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In my second-year undergraduate Management Accounting course, we spend a few weeks on learning the ins and outs of Excel. However, learning and improving on Excel does not stop with a mere test – it can only just be the beginning. Below is a list of interesting links to free readings (and even an online course) for those who want more than just adding and subtracting in Excel:

• Excel with Wayne – 21-day free online course (very useful, highly recommended) LINK
• How to make prettier, more readable spreadsheets LINK
• How to create progress bars in Excel with conditional formatting LINK
• Excel’s versatile CONVERT function LINK
• How to craft the best Excel spreadsheet models LINK
• Factoring in the time value of money with Excel LINK
• How to use Excel in seasonal forecasting LINK
• How to boost Excel efficiency with Power Query LINK
• And finally a WSJ-article discouraging the use of Excel (or put it better: know when Excel works and when it has reached its limitations) LINK

Whilst not all of these may be relevant to your work, they a) may be in the future, and/or b) definitely deepen your understanding of Excel. And according to employers, Excel is a “skill” (if one was to reduce it to “one” skill) that accounting graduates still show deficiencies in.