Visual Basic for Applications or VBA is a unique programming language developed by Microsoft to help automate various processes and tasks in their Microsoft Office Suite. It’s an event-driven language, meaning that it focuses heavily on simple concepts that make it easier to master. VBA gets very high ranks for ease of use, installation, and affordability, and learning it may be a useful way of boosting your career in various ways. Thankfully, there are many classes throughout the nation that can help you practice VBA and become more effective with it.
Top In-Person & Virtual VBA Classes
Learning VBA with the help of in-depth courses is a smart way of improving your knowledge. Rather than trying to struggle with this language and make mistakes, you can get help from a team that fully understands how this language operates. Just as importantly, you can earn a completion certificate that proves that you grasp this language and its powerful scope. Here are a few schools and classes that might help you master VBA for your career.
VBA Courses at NYC Career Centers
NYC Career Centers is a popular training team that operates out of New York City. However, they also provide online training that helps immerse you in various tech- and business-based subjects. For example, you can learn about how to operate a computer, program using Python, practice machine learning, and develop high-quality graphics. This school provides a class that can help you master VBA more effectively and improve your knowledge base.
Excel Programming with VBA
- Price: $549
- Duration: 13 hours
- Locations: NYC, Live Online
Excel Programming with VBA provides you with an inside scoop into how to use VBA with Microsoft Excel, a popular spreadsheet program. In this intensive bootcamp, you’ll learn how to create input boxes, message fields, loops, ranges, worksheets, and datasets. When you’re done, you should feel comfortable integrating these programming elements with VBA to speed up your Excel use and make it more time-efficient and cost-effective for your business.
VBA Courses at ONLC Training Centers
ONLC Training Centers is a popular training school that has multiple campuses spread throughout the nation. However, they also provide online training that can help you master various programming languages and tech-based fields, such as Python and Java. You can also take classes in Adobe Creative Cloud, cybersecurity, and even Microsoft Office. Their VBA course is a useful option for people interested in a career in data management.
Excel Programming with VBA
- Price: $1,195
- Duration: 3 days
- Locations: Several (see school website)
Excel Programming with VBA teaches you how to use VBA to program your Excel spreadsheets. For instance, you’ll learn how to automate dull Excel tasks, such as data entry, to improve your efficiency and reduce your work time. Furthermore, you’ll learn important programming concepts, like variables, VBA loops, data types, and decisions. In this way, you should be more than capable of automating Excel however you want.
VBA Courses at Training Connection
Training Connection is a well-regarded educational institution that provides various comprehensive learning courses that can help people from many walks of life. For example, you can get professional development support for VBA programming, as well as hands-on help with digital media, graphic design, project management, and much more. This school provides training in Los Angeles and Chicago, so consider this option if you live in either of these cities.
Excel Level 4 - Macros & VBA
- Price: $450
- Duration: 1 day
- Locations: Los Angeles, Chicago
Excel Level 4 - Macros & VBA is designed for people who already have some experience with Excel and who are ready to push their knowledge to the next level. Don’t try this class if you are new to it but instead take Excel 1, Excel 2, and Excel 3 from Training Connection first. Once you complete this four-class training, you’ll not only understand Excel on a deeper level but feel comfortable using VBA to produce control structures, dialog boxes, and macros.
VBA Courses at Certstaffix Training
Certstaffix Training focuses on teaching subjects related to computer and IT education. For example, they cover subjects as diverse as Adobe Photoshop editing, Excel usage, SQL database management, and in-depth Python training. You’ll learn in a live, online environment, which helps you get the hands-on education you need. Certstaffix provides a VBA programming class that will help you better understand how to use this singular coding language.
Excel - VBA Programming
- Price: $995
- Duration: 3 days
- Locations: Several (see school website)
Excel - VBA Programming helps experienced Excel users understand how to apply VBA when programming automation tasks, macros, and various other functions. You’ll also learn how to handle and troubleshoot errors, as well as tailoring each automation task to suit your specific needs. Please note that you need to take Excel 1, Excel 2, and Excel 3 from Certstaffix Training before attending this class or have equivalent experience elsewhere through training or work.
VBA Courses at Wall Street Prep
Wall Street Prep has become a popular online learning platform over the years, one that focuses heavily in financial training courses. That said, it also integrates some programming options, specifically for software that may be used in the finances market. For example, VBA is a common programming language in this field because many financial experts use Excel spreadsheets to collect customer data and calculate various important factors.
Excel VBA Bootcamp
- Price: $1,299
- Duration: 2 days
- Locations: Live Online
Wall Street Prep’s Excel VBA Bootcamp is designed to provide an in-depth knowledge of VBA programming in just a few days. You’ll get the basic scoop on VBA programming, including how to automate repetitive tasks, build sophisticated financial models, create better financial investment, and much more. This course is designed specifically for finance professionals but many of its lessons can be adapted to other skill sets and markets with ease.
VBA Courses at NYIM Training
NYIM Training is a New York company that provides computer tech training with hands-on lessons. You’ll not only learn important theoretical concepts related to computing but get practical experience with programming and other skills. NYIM hosts many classes that focus on multiple fields, including business, design, tech, and finance. If you’re interested in using VBA to improve your Excel usage, this course is an excellent option that you may enjoy.
Excel Programming with VBA
- Price: $549
- Duration: 13 hours
- Locations: NYC, Live Online, NJ, CT
In NYIM Training’s Excel Programming with VBA, you’ll learn about the practical usage of VBA in Excel spreadsheets and how they help improve your workflow. You’ll not only learn about modules but how to create codes, user-form interfaces, and automated modules that help you control your data entry more effectively. It’s best to come to this class with some experience in Excel to ensure that you feel comfortable with the unique demands it places on you.
VBA Courses at CTS Training
CTS Training is a school focused on developing professional skills through hands-on training with skilled and helpful professors. For example, they can teach you about important technical skills in computing, and provide you with useful certifications that improve your career development. With a focus on IT strategies and concepts designed to boost a tech career, CTS Training is a strong option if you’re interested in mastering VBA for use with Excel.
Excel VBA
- Price: $425
- Duration: 1 day
- Locations: Several (see school website)
CTS Training’s Excel VBA class equips students with the skills necessary to use VBA on their spreadsheets, including applying logic to their spreadsheets, integrating loops to add data, managing errors as they occur, and generating reports using spreadsheets. When you’re done, you’ll understand how to use VBA to automate repetitive tasks and improve spreadsheet functionality quickly and efficiently, ensuring that your data gets processed properly.
VBA Courses at AcademyX
AcademyX is a national training team that provides multiple campuses around the country in many major cities. Their courses cover a broad range of subjects, including software, web development, digital marketing, data management, graphic design, and various programming languages. This school’s VBA class focuses heavily on preparing you for VBA in an Excel environment and includes hands-on projects that make your education smoother.
Excel VBA
- Price: $995
- Duration: 12 hours
- Locations: Several (see school website)
Excel VBA provides you with the in-depth information you need to master this programming language. Through various hands-on projects and in-depth classroom exercises, you’ll learn about data management, how to interact with built-in objects, create user-defined functions, manage runtime errors, and handle program execution. In this way, you can transition to daily VGA use in whatever career interests you, such as data management or programming.
Key Information about Learning VBA
If you’re interested in learning VBA for general Excel use, it is critical to understand a few programming terms that may affect your knowledge. After all, VBA is a widely used coding language and it shares many common terms with other languages. That said, there are also some concepts unique to VBA that are worth learning. Some of these ideas include:
- Macros: A VBA macro is an action or set of actions that records mouse clicks and keystrokes and lets you automate them throughout your spreadsheets. They’re the key concept behind VBA and must be fully understood if you plan on using them for your coding. Thankfully, they can be reused many times to streamline your data management processes in Excel.
- Automation Routines: An automation routine is a series of macros that automates complex tasks in your Excel spreadsheets. For example, it may include macros for gathering, saving, sorting, and even deleting data, as needed. Carefully programming and arranging these routines can ensure that your VBA code runs smoothly and efficiently.
- Application Objects: Application objects are VBA methods that help return high-level objects within your spreadsheets. For example, they can help you automate ActiveCell and ActiveSheet to ensure that your data gets entered properly. This more advanced topic is one that requires a deep understanding of intermediate and advanced VBA.
- Data Types: All programming languages use varying data types that help make data storage and management easier. For example, integers are typically whole numbers without a decimal point, while double data does include a decimal. By contrast, letters are called characters and sentences of characters are called strings. This information is key to programming success.
- Loops: Programming loops are bits of code that will continue to run until you’ve hit a predestined situation. For example, an automation loop may run long until a data queue is empty. Then, the loop ends or is “escaped” and other programming can begin. This idea is key to all programming languages, including VBA.
- Functions: Functions are reusable bits of code that fulfill a specific task within your programming. For example, a data-collection function may gather evidence from your Excel spreadsheets and save it into a library for later use. Functions are typically named, meaning that they can be called upon whenever needed throughout a program’s code.
- Object-Oriented Programming: Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a revolutionary idea that focuses on using classes to create objects that follow similar rules and restrictions. VBA uses this idea in its own way and provides the high-quality support that you need to create in-depth classes that make your VBA automations run more effectively and with minimal slowdown.
Before practicing these programming concepts, you also need to have the proper materials to begin learning. You’ll need a computer that’s adaptable with the latest edition of Microsoft Office. Then, you’ll need to purchase Microsoft Office either as a one-time buy or a subscription model. The first option costs less but the second provides more frequent updates.
Then, you’ll need to check the “Developer” tab in Excel and see if you have VBA installed. Most downloads of Office should automatically come with VBA as a programming code. If for some reason yours doesn’t have VBA listed, you can click the “Help” button to learn more about how to install VBA. Typically, this process takes no more than a few minutes.
Career Paths & Job Outlook for VBA
VBA programming jobs aren’t really a thing because this language is designed for more general use. By that, we mean it’s suitable for everyday office employees and data experts to master over a few courses and use in their day-to-day tasks. As a result, it’s used in many different general career fields with a variety of salaries and job outlooks, including:
- Software Engineers: Software developers may learn VBA to track expenses on their spreadsheets without having to spend time doing it manually. This lets them focus on more creative programming tasks. They make about $127,260 on average.
- Data Scientists: Data scientists regularly use VBA because it can automate their data collection and presentation and improve their job exponentially. These experts can make about $100,910 every year and, with a growth rate of 36% in the next 10 years, jobs will be available.
- Business Analysts: Business or management analysts may master VBA programming to streamline their record keeping and payroll duties. People in this field earn an average of $93,000 annually, while job demand is growing by 11% per year.
- Company Managers: Typically, business managers have to use spreadsheets to manage important job information and track their employees. Using VBA may streamline this process. Managers make a median of about $128,620, though this pay rate varies heavily.
- Finance Specialists: A skilled financial analyst may use VBA regularly to collect important data and present it effectively to their clients in meetings. This job is growing at a 9% rate and pays about $95,570 yearly, depending on your career path.
What Can You Do With VBA?
- Create customized Excel spreadsheets with automated data collection
- Produce user-driven forms to collect data more effectively
- Integrate event-driven programming and SQL into data management
- Build databases more effectively using a high volume of information
- Sync to Word and PowerPoint and automate some of their tasks
- Produce graphical user interfaces to streamline operation
- Utilize loops, conditionals, and variables to produce effective coding
- Send data to various spreadsheets and databases automatically
- Generate and send automated emails based on various guidelines
- Use SQL and VBA in unison to produce effective databases
Top VBA Tools For Beginners
VBA comes with many built-in tools that may improve your Excel use and make this programming language even more beneficial to your career. These simple tools and concepts include:
- VBA Editor, where you write your code within your Excel sheets
- Macro Recorder, which helps you build macros to use for your automation
- VBA UserForms, which create a custom dialog box that helps your programming
- Conditional statements, like IF, ELSEIF, and SELECT CASE, that control code
- Arrays, which store multiple values in a single variable for easier data management
- Error handling and debugging, which catches minor errors in your script
VBA Comparison to Other Tools & Fields
VBA is directly connected to Visual Basic .NET or VB.Net. They are both programming languages Microsoft created for their Visual Basic concept. If you master VBA or VB.NET, it’s much easier to learn the other language because the syntax is so similar. That said, VB.NET is a more adaptable and powerful language that’s used in web development and other tasks. VBA is primarily implemented to create powerful macros in Excel spreadsheets.
In this way, it’s not fair to compare VBA to other coding languages, like C++ and Python. It’s simply not made to have that kind of diverse usage but is very powerful within its own domain. In fact, it might be a better idea for managers and general office employees to learn VBA over other programming languages because it provides them with a more practical application.
VBA Advantages
VBA provides many unique advantages that make it an interesting and worthwhile language to learn. While it might not be as adaptable and powerful as coding languages like C++, Python, Go, and JavaScript, it can help you customize and improve your Microsoft Office experience in many ways. Just a few benefits that it provides include:
- Easy-to-use coding that integrates a simpler syntax compared to other languages
- Repetitive job reduction that helps you focus more on important data analysis
- Task automation that makes collecting large amount of data even easier
- Customizable nature that makes it easier to adapt to multiple Office concepts
- Simple integration with Excel and other Office programs to provide easy programming
- Adaptability to simple tasks for data collection up to complete spreadsheet automation
Learn more in these courses
- VBA Classes
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Excel Programming with VBA
- Weekdays only
- 12 hours
- Open to beginners
Learn Visual Basic for Applications to accelerate your workflow and reduce errors in Excel. This bootcamp course includes Excel VBA Macros Levels 1 and 2. By the end of this course, you'll be able to develop a macro, create automated event processes, and use automation to manage unforeseen errors.
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Excel VBA and Macros Level I
- Weekdays only
- 6 hours
- Prerequisites required
Take the first steps to learn Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Microsoft's programming language. You'll work more quickly and efficiently by using VBA to automate tasks and eliminate errors. By the end of the course, you'll be able to write code, record macros, and troubleshoot common errors with your code.