4 Reasons Why You Still Need To Learn Excel
Yep, there are a bunch of fancy-pants new apps on the market that promise to help you get stuff done fast, whether it's a location-tracking-list-automating-password-managing-calendaring app or some other *insert buzzword* tool that seems like a multi-tasking dream.
While it's a rare case that the old school tool is actually cool, there's a reason why Excel has been the gold standard for so long when it comes to problem-solving. It helps you make sense of raw numbers, whether you're organizing them, crunching them or trying to come to a business conclusion from your calculations (like whether or not you should take the name business trip next year, or what your margins for production for a new business offering actually are).
Since 80% of jobs require spreadsheet and word processing skills, it makes sense you've probably stumbled over Excel at one point in time. But the tool does a whole lot more than just produce a table of numbers — here are four reasons why you should learn Excel (and even if you think you're a pro, how you can dig a little deeper into the platform).
1. Excel Helps Solve Business Problems
So, you need to compile a list of all the events you had in Q4 and compare the return they produced to the ones your company launched in Q1 — then you need to present your findings to the sales and marketing teams, and make an assessment on what kind of events you should hold the next year. How do you figure out what content might be the most relevant? How can you forecast what kind of return you'd get, based off of the leads the previous quarters returned?
Does that sound intimidating to you? It's admittedly a tough task, but it honestly wouldn't be so bad if you knew how to use Excel. That one tool can handle it all, from organizing data (like dates, number of attendees, numbers of leads produced and eventually, number of closed deals), to completing both basic and complex mathematical formulas (immediate ROI calculations and forecasting). You can also turn that data into easy-to-visualize charts and graphs to make a more compelling case for your assessments.
In short: Excel helps you draw actionable conclusions from data — and that alone is a huge reason to master the tool.
2. You Can Get Your Work Done Faster
Please don't type in calculations (agonizingly slowly) on your phone or calculator app during your lunch break, trying to figure out some numbers — that's so 1990. Instead of adding up your monthly expense report yourself (also known as entering the 9th circle of hell), use Excel's programs and functions to add them up for you. Plus, it's pretty much guaranteed to be more accurate than if you attempted it yourself.
3. Give Yourself More Hiring Options
Excel is a universal computer program — it's so widely used, it's almost like having a shared language used between teams, even if every other platform in your office environment is department-specific. Managers know the value of having a skill that's so easily transferable, so knowing Excel well can increase your options in terms of job prospects, or even increase your starting salary.
In fact, middle-skill job applicants that are Excel-proficient make $22.66 per hour on average compared to the $20.14 per hour less skilled workers make. That's about $100 extra in your pocket each work week, just for knowing one program. And if you're interested in a field like data analysis, where knowing how to use Excel to make sophisticated calculations is essential, it can literally be the difference between getting hired or up to thousands tacked onto your salary.
4. Excel Skills Are Useful In Any Profession
Regardless of what you're doing in the office, there's definitely a way that Excel can help you do it better — whether that's organizing your data more efficiently, streamlining your workflow through automation or communicating your ideas.
Want to brush up on your skills, or earn CPD-accredited certifications to help bolster your resume? This eLearnExcel: The Microsoft Excel Master Certification Bundle is a great resource, covering everything from the foundations (formulas, functions, charts and more) to Pivot Tables and advanced certification courses.
Buy it here for $39.
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