How excel changed my life
Why we should all learn to use Excel
“The software itself doesn’t make you smarter…but somehow, it gives you credibility.”
Learning excel changed my life. There isn’t many programs or softwares or skills that I can confidently say this to, but one thing for sure, learning Excel changed my life.
I owe it to the one person that I used to work with that showed me the ropes. He was good at excel; he knew a lot of formulas, he knew how to build models, and most importantly, was an excellent teacher. He never put me down for not knowing how to use Excel, and instead, when he knew I was a beginner at it, he instantly grabbed a chair and sat me down to explain every formula and reference in the spreadsheet so I’d understand what’s going on. He explained concepts and ideas properly so that I can build and make my own models in Excel too. Without him, I wouldn’t know Excel. He was better than any beginner, intermediate, or advanced Excel course that my organizations paid for me as professional development. Not only was he a great teacher, but he was a great mentor as well. I owe a great part of my career to him.
I rave about how learning Excel changed my life is because it opened new opportunities and career prospects for me. By learning how to do excel, I can now do things more efficiently. People think I’m some sort of wizard when really it’s only because someone taught me the ropes, and I got the chance to continuously use it so I don’t forget.
The software itself doesn’t make you smarter; it doesn’t make your IQ or EQ increase, but somehow, it gives you credibility. Because you say “I know how to use Excel”, people assume you’re quantitatively strong, and historically, humans have always associated quantitative skills as the “stronger” one between quantitative/qualitative (i.e. think how people react towards STEM subjects versus arts subjects). The ironic thing is, nothing in Excel can’t be done manually. It’s not like it’s one of those niche software programs that does some miraculously thing…excel does math. We can do that manually. We can do it with a calculator too. But somehow, out of the suite of Microsoft Office products, Excel is the dark horse. It’s the one that many are unfamiliar and uncomfortable with. I can draw and design icons and align shapes quickly in PowerPoint and Word too, but somehow that doesn’t amaze people.
If there’s one software that I would recommend to others to boost your career prospects, it would definitely be Excel. For me, it opened new opportunities, it gave me the chance to show how strong quantitatively I was, and it provided me the chance to shine over those who couldn’t use the software. Excel isn’t hard, but it’s one of those things that you need to constantly use to remember how to work the formulas. Once you have that down, you’re all set.
