5 Best Places to Learn Excel in 2022

Microsoft Excel has evolved to be one of the most versatile tools being used in almost every industry. No matter you are a business owner, a marketing professional, a data scientist, or a university professor, Excel can do wonders for you. Due to its widespread adoption, learning Excel can surely become your gateway to being competitive!

5 Best Places to Learn Excel in 2022

Here is a list of the 5 most popular places to learn Excel in 2022. Let’s discuss them in detail:

1. Udemy

Udemy is an online learning platform that has gathered a lot of traction over the years since its launch. With more than175,000 courses on different topics, it has become a great learning hub for people looking to add more skills to their portfolios.

The instructors on Udemy come from various backgrounds, some are professionals with hands-on experience while others can be self-taught instructors.

Screenshot of an Excel course available on Udemy

Pros

• You can find lots of Excel courses on Udemy there will be one that suits your level of understanding and experience.
• By paying a 1-time fee, you can easily enroll yourself in any course to start learning at your own pace.
• The course fee can range anywhere from $13 to $300 depending on the instructor profile and course content.

Cons

• Since these lectures are pre-recorded; if you get stuck on any topic, there won’t be any real-time person to talk to about the problem. Although Udemy offers a discussion forumfor queries but the high number of learners means that replies can take some time.
• As you will be taking a course all by yourself, you would have to explore the topics on your own. The completion of coursework is solely dependent on you as there will be no one to motivate you to finish the course.

2. Coursera

Coursera is another great online platform for e-learning from the comfort of your home. Here you can find tons of options for learning new skills.

What makes Coursera different from Udemy is that Coursera has partnered with leading institutions and companies to make learning more practical and niche-oriented.

You can find various learning options ranging from complete degree programs to specialization certificates. If you are an eager learner but have financial constraints to pay for the course, you can even apply for need-based financial aid programs on some courses.

Screenshot of a course available on Coursera

Pros

• Getting an affiliated certification from leading institutions and companies surely adds value to your profile and increases the likelihood of you getting a job role.
• Assessments throughout the course give you a sense of achievement and keep you motivated.
• The financial aid option can be helpful to learn new skills while staying within the budget.

Cons

• Since Coursera works on a monthly subscription model, you must commit time daily to complete the course, otherwise, you would end up paying extra. This means that even if you are occupied with your workload, you need to give enough time so the course finishes within the allocated timeline or you would have to keep on paying monthly till the course completes.
• After the course completion, you would have limited access to the course content.

3. YouTube

As one of the biggest video streaming platforms, it is no wonder that you can find some of the high-quality lessons on Excel on YouTube channels. Depending upon your search on the platform, you can browse multiple channels that can teach you Excel from the very basic to the advanced level.

Many professional Excel trainers often use YouTube as a marketing tool to upload some free content from their paid courses to give you an idea about the overall quality. You can look out for such streams and take a couple of free lessons before jumping into the paid course.

Pros

• You can subscribe to various channels and follow their playlists to acquire your desired level of expertise in Excel.
• A well-established channel has a good community where you can ask your queries to get helped. It is quite advantageous because you will be getting many replies to your query to help you clarify the problem.

Cons

• Working professionals may find it time-consuming to find a playlist that fits their needs. Since the platform has become saturated, one can easily lose focus in scrutinizing the channel itself.
• Although you can learn a lot from YouTube, you would not be getting any credentials to show on your LinkedIn profile.

4. Classroom Learning

Classroom-based learning is another method that can be opted for learning Excel. This method is still preferred by many individuals and organizations because of its effectiveness.

The classroom-based learning method is also ideal for working professionals who don’t have the time to browse from thousands of online resources or filter the best available course for them from a wide list.

Pros

• Whenever you get stuck, you can always discuss your problems with the instructor. The 1:1 session helps clarify any of your queries on the spot.
• Completing the coursework would be guaranteed under the supervision of the trainer.

Cons

• Classroom-based learning is expensive as compared to the other options.
• Classroom learning demands full-time commitment so to complete the coursework within time.

Examples of classroom-based Excel training companies include London based Acuity Training and Sydney based Nexacu.

Screenshot of Acuity Training
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5. Learning from Books and Blogs

If you are an avid reader, then learning Excel from books or related blogs can also be one of the options that you can use to upskill yourself. There are thoughts of books and blogs which cover every aspect of Excel from the absolute basics through to very advanced analytics and financial forecasting.

Pros

• Books are relatively cheap and blogs are free.
• You can easily refer to books and blogs whenever you get stuck in a problem.
• Some books contain working files and other resource material which can provide you assistance in learning.

Cons

• Reading books for learning a new skill can sometimes become overwhelming because you don’t have anybody to have an insightful discussion with.
• Following blogs for learning can sometimes become time-consuming with a little gain of valuable information.

We hope that the information provided above will help you in selecting the best method to learn Excel in 2022. Keep Excelling!

Ben Richardson

Ben Richardson runs Acuity Training a leading Excel training company in the UK.

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