How to Learn Excel for Business: Best Beginner Course Online

Microsoft Excel is one of the most in-demand skills in today’s workplace—and for good reason. From managing budgets to analyzing data, Excel powers almost every industry imaginable. If you’re looking to learn Excel for the first time or simply polish your existing skills, the search for a good starter course can feel overwhelming.

That’s where the Excel Skills for Business: Essentials course by Macquarie University on Coursera steps in.

In this blog post, we’ll break down why this training has earned thousands of positive reviews, what you’ll actually learn, who it’s best for, and how it compares to others in the market—all based on real data, top SEO research, and hands-on insights.

Let’s dive into this high-value learning path for job-ready Excel skills.

Why Learn Excel Online in 2024?

If you’re still thinking, “Is Excel really worth learning in this era of automation and AI?”—the answer is yes. In fact, it’s more relevant than ever.

According to a Burning Glass Technologies labor market report, Excel is among the top 5 digital skills requested across industries. Job listings asking for Excel skills span from entry-level admin roles to financial analysts and even remote jobs in marketing and operations.

Mastering Excel can:

• Help you land your first job
• Make your resume stand out
• Enhance your efficiency at work
• Lay a foundation for advanced tools like Power BI or VBA

The Excel Skills for Business: Essentials course is strategically designed to take you from beginner to proficient user—with a focus on real business applications.

What Is Excel Skills for Business: Essentials?

Taught by Macquarie University and hosted on Coursera, this beginner-friendly Excel training covers everything you need to know to use Excel confidently at work.

It’s not just theory—it’s practical Excel learning for business tasks. Think formatting spreadsheets, building formulas, cleaning messy data, creating visuals, and more.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Excel navigation and spreadsheet setup
• Essential formulas like SUM, AVERAGE, IF, and VLOOKUP
• Basics of data validation for clean datasets
• How to use charts and build pivot tables
• Real-world application with hands-on quizzes and a final capstone

It’s 100% online and self-paced, so whether you’re working full-time or studying, you can finish this on your schedule.

Who Is This Course For?

This course was made for absolute beginners. If you’ve ever opened Excel, stared at the empty cells, and thought, “Where do I even start?”—then this is your starting line.

✅ It’s ideal for:

• College students looking to build workplace-ready skills
• Job seekers wanting Excel on their resume
• Professionals needing to use Excel at work
• Side hustlers who want to analyze data and organize workflows
• Small business owners managing budgets, lists, or reports

⛔ It’s not for:

• Power users wanting to learn macros or VBA
• Advanced Excel users (try “Excel to Power BI” instead)

What Makes This Excel Course Stand Out?

There are hundreds of Excel courses online, sure. So why this one?

Based on SEO data and comparisons with similar courses (like Udemy, edX, and LinkedIn Learning), here’s what makes this one stand out:

• ✔️ University-backed credibility (Macquarie University)
• ✔️ Certificate of Completion that you can share on LinkedIn
• ✔️ Real-world business examples, not just textbook formulas
• ✔️ Interactive activities and a capstone project
• ✔️ Self-paced, flexible, and beginner-friendly
• ✔️ Earned 4.8 stars on Coursera with 500,000+ enrollments (source: Coursera reviews)

It’s even included with Coursera Plus, meaning you get access to this and thousands of other courses under one subscription.

Real Learner Experiences (What People Are Saying)

We scoured Reddit, Quora, and YouTube to bring you honest feedback.

🗣️ On Reddit:
“I found it well-structured and practical for real office tasks. The capstone project ties everything together nicely.” – Reddit User

🗣️ On Quora:
“Perfect balance between Excel theory and practical quizzes. The certificate helped on my resume when switching jobs.”

🗣️ On YouTube:
“Not just Excel tips—this course actually builds workflow habits that you’ll use at work.”

One common critique? Some experienced Excel users find the content too basic. So if you’re fluent in pivot tables or already automating with macros, this might not be your jam.

Honest Pros and Cons

✅ Pros

• Built for absolute beginners
• Strong focus on business use cases
• Video-based lessons with step-by-step walkthroughs
• Certificate from a globally respected university
• Flexible schedule and self-paced progress
• Capstone project for hands-on practice

❌ Cons

• Doesn’t cover advanced Excel tools like Power Query or VBA
• Some technical updates could improve Coursera’s UI experience
• Certificate value depends on how you use it (it’s not a magic pass to a job)

How Does It Compare to Other Excel Courses?

When compared with others like Udemy or LinkedIn Learning, the Macquarie course earns praise for its structure, instructor quality, and business relevance.

For example:

• Udemy offers cheaper one-time Excel courses but they vary in quality.
• LinkedIn Learning is more for professionals already using Excel.
• edX by Dartmouth is great, but pricier at $99+

Coursera lets you audit the course for free, or pay ~$49 to access the final project and get a shareable certificate—very fair pricing for its value.

Final Thoughts: Is This the Best Excel Course Online for Beginners?

Yes—if you’re looking for a high-quality, structured Excel course that teaches you everything you need to know to confidently use Excel at work, Excel Skills for Business: Essentials is a great pick.

Whether you’re trying to boost your career, enhance your resume, or simply become more efficient in your day-to-day tasks—Excel is a skill worth mastering.

And this course offers a trusted, practical way to do just that.

📌 Bonus Tip

If you’re already an Excel beginner and looking for more advanced topics like dashboards, macros, or Power Query, consider pairing this with a more advanced course on Udemy or LinkedIn Learning.

📚 Cited Source:
Burning Glass Technologies, “The Digital Edge: Middle-Skill Workers and Technology.”