How do I get good at Excel? Specifically tailored to the modeling for options? I always "got by" on Excel over the years even though my profession required it 24/7. I think part of the problem is my lack of creative and organizational skills, I was never good at designing great spreadsheets and I have to really focus in order to design something decent. Anyone have any good reading recommendations?
Excel skills
- Thread starter ferrycorsten
- Start date
There are pretty spreadsheets, there are great spreadsheets, and rarely, both together.
To me a great spreadsheet is supremely functional and very easily delivers what you want.
The more you do this the better you get.
1) Start with what you want to achieve clearly in mind
2) You should only have to enter the bare minimum into as few cells as possible. Everything else should then be pulled in by the spreadsheet using, for example, Lookup or Index, and calculated providing you the answer.
3) Routine repetitive stuff should be automated using the macro recording function.
4) If you get stuck at any point, just google what you are trying to achieve, there are wonderful resources on the net with great formulas suggested.
That's all you need to do, visualise what it would be in a perfect world, then work step by step towards it. The more you do this the better you will get.
If you are going to read about it, do so only to get ideas re what is possible.
To me a great spreadsheet is supremely functional and very easily delivers what you want.
The more you do this the better you get.
1) Start with what you want to achieve clearly in mind
2) You should only have to enter the bare minimum into as few cells as possible. Everything else should then be pulled in by the spreadsheet using, for example, Lookup or Index, and calculated providing you the answer.
3) Routine repetitive stuff should be automated using the macro recording function.
4) If you get stuck at any point, just google what you are trying to achieve, there are wonderful resources on the net with great formulas suggested.
That's all you need to do, visualise what it would be in a perfect world, then work step by step towards it. The more you do this the better you will get.
If you are going to read about it, do so only to get ideas re what is possible.
I don't mean this to be a condescending or snide internet comment, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, but you used Excel for a job "24/7" and didn't get good at it? I think there was something in your way and it was not the lack of the correct text book. It's your attitude.
Step 1 of this project is to choose one of the following:
A) Believe stuff like "my lack of creative and organizational skills..." are true and you believe you have inherent mental obstacles to using the program, in which case you should just give up.
B) Stop saying stuff like that. If you don't approach this problem with an attitude of "This is not some mystical power. It is a program with functions that the creators intend to be straightforward and I'm fully capable of learning EVERYTHING this does" you won't get anywhere. If you do adopt this attitude you won't need and are better off without a tutorial.
Good luck.
Excel financial info/free downloads: Gummy Stuff
Free demo videos and for sale DVDs: Infinite Skills
Free Microsoft courses and templates: Microsoft Excel
Free demo videos and for sale DVDs: Infinite Skills
Free Microsoft courses and templates: Microsoft Excel
There is a number of great 'free' websites ... lots of great excel examples including;
- Chandoo
- Contextures
- OzGrid
- Peltier
- Newton Excel Bach
- Mr Excel
- JKP
- Chip Pearson
- The Spreadsheet Page
..... plus others
Have a dig round the archives ...
Sign up to the RSS / email updates ..
I am constantly amazed at the quality of excel education these guys produce ...
Cheers
James
- Chandoo
- Contextures
- OzGrid
- Peltier
- Newton Excel Bach
- Mr Excel
- JKP
- Chip Pearson
- The Spreadsheet Page
..... plus others
Have a dig round the archives ...
Sign up to the RSS / email updates ..
I am constantly amazed at the quality of excel education these guys produce ...
Cheers
James
Thanks for the names. I bookmarked all of these. Some look pretty good.
For my excel/vba needs, what i do is whenever I encounter a problem, I do a quick google. Most of the times, I find enough hints that help me solve the problem real quick.
I think that googling to solve excel problems is better approach than going through any of these particular websites, unless if you want to do a course offered by them. Since, google will take you to the right place, whereas if you go to any of these specific websites, you will have to search that website.
Still, many thanks for these names. Didn't know so many of them existed.