This interview about Excel macros is the first of our Learner Spotlight series, where we talk to members of our community that are finding courses through Everpath.

Name: Aileen Wu

Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA

Course: Excel VBA and Macros, from Udemy

 

Tell us a little about yourself.

I recently graduated with my MBA and I am interested in marketing, consumer research, and technology. I was previously an engineer and will soon be starting a marketing & strategy role at 3M.

Tell us about what you’re trying to learn.

I do a lot of work in Excel, everything from making financial statements to analyzing surveys. I was recently doing data analysis in Excel when a colleague of mine suggested writing an Excel macro to examine the correlations between different data sets more efficiently. I didn’t know how to do it, so started thinking about learning to write Excel macros.

What avenues did you try before finding Everpath?

I wasn’t sure how to learn – perhaps through a book? When I found Everpath, I saw it was a really great, helpful resource that compiled courses on Excel macros. I didn’t even know there were online courses available!

I’ve previously taken online courses but mostly for recreational purposes, such as listening to a lecture or two about game theory. This is the first time I’ve used online courses for work-related purposes.

How do you like the course you found?

It’s really good! The instructor records 2-15 minute videos, so it doesn’t feel like it drags on forever. He explains things very clearly and is engaging. Watching him create and record macros helps me learn more about the subject. I’ve previously tried static books, but there’s only so much you can figure out from text and a screenshot. The videos are really helpful for learning more.

How was your experience using Everpath?

It was great! I was able to quickly pull up about 5 courses about Visual Basic and was really easily able to preview each class and learn more about each one. It was really conveniently compiled so I could see all the interactive online courses for writing Excel macros. And looking at the course description was really good to see whether it would be relevant to me, or too basic.

For example, one course I found was more focused on spreadsheet editing and geared towards administrative work, versus the one I ultimately chose was analysis- and business-focused.

If you could change one thing about Everpath, what would it be?

Personalized advice and recommendations. It really helps to have someone giving me advice along the way.

It would also be great if there were top picks for any subject. I love the ‘ideas for getting started’ section – it provides inspiration and excitement. For example, I saw a really cool class from Skillshare about storyboarding, taught by a professional Disney animator.