How to become a pro at Microsoft Excel ⭐
Microsoft Excel has been around for over three decades and is a powerful tool in the Microsoft Office suite used in various industries, including finance, accounting, marketing, and more.
It has always been an essential skill for professionals working in data-intensive fields. This is because Excel is a widely used application that enables users to automate their work processes, analyze data, and perform various other tasks.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the tools that can be used to become better at Excel, including keyboard shortcuts, online courses, and other resources.
Why Microsoft Excel Is an Essential Skill for Every Professional ⭐
Excel is a valuable tool for anyone who works with data. It allows users to manipulate large amounts of data, create charts and graphs to visualize data, and analyze data in a variety of ways. Being proficient in Excel can save time and increase productivity, making it an essential skill to have in the workplace.
Additionally, being an Advanced Excel user can increase job opportunities and salary potential.
- Data analysis: Excel is a powerful tool for analyzing and organizing data, making it easier to draw insights and make informed decisions.
- Time-saving: Excel can automate many tasks, saving you time and increasing productivity. VBA is a gift from heaven, that allows you to perform almost any task imaginable by writing code within Excel.
- Financial management: With Excel, you can create and manage budgets, track expenses, and forecast financial performance.
- Collaboration: Excel makes it easy to collaborate with others by sharing spreadsheets and tracking changes in real-time.
- Reporting: Excel’s reporting capabilities make it easy to create professional-looking reports and presentations.
- Project management: Excel can be used for project management, tracking tasks, timelines, and progress.
- Inventory management: Excel is a valuable tool for managing inventory, tracking stock levels, and generating purchase orders.
- Graphical representation: Excel can create visually appealing graphs, charts, and tables to better illustrate data and insights.
- Versatility: Excel is versatile and can be used for a wide range of tasks and industries, from finance and accounting to sales and marketing.
- Integration: Excel can integrate with other Microsoft Office applications and third-party software, making it easy to work across multiple platforms and systems.
I learnt how to code Python and was using it in my role as a Quantitative Analyst. In the end, I ran back to Excel.
Excel and coding are two very different skills, and each has its own advantages and applications.
However, I find Excel more fun to use for a few reasons:
- Ease of Use: Excel has a user-friendly interface and requires no prior programming knowledge, making it easier to learn and use for beginners.
- Versatility: Excel can be used in a wide range of industries, from finance to healthcare to education, for tasks such as data analysis, budgeting, and project management.
- Familiarity: Many professionals are already familiar with Excel and use it regularly in their work, making it a valuable skill to have for collaboration and communication.
- Cost-effectiveness: Excel is widely available and affordable, with no need for expensive software or hardware.
- Immediate Results: Excel allows for immediate visualization of data and results, which can be useful for making quick decisions and adjustments.
- Time-saving: Excel has built-in formulas and functions that can automate calculations, saving time and reducing errors.
- Accessibility: Excel is widely used and supported, with a wealth of online resources and tutorials available for learning and troubleshooting.
Overall, learning Excel can be a valuable skill for professionals looking to improve their productivity, data analysis skills, and overall job performance.
Free Templates Every Week ⭐
Setting Goals and Objectives for Learning Excel ⭐
When I became a Quantitative Analyst I saw that my colleagues were more advanced in Excel than I was. They could code VBA and write complex formulas. I did not want to get left behind so I went straight to Udemy and bought 7 advanced Excel courses and binge-watched them for 2 weeks.
You too, need to identify your motivation for learning Excel.
- What specific tasks or projects are you looking to accomplish with Excel?
- How proficient are you in Excel currently? Are you comfortable using basic functions like SUM and AVERAGE?
- What areas of Excel do you feel you need the most improvement in?
- Have you taken any Excel courses or tutorials before? If so, what did you learn and what did you find most challenging?
- Do you work with data regularly? If so, how do you currently manage and analyze that data?
- Are there any specific Excel features or functions you’re interested in learning more about?
- How do you think becoming an advanced Excel user will benefit your career or personal projects?
- Do you have any specific Excel-related goals in mind?
- How much time and effort are you willing to dedicate to improving your Excel skills?
- Do you prefer a self-paced learning approach or a more structured course or workshop setting?
Just like everything else in life, you need to set SMART goals i.e.specific, measurable goals for learning Excel.
Here are some examples of SMART goals you could set:
Specific: “I want to learn how to create advanced pivot tables in Excel to analyze my company’s sales data.
- Measurable: “I will be able to create pivot tables with multiple layers and custom calculations.”
- Achievable: “I will take an online Excel course focused on pivot tables and practice creating them with real sales data.”
- Relevant: “I need to analyze our sales data to identify trends and make informed business decisions.”
- Time-bound: “I will achieve this goal within three months.”
Make sure that you use your favourite time management and task list tool to create a timeline for achieving your Excel learning objectives. Personally, I use ClickUp to organise my life but there are hundreds of options such as Microsoft Planner, etc.
Specific: “I want to become proficient in VBA programming in Excel to automate repetitive tasks.”
- Measurable: “I will be able to write and execute VBA macros to automate at least five tasks in Excel.”
- Achievable: “I will take an online Excel course focused on VBA programming and practice writing macros for real tasks in Excel.”
- Relevant: “Automating tasks in Excel will save me time and increase my productivity.”
- Time-bound: “I will achieve this goal within six months.”
Specific: “I want to improve my Excel skills to create more visually appealing and professional-looking spreadsheets.”
- Measurable: “I will be able to format spreadsheets using advanced Excel features, such as conditional formatting and sparklines.”
- Achievable: “I will take an online Excel course focused on formatting and design, and practice applying the concepts to my own spreadsheets.”
- Relevant: “Creating professional-looking spreadsheets will improve my ability to communicate data and analysis to my colleagues and superiors.”
- Time-bound: “I will achieve this goal within four months.”
Excel Online Courses ⭐
Another way to improve Excel skills is by taking online courses. Udemy is a popular platform that offers a wide range of courses on Excel.
- Microsoft Excel Pro Tips: Go from Beginner to Advanced Excel by Maven analytics, Chris Dutton
- Microsoft Excel – Data Analysis with Excel Pivot Tables by Maven analytics, Chris Dutton
- Microsoft Excel – Advanced Excel Formulas & Functions by Maven analytics, Chris Dutton
- Unlock Excel VBA and Excel Macros by Leila Gharani
The cost of these courses can vary by your location, but the average cost is around $50. Udemy also offers sales and discounts throughout the year, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for those. Courses can go for as low as N3,500 for Nigerian customers during sales periods.
Watch YouTube Videos ⭐
People are usually, Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing or Kinesthetic/Tactile learners.
For visual and auditory learners we recommend using Youtube to learn and master Excel.
Here are some channels you can start with:
- ExcelIsFun:
- Teaching style: Comprehensive, with a focus on beginner to intermediate Excel skills.
- Focus: The channel covers a wide range of Excel topics, from basic formulas to advanced data analysis techniques.
- Recommended videos: “Excel Basics for Beginners,” “10 Most Used Formulas in Excel,” “Excel Pivot Tables for Beginners.”
- MyExcelOnline:
- Teaching style: Clear and easy to follow, with a focus on practical business applications.
- Focus: The channel covers a range of Excel topics, including data analysis, dashboard creation, and automation.
- Recommended videos: “Excel Power Query Tips and Tricks,” “Excel Pivot Tables – Tutorial for Beginners,” “How to Create a Dashboard in Excel.”
- Excel Campus:
- Teaching style: In-depth, with a focus on advanced Excel skills and techniques.
- Focus: The channel covers advanced topics such as VBA programming, data analysis, and dashboard creation.
- Recommended videos: “Excel VBA Basics for Beginners,” “Excel Advanced Filter – Basics and Unique Records,” “Excel Dashboard – Data Visualization & Analysis.”
- Leila Gharani:
- Teaching style: Clear and concise, with a focus on practical Excel skills.
- Focus: The channel covers a range of Excel topics, including data analysis, visualization, and productivity.
- Recommended videos: “Excel Pivot Table Tutorial for Beginners,” “10 Advanced Excel Charts that You Need in Your Life,” “Excel Tips and Tricks.”
- Excel on Fire:
- Teaching style: Engaging and fun, with a focus on practical Excel skills.
- Focus: The channel covers a range of Excel topics, including data analysis, dashboard creation, and automation.
- Recommended videos: “Excel Pivot Table Tutorial – How to Make and Use Pivot Tables in Excel,” “Excel Macros for Beginners – Get Started with VBA Programming,” “Excel VLOOKUP Tutorial for Beginners.”
How to Practice and Apply Your Excel Skills in Real-World Scenarios ⭐
Finding opportunities to practice Excel in your work or personal life can help you become more proficient in the software and enhance your skills. When I finished my Advanced Excel Course, I built a spreadsheet that used VBA to open over 30 workbooks and extract the data needed into one workbook and then do further analysis on it for my job.
Here are some tips for incorporating Excel into your daily routine:
- Identify areas where Excel can be used in your work or personal life, such as budgeting, data analysis, or project management.
- Seek out Excel-related tasks and projects at work or in your personal life.
- Use Excel to track your personal finances, including budgeting and investments.
- Create Excel spreadsheets to track your work progress or monitor project timelines.
- Look for online Excel challenges and competitions to test your skills and learn new techniques.
Examples of real-world scenarios where Excel can be used include:
- Analyzing sales data to identify trends and opportunities for growth.
- Creating financial models and projections to help with budgeting and forecasting.
- Managing inventory levels and tracking supply chain data.
- Organizing customer data and creating reports to improve customer service.
- Tracking employee performance metrics and conducting data-driven evaluations.
Use Excel Add-Ins to Increase Functionality ⭐
Excel add-ins are programs designed to enhance the functionality of Microsoft Excel. They can help you work more efficiently, automate repetitive tasks, and improve the accuracy of your data analysis.
Here are the five most popular and helpful Excel add-ins that can show you’re an advanced Excel user:
- Power Query: This add-in allows you to easily connect, transform, and clean your data from a variety of sources. It can save you a lot of time and effort by automating data cleaning and preparation tasks.
- Power Pivot: This add-in allows you to analyze large data sets and create advanced data models with ease. It is especially useful for creating complex data analyses and visualizations.
- Solver: This add-in allows you to find optimal solutions to complex problems, such as maximizing profits or minimizing costs. It can help you make data-driven decisions and improve the accuracy of your analysis.
- Analysis ToolPak: This add-in provides a set of statistical functions and data analysis tools that are not included in Excel by default. It is useful for performing a wide range of statistical analyses, such as regression analysis and hypothesis testing.
- Conditional Formatting: This add-in allows you to format your data based on certain criteria, such as highlighting cells that meet specific conditions. It can make it easier to identify patterns and trends in your data.
By incorporating these add-ins into your Excel workflow, you can become more efficient, accurate, and advanced in your data analysis skills.
Advanced Excel Users Memorise Keyboard Shortcuts ⭐
Memorizing Excel keyboard shortcuts can significantly increase your efficiency and productivity, as it allows you to quickly perform common tasks without the need to navigate through menus or use the mouse. Here are some tips on how to memorize Excel keyboard shortcuts:
- Start with the most commonly used shortcuts: Begin by focusing on the most frequently used shortcuts such as copy, paste, undo, and redo. This will help you to get into the habit of using shortcuts instead of the mouse.
- Use them regularly: The more you use a shortcut, the more likely you are to remember it. Try to use shortcuts whenever you can, even if it takes longer at first.
- Practice, practice, practice: Dedicate some time each day to practising shortcuts. You can create sample spreadsheets and use them to practice different shortcuts.
- Customize shortcuts: You can customize shortcuts to better suit your workflow. For example, if you frequently use the sum function, you can assign a custom shortcut to it.
My favourite tool to use for keyboard shortcuts is https://www.automateexcel.com/shortcuts/, because they have a table that shows you the different shortcuts for Mac vs. Windows.
Avoid these common mistakes when learning Microsoft Excel ⭐
Mistakes are inevitable in life, but by pre-empting possible mistakes you can save yourself time and aggro. Here are the most common ones that we see:
- Overcomplicating formulas: Trying to make formulas too complex can lead to errors and make it difficult for others to understand your work. For example, instead of using a single formula to calculate a percentage, someone may use multiple nested IF statements that are difficult to follow.
- Failing to format cells correctly: Incorrect cell formatting can make it difficult to read and understand data. For instance, using a number format that is not appropriate for the data, such as using a currency format for dates.
- Not using named ranges: Not using named ranges can make formulas difficult to understand and update. For example, using cell references in formulas rather than named ranges can make it difficult to update the formula if the data changes.
- Not using data validation: Not using data validation can lead to incorrect data entry and errors. For instance, not using data validation to restrict data entry to a certain range can lead to incorrect data being entered.
- Not backing up work: Failing to save or backup work can lead to data loss and wasted time. For example, not saving a file after making significant changes can result in losing all the work.
- Not using PivotTables: PivotTables can make it easy to analyze and summarize data, but many people avoid using them because they are intimidated by them or do not know how to use them.
- Not using keyboard shortcuts: Not using keyboard shortcuts can slow down work and make it less efficient. For instance, not using the Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V shortcuts to copy and paste data can take much longer than using these shortcuts.
- Not knowing the limitations of Excel on Macbooks: Excel on Macbooks has some limitations and differences from the Windows version, such as a smaller set of add-ins and a lack of compatibility with some VBA code. Not knowing these limitations can lead to frustration and wasted time when trying to use Excel on a Mac.
AI is making it easier to become a pro at Microsoft Excel ⭐
AI tools have revolutionized the way we approach Excel, making it easier than ever to master complex formulas and VBA code without spending hours sifting through online resources. These AI tools can save you valuable time and effort while improving your overall productivity.
Here are 5 AI tools that can help with Excel formulas and VBA code writing:
- Excel Formula Bot – It’s a plugin both for Excel and Google Sheets that lets you enter a text instruction and convert it to a formula. It also works the other way – by explaining complex formulas in plain English.
- XLRibbon – XLRibbon uses machine learning to automatically generate VBA code for common tasks, such as data cleaning and formatting.
- ChatGPT – As a language model AI, ChatGPT can assist with common Excel tasks and functions, such as converting data into charts and graphs, writing VBA code, creating pivot tables, and more.
- UseChannel.Com – You can connect your Excel spreadsheet or CSV file, ask a question, and get an answer on your data.
- Ajelix – This lets you write and explain formulas fast and intuitively. You can also collaborate with others to work on your spreadsheets and translate Excel files into other languages.
Top 10 Takeaways ⭐
- Being an Advanced Excel user can increase job opportunities and salary potential.
- Setting SMART goals will ensure that you understand why and how you will become a pro at Microsoft Excel
- Online courses are the best way to become a pro at Microsoft Excel. Udemy has many great courses.
- Audio and Visual learners can benefit from watching YouTube videos to learn Excel
- Use real-world scenarios in your personal and professional life to help become a pro at Excel
- Use Excel Add-ins to boost the functionality of Excel
- Memorise keyboard shortcuts to save you time
- Avoid common mistakes such as not knowing what features are not in Excel for Mac
- AI is making it easier to become a pro at Microsoft Excel
- Continuous practice is the only way to ensure you become a pro at Microsoft Excel