Git Prerequisites

Git is the most commonly used distributed version control software currently on the market. It is used to document and archive changes in source code to make collaboration easier and code more secure. You might worry that Git will be too hard to learn. This guide will help you understand the best methods for learning Git and what you should study first to make the learning process easier. This way, you’ll be successful however you choose to apply your new skills. 

What is Git?

Git is an open-source programming tool that allows users to effortlessly track the changes made during the early stages of software development. It allows individual programs to keep a record of the changes that they have made to easily restore or back-up earlier versions of their code and it allows teams of developers to record the changes that individual members make to a file or program. Designed to support distributed non-linear workflow, Git allows programmers to create non-linear histories and branched records of how a program has been developed over its time in Git.

Developed in 2005 for Linux, Git has since become one of the most commonly used distributed version control software. In 2022, nearly 94% of computer programmers report using Git as a vital part of their regular programming activities. This means that learning Git is an important skill for anyone hoping to undertake collaborative development projects, particularly in open-source communities where it is expected that many development histories will be documented using Git.

Read more about what Git is and why you should learn it. 

What Can You Do with Git?

Git can be used to ensure that you have a detailed record of all the changes being made to a file of code. Individual users can take advantage of this documentation to quickly restore or reconstruct prior versions of code or to see where specific changes were made if those changes came with unintended consequences. Groups of developers can use Git to collaborate more effectively on a shared file as the system will keep track of all the changes made independently, providing a stable record of how each developer impacted the file over time.

In addition, thanks to the prevalence of GitHub, learning Git will significantly expand a developer's ability to store and share their software. Since each instance of Git on a computer stores its own directory and history, the documentation on your programs is not operating at the whims of an external source or mainframe, making the histories far more stable. In addition, GitHub lets users publish and share code effortlessly, making community-driven collaboration all the more productive. Git and GitHub help fuel community-driven software development, and learning how to use these tools will ensure that you, too, can participate in these projects.

Is Git Easy to Learn?

Git is a relatively accessible application to learn, assuming you are reasonably familiar with software and web development processes and techniques. This is why Git is often taught alongside introductory programming skills like HTML/CSS. Students with no prior coding experience will find Git challenging to learn. Still, students with no prior coding experience have little reason to learn Git without also learning coding skills, making learning Git all that much easier.

What to Know Before Learning Git

Before learning Git, students should either have a background in coding or a plan to learn coding alongside their Git training. While there is no technical prerequisite to learning how to code to learn Git, without coding knowledge, Git is a useless skill.

Coding Skills or a Coding Plan

Students who want to learn Git will necessarily be students who have decided that they want to develop coding skills or are students who already have coding skills. While this won’t impact what you learn in regards to Git, it will affect how you want to go about learning Git. students already familiar with computer programming will want to explore learning options that prioritize Git since they are hoping to target a specific skill. Students without prior coding experience will want to find a training option, such as those available through Noble Desktop, that teaches Git as part of a more extensive web development curriculum.

Professional Desires

Students will also want to consider what their professional goals are when they are preparing to learn Git. Since Git is used in so many different fields of development and software engineering, students don’t want to waste too much time learning unhelpful skills (like, perhaps, HTML/CSS) if they don’t intend to work in a field that utilizes those skills in detail, just because the course also teaches them how to use Git. This can be difficult, but considering your long-term career goals will pay dividends in the long run.

Key Insights

• Learning Git has no technical prerequisites, but because it is a tool for improving productivity and efficiency when coding, students who want to learn Git will either need coding experience or have a plan for learning how to code.
• The program is fairly easy to learn once you understand programming techniques, but students who don’t have this background may find it hard to learn Git alongside other skills.
• students learning Git alongside other programming languages should consider their long-term career goals to avoid spending time learning skills that won’t be profitable.
• Once students are ready for more professional Git development training, Noble Desktop is here to help students with course offerings available in-person or live online.

Learn Git with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Since Git is an open-source efficiency tool, you’ll rarely find a course that strictly teaches students how to use it. Instead, students will learn Git as an essential complementary skill in more formal web development or programming course. This means that students looking to learn are aspiring to be programmers or developers, meaning that web development training will likely be a part of their future. To assist with this, Noble offers a wide variety of web development courses designed to fit your needs as a student.

At Noble, students can learn Git as part of their front end development training curriculum. In these training courses, students will learn the techniques required to program the client-facing, interactive web application elements, such as a webpage. In these classes, students will primarily focus on learning how to program using HTML/CSS and JavaScript, though advanced courses will also teach languages like React. In Noble’s Front End Web Development Certificate program, students will receive hands-on training in several important web development skills, including tracking and managing file changes using Git. With this training, students will be able to see how their programs develop over time, documenting a history of their work, and they will be able to see how Git is used to assist them in collaborative development projects. Since this is a career-focused course, the class assumes no prior coding experience, making this a good place to start for students hoping to enter the field of web development.

Noble also offers a more immersive Full Stack Web Development Certificate program that will teach students all the skills needed to work as Full Stack Web Developers (developers who handle both the client- and server-side elements of a webpage). While a part of this will be learning how to use Git to track and document changes to code, the vast majority of the course is comprised of intensive web development training courses in which students will learn HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Node, Express, MongoDB, React, and SQL. This course is perfect for anyone who wants to learn all the essential aspects of web development. Since this is a career-focused course, students will receive professionalization assistance, including one-on-one career mentorship and portfolio-building seminars.