So you've just opened up Excel and are greeted with something that looks a little bit like this:
It can be a little intimidating to be faced with a blank grid of cells. How do you input numbers? Where are they supposed to go? When looking for answers, it can be hard to even think of the initial questions needed to ask for help.
Excel is huge. It's staggeringly large. I'd argue that no one has completely mastered it. There are thousands of individual pieces that can all be used together in creative ways, meaning the possibilities are virtually limitless. So where do you you begin and how do you take that first step?
Different Methods of Learning
There are a few main methods that I can think of to tackle the task of learning Excel. Odds are you won't use just one, but instead a blend of them all. I know I've personally used a combination of all three, and found that each have their benefits and drawbacks.
Being "good" with Excel isn't really something you can learn overnight, it's a process that takes a lot of time and effort. Being skilled in Excel is really knowing what Excel can do, and knowing how to combine them all in way that gets you to a solution.
1. Classic teacher/student approach
This was really my first introduction into Excel. In undergrad, I double majored in Finance and Real Estate, and one of our first required courses was a class focused on learning Excel. It went over a ton of basics but also got everyone acclimated to the program that we'd end up using almost daily throughout school and into our work careers. It really opened my eyes to the possibilities and gave me a great overview into the program which later courses built on.
There are plenty of in-person or online courses that you can take that offer some great learning opportunities, and I recommend you research some near you.
Some benefits to this method is that you have access to a knowledgeable teacher that can field questions in real time. They usually have curated a course specifically designed to teach people who don't know how to use Excel, and have experience doing so. This makes it a great way to learn and start from scratch. It is also beneficial to have a set pace and an obligation of sorts to keep you on track. The extra incentive of not missing class or wanting to get your moneys worth can be all the motivation you need to "show up".
The downside is that you will learn things that aren't relevant or super necessary. I remember we had a whole lesson once on how to change the background texture of cells and other random formatting that no one ever uses or needs to know about. The pacing can also be an issue, if you understand something, the teacher may need to focus on or give more time to students who haven't grasped that concept yet. Conversely, if something is more confusing to you, the teacher may move too quickly and you could become lost.
2. Online tutorials and videos
There is an absolutely mind boggling amount of online tutorials and videos on how to learn excel. Most are great! Just google "Excel for beginners" and you're greeted with plenty of options. Watching these videos and following the written tutorials (which I hope to contribute to), is a great way to get your feet wet. It can be a little more overwhelming but there are some great teachers out there offering good direction, video, and reading.
The only real difference between this approach and actually enrolling in a class like the previous approach, is that you can stop/start/resume wherever you like and whenever you like. This gives you a lot more freedom to focus on what you actually need to learn at a pace that works for you.
My suggestion would be to find someone whos teaching style and presentation resonate with you. I typically like the really long (2hr+), in-depth videos when learning something. I know going into it there there is going to be more than enough information for me contained in the video and if they are covering something I already know, it's easy to skip around and jump back into a relevant section.
3. Learn as you go approach
This is likely to make up the majority of your learning as it is fully tailored to whatever speed and skill level you're at. Once you learn all of the basics, you'll run into many different very specific problems. Odds are that if you have a question, someone else has asked it on the internet before. Every day that goes by more and more people are posing questions and offering up answers. There are a ton of websites dedicated to the most detailed or specific answers relating to Excel.
Anytime you are stuck in Excel or aren't sure what the best way to proceed is, just stop and do a quick google search. A search as simple a "Excel how to use the xlookup function" will return hundreds of results and examples that will help direct you on your next steps.
If your question hasn't been asked before, there are a variety of websites and forums where people our encouraged to asked questions that a dedicated community usually help answer or guide you in the right direction. It's amazing really.
This whole method boils down to two steps. First, google for an answer to your question. Your question can really be as insanely specific as you could possibly be. Chances are good you'll find an answer. Otherwise, go to one of the Excel answer forums and pose your question there. If you haven't found an answer online already, people will be probably interested in your question!
My favorite sites for this are:
Microsoft Tech Community - https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/excel/bd-p/ExcelGeneral
Mr. Excel - https://www.mrexcel.com/board/
Conclusion
As long as you have the drive or need to learn there's no right or wrong way to about it. For a complete beginner, a more heavily structured approach may be your best bet as it offers you concrete directions and steps to follow. But, for someone more advanced with more specific questions, the self-learning/googling approach will probably work best. Hunting out those specific answers for your specific questions.
Whichever method you choose, just keep asking questions. The best way to learn is to have some curiosity in what you're learning. Just know that if you have a question or problem, the answer exists out there. Go find it!