Is anyone else shit at Excel /data/statistics stuff?

[managedmis]

New job and I have to use Excel. I'm terrible at it, it's like I can't connect with the information. Like I just can't process it at all.

And it's fairly simple stuff. I'm not creating sums or anything, the template is already done. Get info from another report, put numbers into Excel, press enter to create the graph.

Is it age? Post child fog?

I feel like an utter fool, the person training me thinks I'm completely stupid, she really does. She's explained it at least five times

A month down the line, you’ll be hammering numbers in like you’ve been doing it for years, and suggesting how the reports could be improved.

Don’t worry, it’ll “click” any day now.

It's none of those things you mention. I am AWESOME at Excel now. I did a course and didn't understand a word of it. People have shown me how to do things, again I just didn't follow it.

Then I decided to use Excel for all my personal stuff: shopping lists, holiday schedules, Wish Lists, etc... And gradually I got better. I explored all of the functions one by one and incorporated them (where possible) in my personal Excel docs. Every time I wanted to do something, like for instance only show DS's Homework list and not DD's, I would Google it.

Excel eventually became my thing and people now ask me how to do stuff. This is the approach I would suggest.

What is it you're struggling with?

I think the thing when you're struggling to understand a process is to get to grips with what the process is actually doing. So maybe the person who's explaining it to you doesn't know exactly what it does, so her explaination may not be clear. Lots of people are able to follow process without being fully sure of what they're doing so whilst they're competent at actually 'doing it', they couldn't tell you why they have to do it.

I suggest you have a poor teacher. So, what's the issue?

So many sos there. Apologies, it's late and I'm off to bed!

I used to feel the same way about Excel. Try googling whatever it is you're stuck with as there are loads of great you tube tutorials and Q&A pages that will help.