Been using excel for a number of years...

[JamieCropley]

Been using excel for a number of years, recently graduated university, to get back into the job market I know I am going to have to improve my excel skills a lot more.

 

[RoryA]

Welcome aboard and good luck with the job hunting!

 

[JamieCropley]

Thanks!

 

[jmatty2000]

Hi Jamie, Are you still trying to learn excel? I'm still learning - my story is that my skills in ixcel have stayed the same since I graduated more than 20 years ago - I'm learning quickly-ish again now though. I'm currently going through the Unmasking Excel book by Bill - how are you increasing your excel skills?

 

[Johnny C]

Hi both and Hi Rory long time no speak.

I started using Excel on version 2 in the early 90's. 30 years ago?

Most people use a small amount of Excel and then stop learning. I never stopped, after 30 years I'm still learning. It involves lots of frustration!

I picked up a book on VBA by John Walkenbach. I doubt it matters who wrote it just read a book. Learn VBA and you'll suddenly 'get' Excel.

But I have to say, once you've learnt a bit from a book, or if you haven't, the Excel questions forum here is the best teacher you'll ever have. It's real life problems and real life answers.

Don't look at RoryA's website until you're well-versed. Excel was a work of genius but it's the most complicated thing technically.

One tip, right click on the ribbon. There's one option unchecked, Developer. Tick it. Apart from VBA, the Insert menu is a lifechanger.

 

[jmatty2000]

Hi Johnny
That was such an excellent introduction - thank you so much for me and anyone else feel really welcome in here.

I remember learning VBA about 10 years ago - I wanted to create something decent as I'd worked at my organisation for 10 years and I wanted something to show for it - kind of like a marker almost. I wrote a VBA tool in excel to connect to about 500 servers at once, then run some SQL to return any one row of data. This came in super handy as I was always being asked to connect to servers to check that customers had received an update. I could run almost any SQL SELECT statement and even UPDATE statements I wanted - at the touch of a button. The power was in my hands I guess and sometimes found myself with nothing to do lol !!

Then something unfortunate happened I guess - I ran out of ideas about what else I could use my hidden VBA talent on. I kept having to do the odd bit of maintenance on my VBA which was easy enough - but over time, my organisation seemed to not ask me to check servers less and less, so I basically lost all my VBA skills - I still have the tool I wrote of course.

I wonder if anyone else is like me and finds that they run out of ideas to do with VBA? So then, they forget what they've learn't.

This year I've just learned about pivot tables and power query but I'm also feeling a bit afraid that that I won't need those skills well in a year so.

Anyway thanks again for making me feel so welcome
Best regards
Matt

 

[JamieCropley]

Hi Jamie, Are you still trying to learn excel? I'm still learning - my story is that my skills in ixcel have stayed the same since I graduated more than 20 years ago - I'm learning quickly-ish again now though. I'm currently going through the Unmasking Excel book by Bill - how are you increasing your excel skills?

Yeah I am still trying to learn it always.

 

[Johnny C]

I won't be using my Excel skills within a few months, as I've had enough of working so I'm going to retire.

 

[JamieCropley]

I won't be using my Excel skills within a few months, as I've had enough of working so I'm going to retire.

Nice! If you have any work you want to get rid of feel free to send it my way lol