# Spreadsheets and AI **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 25, 2026, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975 "2026-02-25T21:38:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/81 "2026-02-27T19:58:44Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Much less than the possibility that you vastly overestimate how many people do. I don’t know how you reach that conclusion. That said, I think we’re talking past one another at this point. If you’re still thinking that this list > Doctors. Dentists. Veterinarians. Nurses. Attorneys. Judges. Creative content producers of any sort. Therapists. Many academics (some do). Scientists (manage data yes but not with these sorts of spreadsheets.) represents people who don’t use spreadsheets to do their job and that I’m likelier to be overestimating than you are underestimating the use of spreadsheets, despite those links and the many more websites that show otherwise, I think I’ve made the best case I’m interested in making. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/82 "2026-02-27T20:16:37Z")
You really think a Reddit thread specifically for data scientists where someone is defending against the grief they get for occasionally using Excel makes some point? That sales pitches trying to get people to take their classes, are good data for your argument? Any data at all? > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I think I’ve made the best case I’m interested in making I think you’ve made the best case that can be made! 🙂 Any response to which of those steps you feel is outside of even current AI capabilities? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/83 "2026-02-27T20:28:42Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Any response to which of those steps you feel is outside of even current AI capabilities? Sure! You’re asking the wrong question. Spreadsheets, uh, excel at constantly-updated analyses. I use one to track my kids’ allowance: whenever we need to figure out what they’re owed, we can cut-and-paste previous rows into the spreadsheet to update it with date and amount, and it tracks how much they’ve received so far. A separate set of columns tracks expenditures: when they want to get cash from us, or get us to order something online, we add a row with the date, the amount, and any note. Fields at the top of the spreadsheet update with a running total of how much they still are owed. It’s messy,l because I don’t need something tidy. Of course I could ask an AI each time what the running total is. But by putting in formulas, I don’t need to repeat the question every time. And that’s true in a lot of places. By setting up the spreadsheet correctly, I can see the answer to my question every time I update the spreadsheet, instead of having to ask the question each time. I could ask the AI to set up the formulas for me, of course; but if I’m doing that, it’s very helpful to know the principles of creating formulas, so I ask the right question. > [@DSeid](#): > > You really think a Reddit thread specifically for data scientists where someone is defending against the grief they get for occasionally using Excel makes some point? That sales pitches trying to get people to take their classes, are good data for your argument? Any data at all? They obviously are, and your representation of these cites is not accurate. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/84 "2026-02-27T20:33:29Z")
Where it already is: > **[Top AI Spreadsheet Tools for 2025: A Comprehensive Guide](https://sparkco.ai/blog/top-ai-spreadsheet-tools-for-2025-a-comprehensive-guide)** > > Discover the best AI spreadsheet tools of 2025 with deep AI integration, automation, and more. > One of the most significant advancements is the use of AI to interpret natural language commands. This allows users to interact with spreadsheets using plain English, transforming complex formulas into user-friendly queries. For instance, modern tools can now take a command like “Show me sales growth over the past year” and automatically generate the appropriate graphs and summaries. > > Automation is another pivotal trend. The latest AI spreadsheet tools can automate repetitive tasks, from data entry to complex calculations, thereby reducing human error and freeing up valuable time for more strategic activities. Platforms such as Excel with its Agent Mode and Copilot have set the benchmark by executing multi-step processes autonomously. These systems can fetch, clean, transform, analyze data, and even detect anomalies, acting as full-fledged virtual assistants. Now. The challenge is getting it trustworthy enough. That may take a few years. And until it is trusted it isn’t actually speeding things up. But five? Probably. Ten? Almost definitely. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/85 "2026-02-27T20:38:35Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I use one to track my kids’ allowance: You are serious here? Wow. FWIW many of us managed our kids’s allowances without databases or AI just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/86 "2026-02-27T20:41:20Z")
I know ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/87 "2026-02-27T20:58:33Z")
Being completely unscientific about this, I copied and pasted the data from this BLS site into a, er, spreadsheet, removed all the headers and… by the extremely accurate and not-to-be-disputed method of pulling the answer out of my ass… put a Y/N by each occupation as to whether, in my supreme judgement, the people in this occupation would be likely to use a spreadsheet in a given month: | Yes/No | # of people likely to use a spreadsheet in a given month (in thousands) | | --- | --- | | N | 99609 | | Y | 63884 | | Grand Total | 163493 | If you care for the details, here they are: > **** > > | Occupation | # of people (in thousands) | Likely to use a spreadsheet in a given month | > | --- | --- | --- | > | Chief executives | 1,802 | Y | > | General and operations managers | 1,379 | Y | > | Legislators | 18 | Y | > | Advertising and promotions managers | 61 | Y | > | Marketing managers | 669 | Y | > | Sales managers | 563 | Y | > | Public relations and fundraising managers | 141 | Y | > | Administrative services managers | 113 | Y | > | Facilities managers | 128 | Y | > | Computer and information systems managers | 646 | Y | > | Financial managers | 1,431 | Y | > | Compensation and benefits managers | 16 | Y | > | Human resources managers | 314 | Y | > | Training and development managers | 68 | Y | > | Industrial production managers | 345 | Y | > | Purchasing managers | 222 | Y | > | Transportation, storage, and distribution managers | 415 | Y | > | Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers | 810 | Y | > | Construction managers | 1,199 | Y | > | Education and childcare administrators | 1,052 | Y | > | Architectural and engineering managers | 197 | Y | > | Food service managers | 1,159 | Y | > | Funeral home managers | 10 | Y | > | Entertainment and recreation managers | 65 | Y | > | Lodging managers | 117 | Y | > | Medical and health services managers | 905 | Y | > | Natural sciences managers | 44 | Y | > | Postmasters and mail superintendents | 42 | Y | > | Property, real estate, and community association managers | 790 | Y | > | Social and community service managers | 471 | Y | > | Emergency management directors | 27 | Y | > | Personal service managers, all other | 184 | Y | > | Managers, all other | 5,471 | Y | > | Agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes | 60 | Y | > | Buyers and purchasing agents, farm products | 10 | Y | > | Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products | 179 | Y | > | Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products | 296 | Y | > | Claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators | 389 | Y | > | Compliance officers | 312 | Y | > | Cost estimators | 146 | Y | > | Human resources workers | 897 | Y | > | Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists | 61 | Y | > | Training and development specialists | 210 | Y | > | Logisticians | 209 | Y | > | Project management specialists | 1,150 | Y | > | Management analysts | 1,084 | Y | > | Meeting, convention, and event planners | 201 | Y | > | Fundraisers | 78 | Y | > | Market research analysts and marketing specialists | 542 | Y | > | Business operations specialists, all other | 595 | Y | > | Accountants and auditors | 1,766 | Y | > | Property appraisers and assessors | 70 | Y | > | Budget analysts | 67 | Y | > | Credit analysts | 35 | Y | > | Financial and investment analysts | 422 | Y | > | Personal financial advisors | 576 | Y | > | Insurance underwriters | 142 | Y | > | Financial examiners | 20 | Y | > | Credit counselors and loan officers | 352 | Y | > | Tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents | 52 | Y | > | Tax preparers | 134 | Y | > | Other financial specialists | 115 | Y | > | Computer and information research scientists | 29 | Y | > | Computer systems analysts | 569 | Y | > | Information security analysts | 261 | Y | > | Computer programmers | 381 | Y | > | Software developers | 2,254 | Y | > | Software quality assurance analysts and testers | 72 | Y | > | Web developers | 66 | Y | > | Web and digital interface designers | 69 | Y | > | Computer support specialists | 677 | Y | > | Database administrators and architects | 148 | Y | > | Network and computer systems administrators | 154 | Y | > | Computer network architects | 96 | Y | > | Computer occupations, all other | 1,181 | Y | > | Actuaries | 32 | Y | > | Mathematicians | 8 | Y | > | Operations research analysts | 178 | Y | > | Statisticians | 50 | Y | > | Other mathematical science occupations | 486 | Y | > | Architects, except landscape and naval | 254 | Y | > | Landscape architects | 32 | Y | > | Surveyors, cartographers, and photogrammetrists | 42 | Y | > | Aerospace engineers | 168 | Y | > | Agricultural engineers | 7 | Y | > | Bioengineers and biomedical engineers | 24 | Y | > | Chemical engineers | 85 | Y | > | Civil engineers | 525 | Y | > | Computer hardware engineers | 94 | Y | > | Electrical and electronics engineers | 284 | Y | > | Environmental engineers | 49 | Y | > | Industrial engineers, including health and safety | 274 | Y | > | Marine engineers and naval architects | 15 | Y | > | Materials engineers | 56 | Y | > | Mechanical engineers | 419 | Y | > | Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers | 5 | Y | > | Nuclear engineers | 7 | Y | > | Petroleum engineers | 15 | Y | > | Engineers, all other | 685 | Y | > | Architectural and civil drafters | 39 | Y | > | Other drafters | 79 | Y | > | Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians | 79 | Y | > | Other engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters | 385 | Y | > | Surveying and mapping technicians | 52 | Y | > | Agricultural and food scientists | 27 | Y | > | Biological scientists | 100 | Y | > | Conservation scientists and foresters | 27 | Y | > | Medical scientists | 102 | Y | > | Life scientists, all other | 5 | Y | > | Astronomers and physicists | 24 | Y | > | Atmospheric and space scientists | 11 | Y | > | Chemists and materials scientists | 106 | Y | > | Environmental scientists and specialists, including health | 63 | Y | > | Geoscientists and hydrologists, except geographers | 43 | Y | > | Physical scientists, all other | 362 | Y | > | Economists | 34 | Y | > | Survey researchers | 0 | Y | > | Clinical and counseling psychologists | 19 | N | > | School psychologists | 46 | N | > | Other psychologists | 152 | N | > | Sociologists | 2 | Y | > | Urban and regional planners | 39 | Y | > | Miscellaneous social scientists and related workers | 47 | N | > | Agricultural and food science technicians | 55 | Y | > | Biological technicians | 25 | Y | > | Chemical technicians | 75 | Y | > | Environmental science and geoscience technicians | 16 | Y | > | Nuclear technicians | 3 | Y | > | Social science research assistants | 7 | Y | > | Other life, physical, and social science technicians | 386 | Y | > | Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians | 83 | Y | > | Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors | 164 | N | > | Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors | 348 | Y | > | Marriage and family therapists | 40 | N | > | Mental health counselors | 218 | N | > | Rehabilitation counselors | 16 | N | > | Counselors, all other | 257 | N | > | Child, family, and school social workers | 83 | N | > | Healthcare social workers | 118 | N | > | Mental health and substance abuse social workers | 37 | N | > | Social workers, all other | 596 | N | > | Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists | 67 | N | > | Social and human service assistants | 210 | N | > | Other community and social service specialists | 121 | N | > | Clergy | 405 | N | > | Directors, religious activities and education | 82 | N | > | Religious workers, all other | 82 | N | > | Lawyers | 1,146 | Y | > | Judicial law clerks | 15 | Y | > | Judges, magistrates, and other judicial workers | 57 | N | > | Paralegals and legal assistants | 486 | Y | > | Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers | 96 | Y | > | Legal support workers, all other | 79 | Y | > | Postsecondary teachers | 1,058 | N | > | Preschool and kindergarten teachers | 644 | N | > | Elementary and middle school teachers | 3,511 | N | > | Secondary school teachers | 790 | N | > | Special education teachers | 349 | N | > | Tutors | 165 | N | > | Other teachers and instructors | 1,018 | N | > | Archivists, curators, and museum technicians | 78 | Y | > | Librarians and media collections specialists | 195 | Y | > | Library technicians | 31 | Y | > | Teaching assistants | 1,462 | N | > | Other educational instruction and library workers | 151 | Y | > | Artists and related workers | 302 | N | > | Commercial and industrial designers | 21 | Y | > | Fashion designers | 44 | N | > | Floral designers | 49 | N | > | Graphic designers | 285 | N | > | Interior designers | 125 | Y | > | Merchandise displayers and window trimmers | 31 | Y | > | Other designers | 379 | N | > | Actors | 43 | N | > | Producers and directors | 216 | Y | > | Athletes and sports competitors | 44 | N | > | Coaches and scouts | 362 | Y | > | Umpires, referees, and other sports officials | 27 | N | > | Dancers and choreographers | 18 | N | > | Music directors and composers | 58 | N | > | Musicians and singers | 167 | N | > | Disc jockeys, except radio | 17 | N | > | Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers, all other | 63 | N | > | Broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys | 18 | N | > | News analysts, reporters, and journalists | 86 | Y | > | Public relations specialists | 135 | Y | > | Editors | 113 | Y | > | Technical writers | 54 | Y | > | Writers and authors | 234 | N | > | Interpreters and translators | 97 | N | > | Court reporters and simultaneous captioners | 24 | N | > | Media and communication workers, all other | 23 | Y | > | Broadcast, sound, and lighting technicians | 121 | N | > | Photographers | 216 | N | > | Television, video, and film camera operators and editors | 129 | N | > | Media and communication equipment workers, all other | 2 | N | > | Chiropractors | 66 | N | > | Dentists | 192 | N | > | Dietitians and nutritionists | 136 | N | > | Optometrists | 48 | N | > | Pharmacists | 365 | N | > | Emergency medicine physicians | 25 | N | > | Radiologists | 19 | N | > | Other physicians | 929 | N | > | Surgeons | 73 | N | > | Physician assistants | 153 | N | > | Podiatrists | 9 | N | > | Audiologists | 20 | N | > | Occupational therapists | 138 | N | > | Physical therapists | 338 | N | > | Radiation therapists | 10 | N | > | Recreational therapists | 13 | N | > | Respiratory therapists | 89 | N | > | Speech-language pathologists | 203 | N | > | Exercise physiologists | 5 | N | > | Therapists, all other | 323 | N | > | Veterinarians | 91 | N | > | Registered nurses | 3,528 | N | > | Nurse anesthetists | 25 | N | > | Nurse midwives | 11 | N | > | Nurse practitioners | 325 | N | > | Acupuncturists | 20 | N | > | Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners, all other | 17 | N | > | Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians | 313 | Y | > | Dental hygienists | 203 | N | > | Cardiovascular technologists and technicians | 67 | Y | > | Diagnostic medical sonographers | 119 | Y | > | Radiologic technologists and technicians | 274 | Y | > | Magnetic resonance imaging technologists | 64 | N | > | Nuclear medicine technologists and medical dosimetrists | 41 | Y | > | Emergency medical technicians | 135 | Y | > | Paramedics | 117 | N | > | Pharmacy technicians | 373 | N | > | Psychiatric technicians | 142 | N | > | Surgical technologists | 107 | N | > | Veterinary technologists and technicians | 145 | N | > | Dietetic technicians and ophthalmic medical technicians | 68 | N | > | Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses | 545 | N | > | Medical records specialists | 166 | N | > | Opticians, dispensing | 50 | N | > | Miscellaneous health technologists and technicians | 126 | N | > | Other healthcare practitioners and technical occupations | 139 | N | > | Home health aides | 726 | N | > | Personal care aides | 1,840 | N | > | Nursing assistants | 1,404 | N | > | Orderlies and psychiatric aides | 60 | N | > | Occupational therapy assistants and aides | 35 | Y | > | Physical therapist assistants and aides | 130 | N | > | Massage therapists | 183 | N | > | Dental assistants | 287 | N | > | Medical assistants | 680 | N | > | Medical transcriptionists | 41 | Y | > | Pharmacy aides | 33 | N | > | Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers | 63 | N | > | Phlebotomists | 144 | N | > | Other healthcare support workers | 205 | N | > | First-line supervisors of correctional officers | 50 | N | > | First-line supervisors of police and detectives | 107 | N | > | First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers | 55 | N | > | First-line supervisors of security workers | 85 | N | > | First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other | 2 | N | > | Firefighters | 352 | N | > | Fire inspectors | 30 | Y | > | Bailiffs | 21 | N | > | Correctional officers and jailers | 296 | N | > | Detectives and criminal investigators | 155 | Y | > | Fish and game wardens | 11 | N | > | Parking enforcement workers | 12 | N | > | Police officers | 705 | N | > | Animal control workers | 7 | N | > | Private detectives and investigators | 154 | N | > | Security guards and gambling surveillance officers | 962 | N | > | Crossing guards and flaggers | 55 | N | > | Transportation security screeners | 52 | N | > | School bus monitors | 38 | N | > | Other protective service workers | 194 | N | > | Chefs and head cooks | 516 | N | > | First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers | 527 | N | > | Cooks | 2,099 | N | > | Food preparation workers | 930 | N | > | Bartenders | 432 | N | > | Fast food and counter workers | 959 | N | > | Waiters and waitresses | 1,754 | N | > | Food servers, nonrestaurant | 233 | N | > | Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers | 256 | N | > | Dishwashers | 245 | N | > | Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop | 326 | N | > | Food preparation and serving related workers, all other | 15 | N | > | First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers | 354 | N | > | First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers | 288 | N | > | Janitors and building cleaners | 2,341 | N | > | Maids and housekeeping cleaners | 1,392 | N | > | Pest control workers | 93 | N | > | Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | 1,114 | N | > | Tree trimmers and pruners | 101 | N | > | Other grounds maintenance workers | 25 | N | > | Supervisors of personal care and service workers | 48 | N | > | Animal trainers | 55 | N | > | Animal caretakers | 364 | N | > | Gambling services workers | 97 | N | > | Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers | 39 | N | > | Other entertainment attendants and related workers | 224 | N | > | Embalmers, crematory operators, and funeral attendants | 13 | N | > | Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers | 36 | N | > | Barbers | 141 | N | > | Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists | 747 | N | > | Manicurists and pedicurists | 277 | N | > | Skincare specialists | 113 | N | > | Other personal appearance workers | 31 | N | > | Baggage porters, bellhops, and concierges | 80 | N | > | Tour and travel guides | 56 | Y | > | Childcare workers | 1,106 | N | > | Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors | 281 | N | > | Recreation workers | 170 | N | > | Residential advisors | 32 | N | > | Personal care and service workers, all other | 147 | N | > | First-line supervisors of retail sales workers | 2,977 | Y | > | First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers | 1,036 | Y | > | Cashiers | 2,490 | N | > | Counter and rental clerks | 73 | N | > | Parts salespersons | 129 | N | > | Retail salespersons | 2,661 | N | > | Advertising sales agents | 138 | N | > | Insurance sales agents | 618 | Y | > | Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents | 199 | Y | > | Travel agents | 81 | Y | > | Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel | 695 | Y | > | Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing | 1,145 | Y | > | Models, demonstrators, and product promoters | 39 | N | > | Real estate brokers and sales agents | 1,065 | Y | > | Sales engineers | 58 | Y | > | Telemarketers | 26 | N | > | Door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers | 254 | N | > | Sales and related workers, all other | 476 | N | > | First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers | 1,382 | Y | > | Switchboard operators, including answering service | 9 | N | > | Telephone operators | 26 | N | > | Communications equipment operators, all other | 4 | N | > | Bill and account collectors | 111 | N | > | Billing and posting clerks | 403 | N | > | Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks | 1,254 | Y | > | Gambling cage workers | 22 | N | > | Payroll and timekeeping clerks | 166 | Y | > | Procurement clerks | 43 | Y | > | Tellers | 224 | N | > | Financial clerks, all other | 161 | Y | > | Brokerage clerks | 2 | Y | > | Correspondence clerks | 10 | N | > | Court, municipal, and license clerks | 64 | N | > | Credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks | 30 | Y | > | Customer service representatives | 2,600 | N | > | Eligibility interviewers, government programs | 90 | N | > | File Clerks | 147 | N | > | Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks | 99 | N | > | Interviewers, except eligibility and loan | 172 | N | > | Library assistants, clerical | 71 | N | > | Loan interviewers and clerks | 84 | Y | > | New accounts clerks | 10 | Y | > | Order clerks | 87 | Y | > | Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping | 124 | N | > | Receptionists and information clerks | 1,247 | N | > | Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks | 125 | N | > | Information and record clerks, all other | 101 | Y | > | Cargo and freight agents | 27 | Y | > | Couriers and messengers | 949 | N | > | Public safety telecommunicators | 90 | N | > | Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance | 180 | N | > | Meter readers, utilities | 17 | N | > | Postal service clerks | 96 | N | > | Postal service mail carriers | 371 | N | > | Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators | 52 | N | > | Production, planning, and expediting clerks | 212 | Y | > | Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks | 604 | Y | > | Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers, recordkeeping | 91 | N | > | Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants | 249 | Y | > | Legal secretaries and administrative assistants | 38 | Y | > | Medical secretaries and administrative assistants | 103 | Y | > | Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive | 1,491 | Y | > | Data entry keyers | 229 | N | > | Word processors and typists | 62 | N | > | Desktop publishers | 1 | N | > | Insurance claims and policy processing clerks | 274 | Y | > | Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service | 63 | N | > | Office clerks, general | 1,436 | Y | > | Office machine operators, except computer | 23 | N | > | Proofreaders and copy markers | 18 | N | > | Statistical assistants | 44 | Y | > | Office and administrative support workers, all other | 859 | N | > | First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers | 50 | N | > | Agricultural inspectors | 11 | Y | > | Animal breeders | 16 | N | > | Graders and sorters, agricultural products | 58 | N | > | Miscellaneous agricultural workers | 765 | N | > | Fishing and hunting workers | 35 | N | > | Forest and conservation workers | 19 | N | > | Logging workers | 46 | N | > | First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers | 788 | N | > | Boilermakers | 13 | N | > | Brickmasons, blockmasons, and stonemasons | 121 | N | > | Carpenters | 1,178 | N | > | Carpet, floor, and tile installers and finishers | 105 | N | > | Cement masons, concrete finishers, and terrazzo workers | 51 | N | > | Construction laborers | 2,382 | N | > | Construction equipment operators | 404 | N | > | Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers | 122 | N | > | Electricians | 1,063 | N | > | Glaziers | 32 | N | > | Insulation workers | 48 | N | > | Painters and paperhangers | 485 | N | > | Pipelayers | 46 | N | > | Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters | 624 | N | > | Plasterers and stucco masons | 27 | N | > | Reinforcing iron and rebar workers | 10 | N | > | Roofers | 259 | N | > | Sheet metal workers | 148 | N | > | Structural iron and steel workers | 42 | N | > | Solar photovoltaic installers | 22 | N | > | Helpers, construction trades | 53 | N | > | Construction and building inspectors | 120 | Y | > | Elevator and escalator installers and repairers | 34 | N | > | Fence erectors | 42 | N | > | Hazardous materials removal workers | 23 | N | > | Highway maintenance workers | 61 | N | > | Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators | 8 | N | > | Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners | 12 | N | > | Miscellaneous construction and related workers | 19 | N | > | Derrick, rotary drill, and service unit operators, oil and gas | 21 | N | > | Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining | 4 | N | > | Earth drillers, except oil and gas | 25 | N | > | Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters | 9 | N | > | Underground mining machine operators | 36 | N | > | Roustabouts, oil and gas | 8 | N | > | Other extraction workers | 46 | N | > | First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers | 285 | N | > | Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers | 132 | N | > | Radio and telecommunications equipment installers and repairers | 140 | N | > | Avionics technicians | 14 | N | > | Electric motor, power tool, and related repairers | 25 | N | > | Electrical and electronics installers and repairers, transportation equipment | 5 | N | > | Electrical and electronics repairers, industrial and utility | 10 | N | > | Electronic equipment installers and repairers, motor vehicles | 13 | N | > | Audiovisual equipment installers and repairers | 43 | N | > | Security and fire alarm systems installers | 58 | N | > | Aircraft mechanics and service technicians | 165 | N | > | Automotive body and related repairers | 130 | N | > | Automotive glass installers and repairers | 25 | N | > | Automotive service technicians and mechanics | 901 | N | > | Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists | 369 | N | > | Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians and mechanics | 168 | N | > | Small engine mechanics | 41 | N | > | Miscellaneous vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers | 106 | N | > | Control and valve installers and repairers | 23 | N | > | Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers | 561 | N | > | Home appliance repairers | 52 | N | > | Industrial and refractory machinery mechanics | 329 | N | > | Maintenance and repair workers, general | 717 | N | > | Maintenance workers, machinery | 67 | N | > | Millwrights | 45 | N | > | Electrical power-line installers and repairers | 144 | N | > | Telecommunications line installers and repairers | 110 | N | > | Precision instrument and equipment repairers | 55 | N | > | Wind turbine service technicians | 9 | N | > | Coin, vending, and amusement machine servicers and repairers | 39 | N | > | Commercial divers | 1 | N | > | Locksmiths and safe repairers | 36 | N | > | Manufactured building and mobile home installers | 1 | N | > | Riggers | 15 | N | > | Helpers–installation, maintenance, and repair workers | 14 | N | > | Other installation, maintenance, and repair workers | 211 | N | > | First-line supervisors of production and operating workers | 749 | N | > | Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers | 3 | N | > | Electrical, electronics, and electromechanical assemblers | 113 | N | > | Engine and other machine assemblers | 14 | N | > | Structural metal fabricators and fitters | 22 | N | > | Other assemblers and fabricators | 873 | N | > | Bakers | 277 | N | > | Butchers and other meat, poultry, and fish processing workers | 255 | N | > | Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders | 13 | N | > | Food batchmakers | 93 | N | > | Food cooking machine operators and tenders | 15 | N | > | Food processing workers, all other | 119 | N | > | Computer numerically controlled tool operators and programmers | 77 | N | > | Forming machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 16 | N | > | Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 53 | N | > | Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 37 | N | > | Other machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 3 | N | > | Machinists | 309 | N | > | Metal furnace operators, tenders, pourers, and casters | 20 | N | > | Model makers and patternmakers, metal and plastic | 2 | N | > | Molders and molding machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 34 | N | > | Tool and die makers | 29 | N | > | Welding, soldering, and brazing workers | 573 | N | > | Other metal workers and plastic workers | 307 | N | > | Prepress technicians and workers | 10 | N | > | Printing press operators | 142 | N | > | Print binding and finishing workers | 5 | N | > | Laundry and dry-cleaning workers | 137 | N | > | Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials | 20 | N | > | Sewing machine operators | 92 | N | > | Shoe and leather workers | 12 | N | > | Tailors, dressmakers, and sewers | 60 | N | > | Textile machine setters, operators, and tenders | 18 | N | > | Upholsterers | 20 | N | > | Other textile, apparel, and furnishings workers | 14 | N | > | Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters | 42 | N | > | Furniture finishers | 20 | N | > | Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood | 15 | N | > | Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing | 5 | N | > | Other woodworkers | 37 | N | > | Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers | 45 | N | > | Stationary engineers and boiler operators | 108 | N | > | Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators | 118 | N | > | Miscellaneous plant and system operators | 42 | N | > | Chemical processing machine setters, operators, and tenders | 55 | N | > | Crushing, grinding, polishing, mixing, and blending workers | 71 | N | > | Cutting workers | 40 | N | > | Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders | 17 | N | > | Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders | 15 | N | > | Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers | 737 | N | > | Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers | 42 | N | > | Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians | 75 | N | > | Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders | 242 | N | > | Painting workers | 173 | N | > | Photographic process workers and processing machine operators | 24 | N | > | Adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders | 7 | N | > | Etchers and engravers | 6 | N | > | Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic | 32 | N | > | Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders | 14 | N | > | Tire builders | 14 | N | > | Helpers–production workers | 68 | N | > | Other production equipment operators and tenders | 4 | N | > | Other production workers | 1,286 | N | > | Supervisors of transportation and material moving workers | 302 | N | > | Aircraft pilots and flight engineers | 201 | N | > | Air traffic controllers and airfield operations specialists | 40 | N | > | Flight attendants | 129 | N | > | Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians | 17 | N | > | Bus drivers, school | 210 | N | > | Bus drivers, transit and intercity | 268 | N | > | Driver/sales workers and truck drivers | 3,583 | N | > | Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs | 82 | N | > | Taxi drivers | 575 | N | > | Motor vehicle operators, all other | 144 | N | > | Locomotive engineers and operators | 33 | N | > | Railroad conductors and yardmasters | 56 | N | > | Other rail transportation workers | 26 | N | > | Sailors and marine oilers | 19 | N | > | Ship and boat captains and operators | 46 | N | > | Ship engineers | 3 | N | > | Parking attendants | 76 | N | > | Transportation service attendants | 92 | N | > | Transportation inspectors | 44 | N | > | Passenger attendants | 37 | N | > | Other transportation workers | 47 | N | > | Crane and tower operators | 59 | N | > | Conveyor, dredge, and hoist and winch operators | 34 | N | > | Industrial truck and tractor operators | 640 | N | > | Cleaners of vehicles and equipment | 396 | N | > | Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand | 2,203 | N | > | Machine feeders and offbearers | 26 | N | > | Packers and packagers, hand | 582 | N | > | Stockers and order fillers | 1,696 | N | > | Pumping station operators | 14 | N | > | Refuse and recyclable material collectors | 127 | N | > | Other material moving workers | 77 | N | One may quibble, of course (I mean, some legislators use spreadsheets, others don’t, so whatcha gonna do), but the difference is about 36,000,000 more people don’t use spreadsheets in their jobs than those who do. Y’all are welcome. Or not. 😛 > **[Employed people by detailed occupation and age](https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11b.htm)** > > Employed people by detailed occupation and age ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/88 "2026-02-27T21:02:00Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I use one to track my kids’ allowance: whenever we need to figure out what they’re owed, we can cut-and-paste previous rows into the spreadsheet to update it with date and amount, and it tracks how much they’ve received so far. I did exactly the same thing! It would accrue allowance automatically and I would log what I paid them and adjust it back down. I also created one to randomly pick a Star Trek TOS episode to watch and keep track so that I got through the series randomly with no repeats. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/89 "2026-02-27T21:40:45Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > > > I use one to track my kids’ allowance: > > You are serious here? Wow. @DSeid Do you not use spreadsheets at all in your personal life? Planning a vacation, tracking fitness, creating checklists? Not a criticism at all. Before this thread I would have asserted that every adult uses them. I had thought they were more common than word processers as many people will compose with their email editor. If I have to create or edit a table, it’s much easier to edit in a spreadsheet than in a word doc. I use them even if there is no math. An office that has dedicated, custom tools (like often in healthcare) might not need them. However offices with more variety of business processes will make heavy use. At my work we use them more than we should because you don’t need to create a custom app, they have the right balance of sharing and protection, and they’re ubiquitous. FWIW, I work in AI and we frequently use spreadsheets (or the redheaded stepchild – csv files). For small datasets or quick-and-dirty tasks, they work better. * * * Forgot to answer the OP: i think it’s a necessary skill in the near term. It’s not just about writing formulas, but also visualizing data, experimenting, and understanding the problem domain. AI can create formulas and graphs, but an understanding of the foundations will make the human driving the AI more effective. It will be some time before the human isn’t needed at all to drive it. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/90 "2026-02-27T23:29:44Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > @DSeid Do you not use spreadsheets at all in your personal life? Planning a vacation, tracking fitness, creating checklists? Not a criticism at all Not at all. I can’t even imagine any utility of that? Or for tracking kids’ allowances. These are things that need or even benefit from a database for some people? Boggles my mind! It seems insane. A jackhammer to treat a wart. Using a calculator to add two plus three. I grab a piece of scrap paper and write my checklists and check them off. My marathon training schedule was a piece of paper that I wrote the plan out in and then what I did as I did it. It worked fine! No formulae needed. Likewise for every other training bit I’ve ever done. They were spreadsheets of an old school sort of way, I guess, but using a computer for that?!? Honestly I mostly keep track in my head just fine. Daily I just do and do not track (for me it is playtime not work.) I’m no Luddite but sometimes the best tool for a job is old school. Our group of six docs now keeps our call and rounding schedule on Google Calendar. I still belief the big wall calendar was easier to view and effectively use when trying to figure out who to try to trade with for coverage needs. FWIW here is the Claude estimates on use as active creation: > Active creation — building formulas, designing structure, writing complex logic, using pivot tables, doing data modeling — is a much smaller subset. Rough estimates based on occupational data and the kinds of roles that require this skill (financial analysts, accountants, data analysts, operations planners, certain engineers, etc.) suggest that perhaps 10–20% of the total adult workforce are genuine builders of spreadsheets rather than consumers of them. > Among the upper-income third, that fraction rises — probably to somewhere in the 25–40% range, since that tier is more concentrated with analysts, finance professionals, managers who build their own models, and so on. AI caveat given but I trust it for a reasoned guess here. Really not as ubiquitous of a skill set _even now_ as many of you seem to think it is. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/91 "2026-02-28T06:23:18Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > > [@DSeid](#): > > > > Scientists (manage data yes but not with these sorts of spreadsheets.) > > It would astonish me if spreadsheets are not in near-universal use among research scientists. I suspect that plenty of nurses use spreadsheets as part of inventory management systems. Attorneys are likely to have use of them to manage caseloads. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen spreadsheets pop up on the screen at my dental office as they’re looking at things like patient history. Yeah, i know some scientists. They all use spreadsheets. The attorney may not use a spreadsheet, but the office manager in the law firm certainly does. > [@DSeid](#): > > > [@CaveMike](#): > > > > @DSeid Do you not use spreadsheets at all in your personal life? Planning a vacation, tracking fitness, creating checklists? Not a criticism at all > > Not at all. I can’t even imagine any utility of that? Or for tracking kids’ allowances. These are things that need or even benefit from a database for some people? Boggles my mind! It seems insane. A jackhammer to treat a wart. Using a calculator to add two plus three. I use spreadsheets to keep track of who I’m inviting to my new years Eve party, and whether they came last year, and whether they RSVP’d first. I keep a spreadsheet of my husband’s key medical test results. I track my professional continuing education in a spreadsheet. (I need so many hours of this, and so many of that, and some of them can be self study, and some need to be in person organized events. It’s really easy to keep track with a spreadsheet. I just type in what i did and the spreadsheet keeps a running tally.) I have a giant spreadsheet i use to organize a dance weekend i run with a friend. My square dance group uses a very simple shared spreadsheet to track whether enough dancers will show up next week for us to meet, and what level we’ll be dancing. You somehow think a spreadsheet is a jackhammer. It’s not, it’s a pocket knife. And yeah, I’ve trimmed a wart with a pocket knife. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/92 "2026-02-28T07:44:46Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > You somehow think a spreadsheet is a jackhammer. It’s not Agreed. Spreadsheets are as easy to use as that scrap piece of paper some are using for checklists and I would argue _easier_. I hike, cycle, camp, and backpack a lot. You know what you need for those endeavors? A checklist. Thank god I don’t have to hand-write out our checklists every fucking week! Not that that is the only use for a spreadsheet. I use them daily at work, but also daily in my home life. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/93 "2026-02-28T10:49:12Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > You’d prefer “purer”, single-purpose tools instead of the gradual feature creep that led into the flawed overlap between them (spreadsheets and databases)? Yes, correct. My first ever dev job, I got complete control of the codebase and a copy of the book “Access for Dummies” It really did not take me too long to convince my boss that MS Access was not a web dev tool… although a bit later I was using XSLT to show Excel data in real time on the web, via a single user intance. No concurrent users. The data lived in a single Excel spreadsheet on our client’s laptop (you can guess at the scope of possible disaster). As you can imagine, while that was a pretty good stunt for a very junior developer being supervised by a graphic designer (small shop), because… single user means single. That is, one online customer at any time. Even online. One user. Now I am very puritan on “right tool for the job” and careful research & discussion to get consensus about how to approach a problem. You learn from your boss’s mistakes, as well as your own. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/94 "2026-03-02T17:41:00Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > Agreed. Spreadsheets are as easy to use as that scrap piece of paper some are using for checklists and I would argue _easier_. Glad to see I’m not the only one! They’re so useful and so easy to use on a basic level. I use them almost as often as word processors to organize information. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/95 "2026-03-02T18:06:30Z")
FWIW I can, on consideration, certainly see that someone whose personal ecosystem includes spending lots of time opening, entering, and _creating_ computer spreadsheets, would feel that way. And I hope that group can appreciate the technological advantage of a portable scrap of paper stuffed in a pocket or tacked on a board that is immediately accessible powered by ambient light and with multiple back ups to its entry medium of pens and pencils (when any written record is of use … which I still don’t get for weekly allowance). 😀 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/96 "2026-03-02T18:59:33Z")
Absolutely! That’s why my grocery list is a physical piece of paper that lives on the fridge. During the pandemic, when we did a big shopping every 4 weeks, it was a Google sheet. And it was useful to be that organized, and be able to sort the items in various ways k incoming what order i would encounter them at the store.) But i always printed a copy before i left for the grocery store. I have a friend who is a prominent computer scientist who has taken up square dance calling. Like many higher-level callers, he uses computer software to write most of his material. And he always prints a copy, with large font, on plain paper, to bring to the dance. Printed paper is incredibly reliable. But he also brings his laptop, and could read off of it, or print a new copy, as a backup. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/97 "2026-03-02T19:33:21Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > And I hope that group can appreciate the technological advantage of a portable scrap of paper stuffed in a pocket or tacked on a board that is immediately accessible powered by ambient light and with multiple back ups to its entry medium of pens and pencils (when any written record is of use … which I still don’t get for weekly allowance). If no one has ever taught you what a hammer is, you spend your life pounding nails with your shoe. Here are some non-mathematical uses of spreadsheets. Conferences I’ve been involved with allow you to dump paper review information into a spreadsheet, where the scores can be analyzed. I also wrote code to take the spreadsheet of accepted papers, dumped into a text xls file, and generate a Word file of the Program using it. I have my SF books and magazines in two spreadsheets. That lets me search easily. I also have a database, but I can dump the spreadsheets into pdf and put it on my phone, so I can look up whether I have a book I see on the shelves. I’ve got lots of books, more than brain cells these days, so I often own a book I think I don’t. Has saved me tons of money. I’m judging books for a contest. I have over 150 of them. I make up spreadsheets for each category, which lets me enter my scores, make notes, and sort. That lets me get everything in good shape before I enter the scores online. I can also tweak the scores if necessary. BTW, my son-in-law is a big spreadsheet fan, and used one to plan their wedding. Of course he did. He’s German. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/98 "2026-03-02T19:39:44Z")
Heh, we had a couple of shared spreadsheets when we were planning a wedding. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/99 "2026-03-02T19:57:24Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > If no one has ever taught you what a hammer is, you spend your life pounding nails with your shoe. And when you always have a hammer in your hand everything looks like a nail! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975/100 "2026-03-02T20:09:16Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Here are some non-mathematical uses of spreadsheets. Today I was changing out my weekly challenges for grades 3-5. Currently it’s a set of laminated signs that I inherited from a previous teacher, and they work well enough, but some of them are outdated, and some of them include incorrect information (no, you can’t see the Great Wall of China from space), and the whole set is just a little too Eurocentric for my tastes. So one of my projects for next year is setting up a new set of weekly challenges. I want challenges that include math, logic, literature, history, geography, pop culture, and science in roughly equal measures, and I want to be sure that they’re not all Eurocentric. The best way to do that, I think, is in a spreadsheet. I can put the text of the challenge in one column, the category in a second column, the grade in a third column, and have a fourth column for geographical focus. I can sort and filter by whatever criteria I need, adding new columns when necessary. Once I’ve got it set up, I can copy the relevant column to a doc and format it there for printing and cutting and laminating. > [@DSeid](#): > > And I hope that group can appreciate the technological advantage of a portable scrap of paper stuffed in a pocket or tacked on a board that is immediately accessible powered by ambient light and with multiple back ups to its entry medium of pens and pencils (when any written record is of use … which I still don’t get for weekly allowance). Paper gets lost and carries its information with it and doesn’t sort or filter. Spreadsheets are useable on a phone and are saved on the cloud. And I’m guessing you dealt with allowance back in the days when cash was king, as opposed to today when it’s practically an obsolete technology, certainly more obsolete than writing spreadsheet equations. Paper has precious few advantages for data analysis and manipulation over spreadsheets. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spreadsheets-and-ai/1027975.md?page=6)