Is Advance Excel course worth it?

[JudetheObscure]

I'm thinking of enrolling in an advance excel course hoping that it will help me become a lot more efficient at work. I work as an admin assistant, and already obtained a cert 3 in business admin. When I joined this forum, I noticed a lot of discussion about visual basics and complex formulas that I barely understand. The thing is the course runs for two days and it cost a whooping $300. IS it worth it? How do you guys learn your excel skill? I have borrowed a few books from the library - but they only teach basic stuff. My boss gave me a simple task to do like, creating a income and expense statement and he asked me why is it when he inserted an extra row and later put a figure there, the autosum doesn't include that figure. With the help of this forum, I was able to learn that I had to use indirect formula or the offset formula. Is there a lot to learn with Excel?

 

[Domski]

Hard to say without seeing the course content but imho I'd probably save your money.

Most of these 'advanced' courses may introduce you to a few of the features of Excel that you've not used before but you'd be as well getting a decent book on Excel. Most of them contain examples you can work through and unlike a lot of courses they will explain why things work like they do.

I got sent on an advanced course a good few years back and when people asked questions the answers given were blatantly wrong as the person running their course was a trainer rather than an Excel whiz.

Dom

 

[VoG]

I'd suggest that you take a look at Hiker's List first http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3118560&postcount=3

 

[RoryA]

Is there a lot to learn with Excel?

Yes. I'm still learning and I've used it quite a lot.

 

[VoG]

Yes. I'm still learning and I've used it quite a lot.

The power of understatement

 

[JudetheObscure]

I attended my first session yesterday. It was an interesting class with 15 students who seem very bright. I was the slow learner. The tutor was helpful and showed us some short cuts from using the quick access toobar. However she was going too fast and I couldn't follow or remember what she said. She said at an advanced level, you need to do things quickly and use short cuts instead of scrolling around with the mouse. I agree with that point. The only thing I liked about this course is the teaching manual. I later found out on the net that this teaching manual cost only $30. Will I enroll in such course like this again? No. $300 is too expensive. I could have used that money to upgrade to ms office 2010 instead.

 

[Domski]

Being advanced at Excel isn't really about shortcuts and using the Excel interface. Being familiar with that comes with using the software more. That sort of thing would be a nice to have as part of the handout given with the course but they should really be teaching you how to use the more advanced tools and techniques that could really help you to learn what it can do. Live and learn eh.

Dom

 

[Greg Truby]

Jude,

You don't show your location, so I don't know if you're in the U.S.A., the U.K., Canada, Australia, NZ or elsewhere. But I have taught “advanced” Excel courses in the U.S. for the largest of the three major public seminar companies and I would say that by and large most advanced seminars are usually pretty good. Having said that, you’re right; they tend to move very fast, covering a wide range of topics in the six or so hours you have to present them. And here’s the thing – almost every seminar out there will offer follow study material because frankly you need it. There is simply no way you’re going to retain more than about 10% of what you saw two weeks after the course is over if you don’t follow up on it and practice it until it sinks in. Most people won’t do that and so the training’s effectiveness is low.

To be honest – I’m an amazing Excel whiz, didn’t make me a great trainer. I had to work at becoming a good trainer. Eventually I got pretty good, but it’s rare that you find someone that is simultaneously a very good trainer and extremely accomplished at Excel. Those guys are out there, but they’re the minority of Excel trainers.

So my main point? Go into any training class with realistic expectations. And among those expectations should be that you need to have a plan to follow up on the training and drill and drill until you truly know the topics. Can you do it without taking any classes? Absolutely. To me a class should help expose you to a large variety of the tools available and then you can review the topics you covered and follow up on those which appear to you to be the most beneficial.