually use one:
git checkout -b new-feature

This:

Creates a branch
Switches to it immediately

Merging a Branch

When the feature is ready, I merge it back:

git checkout main
git merge new-feature

Some beginner mistakes that I learned to avoid

Forgetting to commit

I always commit before pushing.

Not pulling first

I pull updates before starting work to avoid conflicts.

Using unclear commit messages

Clear messages save time later.

Uploading sensitive files

I never commit passwords, API keys, or .env files.

Git Command Cheat Sheet

Command	What It Does
git init	Start a Git project
git status	Check file changes
git add .	Stage all files
git commit -m	Save snapshot
git push	Upload code
git pull	Download updates
git log	View history

Conclusion

Learning Git completely changed how I code. I no longer worry about losing progress, breaking projects, working with teammates, making mistakes. This is because Git lets me track, restore, collaborate, and grow confidently

Forem: Jobby-John