There is no single right answer to whether you should learn Excel through videos or text, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling certainty you do not need. The real question is not which medium wins, but how you can use both to build a skill that sticks. For an IT student in the Philippines working toward data analyst roles, the path forward is not about picking a side. It is about recognizing that each format does something the other cannot, and then using that difference deliberately.
Videos are excellent for showing you what a process looks like in motion. When you watch someone navigate Excel, you see the clicks, the shortcuts, and the rhythm of the interface in a way that text often struggles to capture. But here is the catch: watching is passive. Your brain can trick you into thinking you understand something just because you followed along with a tutorial. That is where text becomes your friend. Reading a guide like those on W3Schools forces you to slow down. You have to interpret the steps, imagine the output, and fill in the gaps yourself. That mental effort is what builds real comprehension. The student who reads and then practices is not just collecting information; they are training their brain to solve problems.
The practical approach is to use both in a cycle. Start with a short video to get the general shape of a concept, like VLOOKUP or pivot tables. Then open a text guide and work through it step by step in your own spreadsheet. When you get stuck, go back to the video and watch the specific part that confuses you. This is not about balance in the sense of equal time. It is about matching the medium to the moment. Videos give you the big picture quickly. Text gives you precision and reference. You need both because they serve different parts of the learning process. And this applies beyond Excel. The same method works for coding, which is why the student's instinct to apply it there is exactly right.
The student's concern about not having funds for bootcamps is understandable, but it should not be mistaken for a disadvantage. Some of the most skilled data professionals in the world learned exactly this way, through free resources and disciplined practice. What matters is not the polish of your materials but the consistency of your effort. Set a schedule. Spend thirty minutes a day working through a video, then a text guide, then a self-created challenge. Keep a notebook where you write down what you learned in your own words. That last step is crucial because it forces you to process the information rather than just consume it. You do not need to master Excel overnight. You need to build a habit of learning that will carry you through your entire career. Start with one concept this week. Use a video to see it, a text guide to understand it, and your own hands to make it real. That is not just a study tip. That is the foundation of how you will work for the rest of your life.