The problem (and the reason for the success) with Excel is that it optimized for ease of use. The five minute out of the box experience is wonderful. However on

The problem (and the reason for the success) with Excel is that it optimized for ease of use. The five minute out of the box experience is wonderful. However once you start "coding" (and I'll argue that if you using a vlookup or "if" function, you are programming with Excel) it is horrible. Ignores all of the best practices we have learned over the past 60 years for programming (modular, documentation, testing, source control, profiling). I'm obviously biased given that I teach Python and Data Science. But I think you should optimize towards writing readable code. (From my experience teaching Pandas to thousands of students and seeing it in the wild, most people are using it wrong as well). (It just so happens that I spent most of the day deep-diving into Excel and how to most effectively cross over to a proper programming paradigm...)