Poor Ahab, he never got his fish.* Despite years of frustration and toil, the white whale got the last laugh. I can sympathize because even though I’ve never held a harpoon, I know what it’s like to chase the white whale.
For years, my white whale was Photoshop. It was my nemesis. I knew enough to get by, but I also knew that there had to be faster/better/easier ways of doing things. So one day, I decided that I’d had enough of being a Photoshop hack and committed to becoming a certified expert. I studied and practiced a lot, and passed the test. But there are plenty of other fish/mammals/whatevers, in the sea. Nowadays my white whale is Excel, a digital leviathan like Photoshop, but a lot less visually stimulating. Fortunately, I have a new ally in my quest to master Excel, his name is Dennis Taylor and he’s the author of Excel Essential Training at Lynda.com.
Dennis and I are going to spend a lot of time together as I finally get a handle on things like conditional formatting, filters, and yes, even pivot tables.
If you’re like me and want to conquer Excel once and for all, (or even if you just want to get the hang of a few key features for organizing and analyzing data), check out the videos below, including the free one, What is Excel Used For?
*Yes, I know whales are mammals, but “he never got his mammal” just doesn’t sound right.
What is Excel Used For?
For Lynda.com members, if you are currently signed in to your account, you can also check out these videos from the series.
Not a Lynda.com member?
Get 10 days of free unlimited access to Lynda.com.
Understanding Workbooks and Worksheets
Working with Dates and Times
Using SUM and AVERAGE
This article was last modified on March 5, 2025
This article was first published on March 25, 2016
Commenting is easier and faster when you're logged in!
