Summary

Let's face it; there are lots of intelligent people out there who can think of an awful lot of things they'd rather do than concoct a spreadsheet—not out of lack of interest, but because it's hard to hold a mouse in your hand when you have cold feet. It's important not to let self-intimidation get in the way of acquiring basic (and even more advanced) spreadsheet skills, and there isn't much reason why you can't do so.

It's also important to note that if you have experience with pre-2007 releases of Excel only, you'll have to acquaint yourself with a different interface—that is, a revised arrangement of the buttons and commands on the screen. So, with the learning, there may be a bit of unlearning, too. But speaking from experience, it's all doable.