Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet and data storage software program that is an important part of the business management process in many organizations. An ability to understand this program and to work with it is essential for all levels from entry to top management. Many organizations list being able to use Excel as a requirement for employment. The ability to master this useful program will benefit anyone involved in business from a job applicant to the CEO of the company.
Excel training exists at many levels also. The software itself includes tutorials designed to get you started. The Microsoft website offers additional training software that is also intended to give a user at least a working knowledge of Excel. For many people, this is as far as they take their training and as a result they both struggle with Excel and fail to realize or utilize its tremendous potential. If you want to get the most out of it, you need to accept its complexity and recognize the need for some serious training. If you are able to reach the point where you can truly say you have “mastered” Microsoft Excel, you will have a leg up on the competition both within and outside of your company.
Microsoft Help or training is offered through a worldwide network of Microsoft Certified Learning Partners. These organizations have passed rigorous Certification examinations administered by Microsoft. There are more than 26,000 Learning Partners in this network. Training is administered in two different manners. There is classroom based training and distant learning. These two methods have become a common choice in most computer based training and educational programs in the last decade. Each individual must evaluate his own situation taking into consideration his budget, his schedule, and his own ideal learning style to make a decision about which is better for him.
Microsoft Excel training is offered by either group. The Microsoft Certified Partners for Learning Services (MCPLS) offer comprehensive hands on instructor led training at sites spread widely over the world. A directory on the Microsoft Excel training home site can guide you to a MCPLS facility in your area. Microsoft Official Distant Learning (MODL) partners provide training platforms that can be delivered directly to your own computer. They provide the back up and technical support needed to complete the training and maximize its results.
It is possible to delve into Microsoft Excel if you have any knowledge or familiarity with spreadsheet applications, but this approach ignores the potential and only skims the surface of what Excel can do for you and your organization. The smart way to master Excel and get the most out of it is to take some formal Excel training from a Certified Partner.
