Python is a general purpose coding language utilized commonly as an introductory coding language for its straightforward and English-like syntax. For students interested in pursuing quantitative sciences (particularly Physics, Biology, and Chemistry), a basic understanding of Python will be essential for computation research at the undergraduate level and beyond, and will give a boost to any resume

Javascript, or JS, is a coding language used primarily for web-based services and programs, often in combination with HTML and CSS to animate and make websites/services interactive and responsive. Additionally, Javascript provides the basis for other web-based languages such as Google Apps Script that operate in specific web environments.

Put simply, HyperText Markup Language (HTML) provides the backbone for web design, and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) provides the flair. Together, HTML and CSS allow you to design and construct appealing websites, and with the help of a little Javascript, those websites can be made interactive and responsive to the user. Luckily, many web design services exist these days – Squarespace, Wix, and Webflow are among the most popular – that let designers skip the tedious task of typing in lines of code, though a basic understanding of how HTML and CSS interact with one another will help you become a better, more efficient designer in any platform. Whether you’re looking to create a web page for a class project or build a portfolio, “online business card” site for applications, understanding HTML and CSS will go a long way toward making your web design stand out.

Excel (and/or its online counterpart Google Sheets) is ubiquitous across the academic and professional worlds for its customizability and efficiency as a data processing software. Most students will encounter Excel and/or Sheets at least once in their academic career, and depending on the path they take, it may even become a daily tool. Due to the scope of its capabilities, however, learning to use Excel for the first time can be a daunting experience. With a little guidance, however, a basic understanding of spreadsheet software is an immediately marketable skill in the classroom and beyond.

The Google suite of products – Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, and many more – are fantastic tools on their own, but linked together they become unstoppable. Google Apps Script (GAS) provides the means to get all of the different Google apps communicating and interacting with one another in real time. Based on the Javascript Language, GAS takes a little getting used to, but once the basics are mastered, the limit to its use is the user’s imagination.

As formatting languages go, LaTex is the industry standard for scientific writing. If you’ve ever read a scientific paper in its original formatting, there is a strong chance that paper was written in LaTex. Scientists and Researchers prefer LaTex because, once you know how to use it, the language makes it easy to incorporate text, figures, and mathematical symbols/equations without worrying about formatting. That being said, learning how to use LaTex can be a steep learning curve, especially if you’re not used to writing in coding languages. Most students don’t encounter LaTex until undergrad, if at all, during their academic careers, but every once in a while it may come up or you may just want to branch out and try something new.