Excelling in Excel

The section on Microsoft Excel came just in time for my academic career at Trinity. Prior to this year, I had never been required to use Excel. Now I have used in multiple times in both Biology and Chemistry lab. We have had to make graphs, charts, histograms as well as use functions and data analyses. Without Computer Skills, I really would have floundered. Saying that, I found learning how to type and look for functions most helpful. This is followed by making a chart and learning how to select what data belongs to the X and Y axes. Little things about how to format the page helped me make my presentations clear and to the point without fiddling with every option on the tool bar.

I do not doubt that I will use excel in the future. My mom uses Excel and a program called Quickbooks to do the billing for my father's practice. Since she swears by Excel, and I trust her, being my mother, I will probably end up doing my personal finances on Excel once I am forced into being responsibile. I think Excel is particullary useful since it does not miscalculate (as far as I know) numbers that are inputted, so the numbers only have to be typed once correctly and referred back correctly for the calculations to be on target. Using a calculator lends to many more errors in my experience. Excel should then be helpful for any professions that utilize simple math.