Student Success Story
Building Excel Skills Through Guided Learning: Daniel's Experience with SIMnet
Meet Daniel
Daniel Pierse is a Global Commerce student at the University of Galway, studying subjects including microeconomics, macroeconomics, management accounting, financial accounting, and data science.
As he considers a future career in finance or auditing, he recognizes the growing importance of Excel and other Microsoft applications in both academic and professional settings.
Developing Skills for Future Opportunities
Daniel wanted to strengthen his Excel skills as part of his university studies and to support his longer-term career goals.
“I’m hoping to go down a finance or auditing route in the future, so developing strong Excel skills is something I knew would be valuable both for my career and for building my CV before applying for internships.”
Before university, Daniel had some experience using Excel but had not received formal instruction.
“Before starting college, I had used Excel a little, but I had never actually been taught how to use it properly.”
Learning Excel with SIMnet
Daniel was introduced to SIMnet through his Information Management for Business module, where Professor William Golden, used the platform to teach Excel. While many students were initially unfamiliar with the platform, Daniel was interested in learning skills that connected directly to areas he was considering for his future career.
One aspect of the experience that stood out was SIMnet’s structured learning approach:
“What I liked about SIMnet was how the learning was broken down using the ‘Show Me’, ‘Guide Me’ and ‘Let Me Try’ features. The step-by-step approach made it much easier to build up my skills.”
At a Glance
Institution:
University of Galway
Student:
Daniel Pierse
Program:
Bachelor of Commerce (Global Experience)
Product in Use:
SIMnet
Skills Developed
- PivotTables
- VLOOKUP
- IF Functions
- Charts
- Sorting and Filtering
- Conditional Formatting
- Formulas
Recognizing Progress with Credentials
Daniel also highlighted the value of earning credentials and badges throughout the learning process. These achievements provided a way to document progress and showcase completed work.
“These badges give you something tangible to show for the work you have done and can be added to LinkedIn or included on your CV.”
For Daniel, the credentials added an additional dimension to the learning experience by allowing him to demonstrate skills developed through the course.
Advice for Other Students
Reflecting on his experience, Daniel encourages students to take time with the learning process and make full use of the guidance available within SIMnet.
“The main advice I would give to students using SIMnet is not to rush it. Taking the time to follow the guidance properly makes the projects much easier later on, and the skills and credentials you gain are useful well beyond one university module.”
Learn more about SIMnet
Advice for Other Students
Reflecting on his experience, Daniel encourages students to take time with the learning process and make full use of the guidance available within SIMnet.
“The main advice I would give to students using SIMnet is not to rush it. Taking the time to follow the guidance properly makes the projects much easier later on, and the skills and credentials you gain are useful well beyond one university module.”