The length of time for learning new skills with Microsoft Excel will depend on the method of training a person chooses. Individuals may want to simply learn the basics with introductory courses for using the spreadsheet software, supplement their knowledge with advanced training, or seek licensed training through certifications. Of course, people are able to enroll for in-person training with full-time or part-time courses. However, anyone interested in additional training also has options with online training that includes synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous (on-demand) methods for learning.

What is Excel?

Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet software application that facilitates organizing, storing, analyzing, and visualizing data. People and organizations use Excel to perform basic and advanced computations and calculations using PivotTables and various graphing tools as well as the macro programming language Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Microsoft 365 offers the cloud-based Office 365, which includes Excel among its applications that integrates with other software like Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneDrive on PCs, Macs, and smartphone apps through the cloud or online.

Read more about what Microsoft Excel is and why people should learn it.

Benefits of Learning Excel

Microsoft Excel helps people and organizations get work done in business, education, and at home. Learning skills with Excel can help contribute to productivity and efficiency in industries that include financial services, healthcare, education, and nonprofit organizations that also opens career opportunities. Microsoft contributes to collaboration in the workplace through sharing worksheets or workbooks within an organization that includes several people working simultaneously on the same documents and files in real-time on a team project. Skills with Excel can help with expanding job options in a variety of industries.

Read more about why people should learn Microsoft Excel.

How Long Do Excel Courses Last?

Microsoft Excel has become the most used spreadsheet application on the planet due to its versatility with calculations, maintaining financial records, and limiting user access. While there are several choices available among spreadsheet options like Google Sheets, Smartsheet, and Apple Numbers, Excel is usually the first software that comes to mind for most people because of familiarity through using Microsoft Office.

Due to this familiarity, many individuals may believe they need no further training with Excel, but knowledge beyond the basics may help with finding a new career or advancing at a current position. Several education providers offer training in introductory, intermediate, and advanced courses for the spreadsheet application. It may also help to tinker with Excel by getting comfortable with the features and capabilities for using the software through practice, which can always be beneficial.

Because of the versatility available with Excel, classes usually take from 20 to 40 hours of training to learn skills for handling many of the functions and features associated with the spreadsheet software from introductory courses or bootcamps.

Different Courses with Different Schedules

Anyone looking for training in Microsoft Excel has the choice of different methods for learning the spreadsheet application depending on the purpose. Choosing the appropriate method of learning varies greatly depending on any individual’s circumstances, which includes work schedules, location, and ambitions. Training in-person, live online, or through on-demand classes offers opportunities for improving knowledge.

In-Person & Online Classes

Anyone who wants to improve on skills with Microsoft Excel can find in-person or live online classes available from education providers for training in basic knowledge or gaining certification. Excel not only serves as a staple in working environments throughout the world for handling financial records or basic data analysis but for also helping with basic household functions like organizing bills and collecting recipes. Anyone working anywhere from a corporation to an academic institution to freelance work uses Microsoft Excel, which means that training in the spreadsheet software can deliver the skills needed for contributing to and maintaining an efficient and productive working environment.

Choosing whether to enroll in an in-person or live online course will depend on an individual’s situation in life. Some people simply prefer learning inside a classroom for being able to physically interact with teachers and classmates. However, getting back out on the road after a long day at work to find a classroom somewhere might not appeal to everyone, which makes virtual learning a convenient option. Live online training allows individuals to receive the same education that they would get from sitting inside a classroom while being able to learn from home. Either method of training provides an effective way for improving on skills with Microsoft Excel for help with finding a new career or advancing within a current position.

Currently available through Microsoft 365, Excel can help with getting work done on site or remotely through sharing documents and files online and in the cloud. Anyone working anywhere from a corporate office to a tech startup to a nonprofit organization uses Microsoft 365 for everything from basic workplace organizing to production design. This means that training in Microsoft Excel can deliver the skills required from organizing, calculating, and analyzing information, including uploading files for collaborating inside and outside the workplace, which include allowing coworkers to work together through the cloud from separate places on the same document simultaneously. Microsoft 365 serves a hub for working inside offices or from home by being able to work seamlessly on assignments going from one place to the other.

People can improve on skills with Microsoft Excel by taking courses from inside classrooms across the United States or through live online training. Aside from working environments, people use Excel at home and at school for working on hobbies and schoolwork. For example, some people use the spreadsheet software for compiling recipes or with genealogy for creating ancestry charts. Students often use Excel to organize notes and information for assignments.

Synchronous & Asynchronous Classes

People considering online training for Microsoft Excel can choose between synchronous or asynchronous training. Synchronous classes take place in real-time with students and instructors attending together from different locations at the same time. Asynchronous classes provide a more dynamic schedule where students are able to access course material at their convenience from any location.

In choosing online training to learn skills with Excel, people must decide between a synchronous or asynchronous approach. Synchronous classes let students and instructors participate and interact in real-time while asynchronous classes allow participants to access lessons and material whenever they choose.

Synchronous Training

Synchronous classes are basically live online training courses that closely follow a traditional approach to teaching with instructors lecturing to and interacting with students in real-time in the same manner they would inside a classroom except everyone is participating from different places connected through live streaming with computer access following the same syllabus. The main advantage of synchronous training is that students can learn in the same way they would from inside a classroom without having to leave home, which provides convenience for those with a difficult work schedule or other obligations. Synchronous classes allow students to take advantage of videoconferencing technologies that include Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams for the same level of education, including feedback and conversations, that a student would get from sitting inside a classroom without having to go anywhere.

Live virtual training through synchronous classes are structured like traditional classroom courses with attendance being taken, lectures getting spoken, and students having to participate through webcams and smartphone cameras or chatting in a livestream environment that serves as the classroom.

Asynchronous Training

Asynchronous classes allow people to work on lessons at any time they choose. On-demand courses provide asynchronous training that offers scheduling flexibility for self-paced learning. While asynchronous courses still ultimately have submission deadlines and end dates, students are able to participate at any time they choose within the allotted period for a particular course.

Like synchronous classes, students in asynchronous classes are able to communicate through online chatting or by posting video messages. Instructors leading an asynchronous course will usually provide materials for self-guided learning, workshops, or file sharing.

Asynchronous classes vary in how training gets delivered to students, giving those with busy work schedules or other obligations the flexibility they need for taking the time to learn Excel. While many asynchronous courses are taught using video recordings of lectures that include exercises, some use digital modules that require hands-on exercises and traditional course workbooks. Because asynchronous classes differ greatly from traditional classroom training or live online courses, anyone interested should research the options available in order to make an informed decision in choosing the approach.

Asynchronous classes allow students to learn at their own pace and on their own time, which requires strong self-motivation in order to avoid the temptations of procrastination. It may also be a good idea for students deciding on the asynchronous approach to set up their own syllabus for staying on pace with getting assignments turned in.

Career-Focused & Skills-Focused Classes

Individuals can take a career-focused or skills-focused approach to training to improve on knowledge with software like Microsoft Excel. Career-focused training demands long-range planning while a skills-focused approach typically requires finding training that provides the final piece to a puzzle that completes a skill set that could lead to a new career or advancing at a current position. 

Career-Focused Training

A career-focused education allows students to find the path to a professional career by focusing on a specific area of work. Students can learn through educational programs that can help them with training that can lead to working in a desired profession. A career-focused education allows students to earn a degree and develop skills that can provide a solid foundation for success, which may include working towards a four-year undergraduate degree or a master’s degree in college. 

Skills-Focused Training

Skills-focused training helps individuals acquire knowledge that can contribute to performing work for specific types of jobs. Skills-based training programs are designed for people who may have no experience with a particular software or application who can use their newly acquired abilities in a variety of capacities for working. While training for Excel may not usually set the foundation for a career, certification focused on training for the spreadsheet application could provide a strong asset if combined with working experience in financial services or data analysis.

Introductory Classes & Immersive Courses 

Skills with Microsoft Excel can help with finding work in a variety of industries or advancing at a current position. Depending on an individual's level of knowledge with Excel, they may choose to enroll in either an introductory course for getting initiated with using the spreadsheet software or sign up for immersive training to expand on what they know.

Introductory Classes

People learning Microsoft Excel from scratch can find a variety of options with in-person, live online, or on-demand training to learn the spreadsheet application.

Introductory courses for learning Excel provide participants with an overview for using the spreadsheet software to complete everyday tasks for work or for personal projects. Training in Excel covers creating workbooks and worksheets, working with formulas as well as creating text and number formatting along with charts and graphics for saving, printing, and sharing spreadsheets. Beginner-level training for the fundamentals of Excel includes getting comfortable with basic formulas, PivotTables, understanding the display screen, exploring the file tab, and switching between open workbooks. New students will also get lessons on entering data, creating new workbooks, and saving workbooks along with learning about inserting, renaming, and deleting worksheets.

Immersive Courses

Many businesses use Microsoft Excel as a data science tool that allows organizations to perform tasks by visualizing data for use with graphics, calculations, and statistics. Immersive training in Excel includes bootcamps that provide comprehensive training that helps participants learn advanced techniques that include formulas and functions in order to work more efficiently and productively in summarizing and analyzing data through using tables, charts, and PivotTables. Immersive training emphasizes data analytics and working professionally with practical tools for problem solving with lessons on PivotTables, VBA scripting, and intermediate Excel skills.

Learn Excel Skills with Noble Desktop

Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application that helps users organize, analyze, and visualize data. Training in Excel provides skills for analyzing data that can contribute to efficiency in any organization. Anyone interested in improving skills with Microsoft Excel can enroll at Noble Desktop for a variety of Excel classes in New York City and live online classes. Classes are available for beginners as well as experienced Excel users, who could benefit from enhancing knowledge in advanced functions of the spreadsheet software. This includes the Excel Bootcamp for learning about working with PivotTables and macros.

Key Takeaways

• People can learn Microsoft Excel through a variety of methods that include introductory courses, advanced training, and certifications.
• Excel is a spreadsheet application that facilitates organizing, storing, analyzing, and visualizing data. 
• Excel contributes to productivity and efficiency in industries like financial services, healthcare, education, and nonprofit organizations that open up career opportunities.
• Microsoft Excel has become the most used spreadsheet software on the planet due to its versatility for calculations, maintaining financial records, and limiting user access.
• Anyone training in Excel has choices for different methods of learning the tool, including in-person, live online, and on-demand training.
• People can find in-person or live online classes available from education providers for training in basic knowledge or gaining certification.
• People considering online training for Microsoft Excel can choose between synchronous or asynchronous classes.
• Individuals can take a career-focused or skills-focused approach to training for gaining new skills.
• People considering training for Excel can enroll in either an introductory course to initiate training or immersive training to expand on skills.
• Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application that helps users organize, analyze, and visualize data.