Please help me gain Microsoft Office skills!
April 25, 2014 11:50 AM Subscribe
I will soon be starting a project/new job that requires better Microsoft Office skills than I currently have. I've used Outlook, Word and Excel in a fairly basic way for years, but need to come to grips with some of the more sophisticated elements of those programs. Plus, I need to learn how to use Powerpoint and Visio, which I've never touched. Yikes.
Can you recommend some good online tutorials? I am also considering doing a paid course (online or otherwise) if I can find one based in London that's not too expensive or a rip-off. Can you help?
PowerPoint is really straightfoward to use. The best thing for that is to search around for "best practices" and learn how to make a visually pleasing presentation.
For Excel, one thing that really helps is to get comfortable using the help docs. I have taught myself a lot of formulas that way! Also I can't always remember what formula to use or exactly how to us it, so I have to look it up. No shame in that!
posted by radioamy at 12:01 PM on April 25, 2014 [2 favorites]
For Excel, one thing that really helps is to get comfortable using the help docs. I have taught myself a lot of formulas that way! Also I can't always remember what formula to use or exactly how to us it, so I have to look it up. No shame in that!
posted by radioamy at 12:01 PM on April 25, 2014 [2 favorites]
Yeah, Lynda.com is a great resource and I believe they have a free trial period.
And Google is your friend.
Don't worry. Many people far less intelligent than you use both Powerpoint and Visio with ease and speed. It's smart to study up now, though, before the project starts.
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 12:07 PM on April 25, 2014
And Google is your friend.
Don't worry. Many people far less intelligent than you use both Powerpoint and Visio with ease and speed. It's smart to study up now, though, before the project starts.
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 12:07 PM on April 25, 2014
I recently used GCFLearnFree.org to brush up on Access so I could clep out of a intro to computers class. I knew all the other office products enough but had never worked with Access. It has videos and sample files so you can follow along.
posted by okieangel at 12:25 PM on April 25, 2014
posted by okieangel at 12:25 PM on April 25, 2014
Youtube is a good place for software tutorials.
posted by the big lizard at 12:34 PM on April 25, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by the big lizard at 12:34 PM on April 25, 2014 [2 favorites]
I'm all about YouTube for tutorials. I learned PowerPivot for Excel there and it has revolutionized my working life!
I find that when I'm challenged to figure out a way to do something in Excel, that I can google it and someone, somewhere (bless them) has a step-by-step tutorial for doing it.
If I'm just learning random stuff in a class, unless I use it within the following week, it may lodge in my brain as a "oh yeah, I kinda remember that" but it's not useful unless I walk through it again.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:45 PM on April 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
I find that when I'm challenged to figure out a way to do something in Excel, that I can google it and someone, somewhere (bless them) has a step-by-step tutorial for doing it.
If I'm just learning random stuff in a class, unless I use it within the following week, it may lodge in my brain as a "oh yeah, I kinda remember that" but it's not useful unless I walk through it again.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:45 PM on April 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
Lynda and GCFLearnFree are both quite good. New York Public Library also offers classes in the Microsoft Suite and has made all their handouts available online. If at all possible it might be good to narrow down the aspects of these programs that your project will focus on so that you can learn more in those areas. No sense trying to teach yourself Track Changes or Pivot Tables if what they really want are outlining/indexing and charts.
posted by jessamyn at 1:10 PM on April 25, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by jessamyn at 1:10 PM on April 25, 2014 [3 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by lovableiago at 11:55 AM on April 25, 2014 [2 favorites]