Today, almost all of our jobs have become in some ways tied to the computer. We use computer programs across almost all industries, for a variety of tasks and in a variety of ways.
If you’re not familiar with popular computer programs, it can interfere with your ability to do a job well or even land a position, to begin with. For example, it might seem like learning Microsoft Excel would be a challenge, but it can be an essential job requirement for many positions.
If you don’t know the basics of the program, don’t worry. Read on, and we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about excel.
What Is Excel Used For?
You might have opened Excel a few times before, or you might just be hearing of the program for the first time. Regardless, the best place to start is to understand the broad purpose of the program.
Excel is used by workers to store and organize data. That’s the plain and simple of it. It’s divided into a grid, a series of ‘cells,’ that can contain different data points. The program then allows users to organize this data and analyze it in relation to other data points.
The most basic example of this? A business keeping track of their expenses. A business could have an Excel spreadsheet where they enter their expenses as they incur them, and they can have the program keep track of their running total or things like average spend per purchase.
There a lot of quick tricks Excel is capable of that can make crunching numbers easy. That’s why it’s such a popular program at so many workplaces.
The Basics of the Excel Program
How do you get started in Excel? Understanding the basics is the right way to go. This is where things can get a bit more complicated to read about, and you may need to think about hiring an excel consultant to help give you some hands-on experience.
When you first open the program, you’ll have the opportunity to create a new spreadsheet, which is a blank grid of cells. Once open, most people will take the space to create a system of organization. This often takes the form of columns and rows of data, divided by some form of categorization.
Each column and row can be extended if you hover over the edges, so you can make things bigger or smaller depending on what information you need to put in them.
Excel also has a number of auto-fill features that can either be very helpful or irritating depending on what your goals are. Excel will auto-complete some of what you are typing if it already exists in other cells, which can save you time.
But it can also round numbers for you to a decimal point that you don’t want, which might require you going into the settings to change.
Everything You Need to Know About Excel
Computer programs can be complicated, but understanding the basics can help put you on the right track. The above information can serve as a primer on everything you need to know about Excel. Now you need to dive in yourself and get your hands dirty. Need more tech advice, tips, and tricks? Check out our blog for more.
