Being asked to Script/Code for your job

N2IT

In my current role I am being asked to script VBA along with SQL. I have a decent grasp on SQL, however VBA not so much, but that is changing. Silly question, but do you think taking an on line VBA course will help me learn the development piece faster? There are few courses out there that have great reputations, a lot of financial analyst and other positions in that world rant and rave on a few of these sites. Do you think it's worth it or do you think just googling and grinding is the way to go? Thanks for reading my post. I found training session for 97 dollars for 6 months with over 40 hours of training (streaming) Here is the link. Online VBA Classes - Course Details, Topics & Information | Chandoo.org - Learn Microsoft Excel Online This is the one I am eyeing down. Thoughts?

NetworkVeteran

I suspect so. One problem with "googling and grinding", is you only tend to do it when you can't figure out how to do something. In contrast, a course often shows you many things you may not immediately see a use for.. but when you get around to your next project, you find you have just the right tool to code what you need quickly and in such a way that it will still make sense in a year. My recommendation assumes you're going to be using VBA for at least 2-3 months rather than 2-3 weeks.

Personally, I learned VBA from books, but courses should also be fine.

ccnxjr

I suppose it depends on how frequently you'll be called upon to use it.
Learning to code in a structured format certainly does have some advantage to it and I do think you should probably invest in learning how to code well , instead of just hacking a script together.
The only objection I would have is if you've formally studied any other languages before?
If you have , then maybe you should focus more on how to learn other languages instead of just learning things anew.

The course link you've provided seems to cover a wide range of functions, and I would guess that for someone that spends a lot of time in Excel/Access it would be worth knowing the breadth of options available to them using VBA .
However, if you're application of it will be a bit more specialized I would skim the free resources learning the basics, such as syntax and how to manage data in existing or already opened workbooks, storing data in variables, performing calculations, looping+incrementing, etc.
Things common to learning any programming language.
Then invest money in learning the more specialized aspects, the things that won't be easily intuited, such as error handling , OS function calls, file output in different formats, etc.
*Especially* if it's coming out of your own pocket.
I would also add that if you're going to pay for it see if there's anyway to contact the instructor, or some mentoring resource that you can tap for those things that you just can't quite grasp.

undomiel

This depends upon your learning style in my opinion. I've always hated doing courses as lectures and videos put me to sleep. The only benefit to me is some structured assignments. My preference would be to grab a book and start working on projects. Raid your local library. Use Google and forums for a supplement in the meanwhile. Grab some blogs to follow from some VBA pros out there and see what tips and tutorials they have posted.

N2IT

Thanks for the replies. I have to admit I have become cheap in my old days, so the library and FREE books do some like an alternative along with googling. I did find a couple of sites that give you access to a 1/3 of their content and then cut you off and make you pay for the rest. I was thinking about toing through that training lesson to pick up some basics. Believe me I am HACKing my way through the code lol. So something has got to improve.

dmoore44

Kind of a stupid question... but why are you learning VBA and not Powershell?

UniqueAgEnT

Yeah what tasks are you trying to complete? Not sure what you guys are using but SQL + VBA seems like you are doing something in Excel.

N2IT

Correct mostly in Excel and Access when I get down to that level. Of course the data source is our SQL databases, but sometimes I am asked to automate large task with the data I receive. Some of these reports and templates are created in Excel. Excel is our dashboard tool and analysis tool for data true ups and other analysis.

kurosaki00

Was this @ the job description when you applied?
Can you ask for a few bucks from the employer to take some classes?
There are some places like New Horizons (EXPENSIVE) that I think have specific short term courses for programming