Hello! I’m a trained civil engineer, graduating with my B.Sc. (Eng)(Civil) from Wits (the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg) in 1975. I use Excel a lot. It wasn’t always so…
I started using computers at university. First, it was an IBM 360, which we programmed in FORTRAN with punched cards. Later we got Hewlett Packard desktop computers using HP Basic.
The first spreadsheet I used –in the mid-1980s– was Lotus 1-2-3 on MS-DOS. I liked the idea of automating it, and learned how to record and edit macros.
With Microsoft Windows, in the early 1990s we got Excel. I learned how to use Excel and program it in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).
My knowledge was in demand. I started training people to use computer programs, including Excel. First, I trained staff at the firm of consulting engineers where I worked. Later I joined my future wife in her company, now trading as Software Africa. We offered computer training and, later, computer programming.
I have written many Excel spreadsheets, often with macros, both for clients and in-house use. I’ve created programs in Microsoft Access, Visual Basic, VB.NET, and others. I have excellent knowledge of Excel, Access, Outlook and Word.
I have trained people on computers in person for many years. Now we are putting our proven training material online to let more people benefit.
Meanwhile, I have honed my presentation skills at Toastmasters International: I’m now a “Distinguished Toastmaster”, the highest level a Toastmaster can achieve.