What are the best ways to increase Excel skills?

July 1, 2012 9:00 PM

What are the best free and paid resources or training courses for Excel?

I have the chance to develop my Microsoft Excel skills. I am at an intermediate level and want to move to advanced. I can pay for a course/set of lessons, either online or locally, but am not sure of the best choice. There are a lot of courses for free online -- is it better to just go through one of these? (Which is best?)

What about books? courses? online courses? class names I should search for in catalogs at my local schools? Have you taken a class and found that you got more from it than a book or independent study?

Thanks!

posted by ramenopres to technology (7 answers total)

Chandoo offers some courses and tons of online lessons/tutorials. I think he's targeting exactly the level you're talking about, with most of what's posted.

I haven't tried the paid classes, but I love the stuff I've used.
posted by Gorgik at 9:08 PM on July 1, 2012 [3 favorites]

I booked a 4-hour class with an Excel instructor and found it very useful. We went over different functions I use at work and improved many of my existing spreadsheets. In fact, I'm booking her again for help on a large project I'm working on. I don't think I would have found a general course or a web course as helpful
posted by third word on a random page at 12:21 AM on July 2, 2012

Here are a couple of previous questions on this topic that you may find useful: Help me become a spreadsheet power user and Excel from scratch for actuarial work.

My personal favourite is ExcelEverest: an Excel-based course (as in, you learn inside a spreadsheet) that is engaging and detailed.

Chandoo gave the system a very positive review.
posted by fakelvis at 12:35 AM on July 2, 2012

Third world, how did you find an Excel instructor? Is there a database somewhere, or a licensure they should have?
posted by ramenopres at 4:02 AM on July 2, 2012

John Walkenbach has a huge collection of books available for Excel. My dad was looking to learn the basics and picked up the Excel Bible 2010. It was all that he could ask for and more. I've been using the Advanced manuals for years to get better VBA functions, etc. They're usually about $20 a book, but you can find a used copy for 2007 for a bit less.
posted by neveroddoreven at 4:38 AM on July 2, 2012

Mrexcel.com is great for tips and they do have a section on learning.
posted by soelo at 7:43 AM on July 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

ramenopres: "Third world, how did you find an Excel instructor? Is there a database somewhere, or a licensure they should have?"

I'm not ramenopres, but I am an Excel instructor! There is no licensing or database that I know of. I just happen to teach it as part of my courseload as a professor at a junior college.

My suggestion is to ask around at your local college, community or otherwise.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 1:49 PM on July 2, 2012