Why Take an Excel Online Course When YouTube is Free?

I received a lot of great questions about the Dashboard and PowerPivot courses from MyOnlineTrainingHub.  I'm guessing that you might have these same questions, and in this post I will try to provide some answers.

The Questions

  1. Do I have to take the course all at once or can I follow the sessions on specific days?
  2. Is the dashboard course compatible with Excel for Mac?
  3. Why buy an online course when I can watch YouTube videos for free?

Please leave a comment below if you have any other questions about the courses.

#1 – Do I have to take the course all at once?

All of the courses from MyOnlineTrainingHub are self-paced, online videos.  This means you can watch the videos at any time, and go at your own speed and pace.

Most of the videos are short in length, usually about 5 minutes, and they are nicely organized by topic.  The following is a screenshot of the list of videos in Session 4 of the Dashboard Course.  Session 4 is on Display Principles, and each video shows you how to create a different chart type.

Session 4 MOTH Dashboard Course Screenshot

This is one of my favorite sessions because there are so many different chart types to learn.  The best part is that you can go back and re-watch these videos when you need a refresher for a specific project you are working on.  It's a great library to have at your dispense.

Since the videos are short, I recommend watching one or two videos on your lunch break, or maybe one in the morning before you open your email.  Even though the videos are short, Mynda (your teacher) gets right to the point and packs in just enough information to allow you to learn and practice the techniques.

Here is a link to the entire syllabus for the Dashboard Course.  You get almost 9 hours of video, but the short video length makes it easy to consume, anytime you want.

Dashboard Course Syllabus

#2 – Is the Dashboard Course Compatible with Mac?

Yes, the dashboard course will be compatible with Excel 2011 for Mac.  Mynda uses Excel 2010 for Windows in the videos but you should be able to follow along.

To create great dashboards you will need to modify the standard Excel charts to present your data in a clear and concise manner.  Mynda will explain more about communicating your data, but a lot of the work requires us to customize charts.  This involves using the Chart Formatting Menus in Excel.

The image below shows the Format Axis menu in both the Mac and Windows versions of Excel.  As you can see, the menus are similar and you should be able to follow the course videos that are presented in the Windows version.

Excel Chart Format Axis Menu 2011 for Mac vs 2010 for Windows
Click to Enlarge

The companion Excel files that are provided with the course will all open in the Mac 2011 version.  In the screenshot below I opened one of the dashboard files in the Mac version.

MOTH Dashboard File Opened in Excel 2011 for Mac
Click to Enlarge

Another great benefit of this course is that you can download all these files to follow along with the videos.  This makes it very easy to learn and practice the techniques.

One of the biggest benefits for me was learning the theory behind what types of charts to use for different types of data and analysis.  This is something that will be useful regardless of what version of Excel you are using.

#3 – Why buy an online course when I can watch YouTube videos for free?

Online Courses vs YouTube

I love this question!  Mostly because I used to feel the same way.  After I graduated college I felt like my education was paid for (thanks Mom & Dad!), and I found that I could learn a lot online for free.

After a few years my feelings quickly changed though.  I took an online course that was paid for by my employer, and realized how much more I learned in a short amount of time.  The structure of the course allowed me to quickly build on the subjects I was learning, and grow my knowledge at a much faster pace.

I look at it like building a house…  If you just need to patch a roof or repair a leaky faucet, then YouTube is an awesome way to learn.  Heck, you might even be able to learn how to build an entire wall.

But what if you need to build the entire house?  Where do you even start?  Probably not with the roof. 🙂  But other than that you would be doing a lot of searching and piecemeal learning to figure it out.

The nice part about the course is that all this planning and organization is done for you.  All you have to do is show up and press play, and you can be confident that you are learning the right techniques that will help build your career.

And by the way, I have since become a bit of an online course junkie.  I have taken online courses on everything from cooking to job interviews.  I recommend the courses from MyOnlineTrainingHub because I believe they are an exceptional value and will really help you take your Excel skills to the next level.

Plus, Mynda and Phil Treacy are super cool people, and they are there to help you every step of the way.

Don't Forget to Sign-up!

Right now I'm giving away my PivotPal Add-in as a free bonus when you register for the course. That's a $37 value.

PivotPal will help you work with pivot tables and save you time when creating dashboards.  You will also get my video series on how to create interactive dashboards using Power Query.

So there are a ton of great bonuses for you!

To get the bonuses:

  1. Click this link to go to the Dashboard Course registration page.
  2. Select one of the course bundles.
  3. At checkout, enter the promotion code: tabs
  4. I will send you PivotPal and the bonuses a few days after you register.

Key dates for the course:

  • 20% Discount ends this Thursday, April 23rd at 8pm PST
  • Registration closes Thursday, April 30th as 8pm PST

The course will be closing registration soon, so get signed up before it's too late.  I also have a video and written review that explains more about what I got out of the course.

Excel Dasboard Course

Click Here to Register for the Dashboard Course

Still Have Questions?

I'm here to help.  Please leave a comment below with any questions.  Thank you!

6 comments

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  • I have already purchased Pivot Pal. If I purchase this Dashboard course is there a Mac Version of Pivot Pal

  • Hi Jon Dear,
    I’ve completed your greate Vba Pro course – I loved it, I love your website, and I love you!
    My Question:
    Do DashBoard Course include VBA automation, and open source code?
    All The Best,
    Nethanel

    • Hi Nethanel,

      Thanks for the nice feedback. Great question! The Dashboard Course is focused on building dashboards and charts with formulas, pivot tables, and built-in interactive controls like slicers and drop-down menus. It does cover some macros and VBA, but is not a full VBA course. You can see more by clicking the syllabus link on the course registration page. If you have more questions you can also contact Mynda Treacy, the course instructor. I hope that helps. Thanks again!

    • Hi Johanna,

      It’s best to have some basic understanding of functions and formulas. However, there is also basic Excel training included with the course if you are not familiar with all the concepts yet. I hope that helps.

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