06 November 2008

Excel/Conversations I have over and over again



Every single conversation I've ever had while working with someone (anyone) and looking at an Excel spreadsheet:

One of us: Wait, what did you just do?

The other of us: I hit this key and that key.

One of us: That works?

The other of us, pointing at screen: Yeah.

One of us: I've never seen that before. I do the same thing but by hitting this key and that key.

The other of us: Really?

One of us: Yeah.

Both of us: *confused stare*

20 comments:

Kristin said...

I'm the "excel expert" in my office, which just means that everybody gives me their spreadsheets to fix and I keep trying to teach people shortcuts.

Unfortunately, it generally devolves into, "Well you could do this or this or this or you could just approach it in a totally different way and do this. They all do the same thing."

Blank stare.

Herb said...

I just forward the same excel spreadsheet I created years ago. No one really looks at it anyway despite my lofty title of "Systems Analyst III"

Anonymous said...

argh! yes! totally. My boss is an excel genius, and I have no idea what the hell he does. excel is evil, though 2007 is a bit more helpful than the old version.

Anonymous said...

I'm not a big Excel fan. It doesn't surprise me that there's multiple ways to do things, but most of the time I can't even find ONE way. :)

brad said...

Excel might be the most inaptly delivered pun of our time. I'm not good at it. I certainly don't feel good about myself when I fail at it. And despite how low my expectations are for myself when I use it, I never exceed them.

Kate said...

I took a day-long class in excel and I still don't remember how to set it up. I'm an excel loser.

Gilahi said...

The folks in my company have decided to use Excel for everything, no matter how inappropriate. Software specs, problem tracking, employee comments, everything. I'd bet that fully half the Excel spreadsheets we have floating around have no numbers in the columns, much less any of the cool computation that Excel was designed for in the first place. I don't understand why they don't just write a memo, but I guess then they'd have to learn Word.

Bilbo said...

Excel doesn't.

Narm said...

I put the sex in sExcel - I'm balls deep in that program every day. Make it stop.

rachaelgking said...

I despise Excel. About once an hour, one of the fogies in my office make me come into their office to show them how to Cut 'n Paste, Zoom, or god forbid, Print.

Thank god for that college degree.

Rahul said...

I took an Excel class in college.

I'm happy I know how to open it.

urban bohemian said...

In high school, I used to use the spreadsheet program on my Apple IIe to do my chemistry and physics labs. Let it handle all the math, I figured!

Ever since then, with the exception of my mother's finances (and she's a former math teacher), I have yet to see anyone use Excel for actual math. Around here, it's a chart maker, or for those that don't understand how to use margins and tabs in Word.

As others have said, worst name for a program ever.

LBluca77 said...

I don't even know where excel is on my computer. I'm scared to even look.

fiona said...

I have excelophobia, I am medicated for it so it's ok.

Mike said...

I always liked spreadsheets. They were fun to play with on projects. But the last one I really put any effort into was the one I used to calculate my retirement!

Anonymous said...

I still don't know what the hell a "macro" is. And I use Excel everyday.

B and T Crowd said...

Am I better off as my office's Word expert?

I run away from excel...far, far away

Anonymous said...

Excel is a gift from God. You can do anything with it. I once cured cancer using Excel, but then the stupid computer crashed and I lost all my work.

BG said...

My old office used Excel for EVERYTHING, from budgeting to full out written reports. Those teeny cells are not meant for essays. Drives me nuts. I never use it.

lacochran said...

DCBlogs: Thanks for the shout out! :)

Kristin: The "Excel expert"? Lucky you.

Herb of DC: Recycling is good for all of us.

Doug: Argh! Yes!

Zandria: You're in good company, too.

f.B: Excel as pun. Nice.

Kate: We all are.

Gilahi: Excel means you never have to set a tab.

Bilbo: Good one!

Narm: No wonder you want the suicide calendar.

Lilu: That's job security! Oh, right...

Rs27: Clearly, you took good notes.

Brian: Kind of like that car name "Aspire"... does it aspire to be a real car?

Lbluca77: Don't touch it. It's evil.

Fiona: That would explain a few things, yes.

Mike: And are you using it to see how much your losing in the financial crisis daily?

Arjewtino: Apparently, we don't have the "need to know".

B and T Crowd: Is it better to win the nerd contest but not the geek contest? Um, I think not.

I Have Thoughts: I thought that was just an urban legend. Did you lose a few fingers to a doberman, too?

Brett: People do seem to get stuck on it. Must be the nice, neat grid lines.