As a developer, I find that a lot of people seem to think that what I do is magic. When I take a complex process that someone has been struggling with and write a bit of code, I'm saving them both time and frustration. I understand that it can seem a little mysterious when I take something that's been costing them hours and reduce it to seconds. But I can assure you, I don't have a magic wand. Gandalf hasn't yet offered me a grand adventure with a mythical ring, and I'm still waiting for my Hogwarts letter. So its just me for now, using my ordinary coding skills.
One of the things that I like best about the Microsoft Office suite is that you can grow into it. You can start out using just the most basic features of the tool, and as you learn, you'll find that the tool always has bigger and better features that you can dive into. That extends all the way to coding. If you consider yourself a "Power User" of Excel or Word, you may have considered dipping your toe into the wonderful world of Macros. That's the tip of the Office development iceberg. And that's where this blog enters the picture.
As a new Microsoft Office developer, you've probably got a host of questions. I teach an Excel VBA class, so I've seen plenty of reluctant learners gradually overcome their trepidation and gain confidence as they practice their new skills. The purpose of this blog is to give you the jump start you need to become a productive Microsoft Office developer. Mind you, I'm not suggesting a career change here. Most likely you'll just need a learn a few basic skills within Excel or Access. So that'll be the focus of my blog. I'll create quick and easy-to-follow lessons and tips that will help you to get up to speed.
I hope my blog will help you to see that Office Development doesn't require you to learn spells and incantations. Nor are master's-level classes necessary. These may be skills that are very unlike any you've learned so far, but if you take it in small steps, you'll be up and running with them before you know it. Best of luck with your development adventures!
About the Author
Kimberlee Martin is the owner of North Port Solutions and has 30 years of business experience. She's worked with several programming languages and database tools over the years, with her favorites being Microsoft Excel VBA, SQL Server, and Visual C#. Her passion is helping small businesses gain insights into their business with effective reporting and data management.
Contact Kim at kmartin@northportsoftware.com.