I used to be terrified of Excel.

In my early days working in corporate accounting, spreadsheets weren’t just intimidating — they gave me real anxiety. Sure, I had taken a few Excel classes in college, and I thought I had a decent understanding. But once I entered the workforce, it hit me hard: I was barely scratching the surface.

And the reality? I had chosen a career that relied heavily on Excel. As an accountant, Excel wasn’t just another tool — it was the tool. Spreadsheets were involved in everything: reconciliations, journal entries, financial reporting, budgeting, variance analysis — you name it. I was expected to work with large datasets, complex logic, and files built by people far more advanced than I was.

Every time I opened a spreadsheet to start a reconciliation, I’d feel a knot in my stomach. My hands would get a little clammy. I’d scroll through endless tabs, packed with formulas I didn’t understand, color-coded cells with no key, and pivot tables that made me feel like I was trying to crack a code. It was overwhelming.

In corporate accounting, you rarely start with a blank slate. Instead, you inherit spreadsheets that someone else built — and those people may or may not still be around to explain them. If you don’t have strong Excel skills, it can feel like being dropped into a maze without a map. You’re expected to pick up where someone else left off and just know what’s going on.

When you can’t understand their logic, your only option is to rebuild the spreadsheet from scratch based on your own understanding. And while that’s sometimes necessary, it costs time, energy, and confidence — especially when you’re early in your career and already trying to prove yourself.

For about two years, I struggled. I knew just enough to get by — basic formulas, simple formatting, a little data validation here and there. But every time a new file landed in my inbox, I got that same sinking feeling. Would I be able to figure it out? Would I make a mistake? Was I falling behind? Will they fire me for being bad at Excel?

The breaking point came during a job interview. Everything was going fine until the interviewer asked me to do a VLOOKUP — a basic function in Excel. I froze. My mind went completely blank. I fumbled through it, but I couldn’t get it right. I walked out of that interview feeling embarrassed and discouraged. But that moment changed everything.

I made a decision that day: I was going to get better at Excel.

I didn’t want to feel like that again — helpless, unprepared, anxious. So I threw myself into learning. I spent every spare minute watching YouTube tutorials, reading Excel blogs, downloading practice files, and trying new things. I’d take a spreadsheet I had used before and rebuild it with formulas I was learning, just to see if I could make it more efficient or cleaner. On weekends, I’d teach myself how to use functions I had avoided: INDEX-MATCH, SUMIFS, nested IF statements, and later, VBA and macros.

At first, it was slow. But the more I practiced, the more confident I became. Little by little, I started understanding how spreadsheets worked — not just the formulas, but the logic behind them. I started thinking like Excel: how to structure data, how to set up a model, how to keep formulas clean and traceable. And over time, things began to click.

Eventually, I got good — really good. I started building files from scratch that other people in my department began to rely on. I was the one people came to with Excel questions. Ironically, some of my coworkers even started groaning when they had to take over my spreadsheets — because I had built some with advanced formulas or complex logic that required some effort to understand.

In a weird way, I felt like I had come full circle. I had gone from being the one intimidated by Excel to the one whose work intimidated others. And while that felt like an accomplishment at first, it also taught me something even more important.

Here’s the truth I’ve learned: being good at Excel isn’t just about knowing complicated formulas.

Sure, it’s helpful to know how to use functions like INDEX-MATCH, XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, or to write macros when needed. But that alone doesn’t make you a spreadsheet expert. What truly sets someone apart is how they use those tools — how they structure information, build logic, and create files that are usable and intuitive for others.

The real skill is in clarity. Can someone else open your file, understand your logic, and pick up where you left off without confusion? Can your spreadsheet adapt as the business changes? Have you thought about edge cases, potential errors, or how to make formulas resilient?

As I matured in my career, I realized that spreadsheet mastery wasn’t just about building impressive formulas — it was about building sustainable, readable, and user-friendly tools. I started simplifying things. I created templates with clear inputs, documentation tabs, drop-downs to prevent user error, and consistent formatting. And I kept learning. Excel is always evolving — new functions like FILTER, UNIQUE, LAMBDA, and dynamic arrays keep changing how we can solve problems. More than anything, I learned the value of continuous improvement. No matter how good you get, there’s always a better way to structure something, a new formula to try, or a cleaner layout to design. And that’s what I love about Excel now — it’s like a puzzle you’re always getting better at solving.

So if you’re intimidated by Excel right now, I want you to know: you’re not alone. I’ve been there. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed. But don’t let that stop you. You don’t need to know everything at once. Start with the basics. Practice. Rebuild something just for fun. Try one new formula each week. Use the built-in help guides or the formula bar suggestions. The learning curve is real, but it’s absolutely doable.

You don’t need to become an Excel wizard overnight. But with time, patience, and a bit of determination, you can go from avoiding spreadsheets to embracing them — and even building them for others. The tool that once gave you anxiety might just become your greatest asset.