The math, science, computing, and habits every STEM career is built on.

STEM Foundations: The Universal Skill Stack

Modern STEM work assumes you can drive a computer beyond clicking around.

- **Files and folders.** Know where your work lives, use clear names, and keep backups. Lost work is a real cost.
- **The command line** is a text way to tell the computer what to do. It feels old-fashioned, but it's fast, precise, and how a lot of scientific and technical tools are run.
- **Spreadsheets** (Excel, Google Sheets) are the most-used data tool on Earth. Sorting, filtering, formulas, and simple charts will carry you a long way before you ever need to code.

These aren't "computer person" skills — they're STEM skills.

The everyday computer skills every STEM field assumes you have.

Files, the command line, and spreadsheets

You don't have to be a software developer, but a little programming multiplies what you can do — automating boring tasks, analyzing data, and running simulations.

- **One language is enough to start** (Python is a friendly choice). Variables, loops, and functions are the core ideas, and they're the same everywhere.
- **Version control (Git)** saves the history of your work so you can undo mistakes and collaborate without overwriting each other. It's the lab notebook of code.
- **AI tools** can help you write and explain code — but you must check their output. They're confident even when wrong.

The World Economic Forum lists AI/data literacy among the fastest-rising skills, so this pays off across every branch.

Why a little code and Git pay off in every STEM branch.

Programming basics and version control

Files, the command line, spreadsheets, programming basics, and version control.