Ha Dang says he is ready to compete at the World Spreadsheet Championships. (Charley Atkins via SWNS)
By Nathan Pynn
A confessed computer geek is off to Las Vegas to represent Britain in the World Spreadsheet Championships.
Ha Dang, 33, will compete against 64 other keyboard warriors from around the globe to be crowned king of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
Ha, who moved from his native Vietnam to the UK 10 years ago, taught himself how to use the software using YouTube videos.
The accountant, who works for Leeds-based stockbrokers Redmayne Bentley, has already been named the British spreadsheet champion.
The final rounds consisted of timed tests in which the contestants had to build a spreadsheet to present a set of data.
The contestants were given data relating to a themed project, in this care the King and Queens of England.
They then designed a spreadsheet to ask specific questions.
He says he uses spreadsheets for his everyday life. (Charley Atkins via SWNS)
Ha, who lives in Scunthorpe, Lincs., said: "For me, creating spreadsheets is my hobby which I do in my free time and at weekends.
"It really doesn't bother me if people think I'm a geek. In fact I'm proud of it.
"Obviously, I use spreadsheets for work but I also use them for my everyday life. I have one to workout the miles per gallon for my car and my weekly shopping bills.
"I even have one set for the future which calculates my earnings per year and how that relates to the size of my pension.
"My friend asked me to calculate how many miles he could do in his leased car to make sure he didn't go over the amount. I was easily able to do that for him."
Ha, who is single with no children, will travel to Las Vegas in December to compete for the world champion crown and $5,000 prize money.
He added: "I've never been to the US, so it will be an exciting experience for me.
"I will be up against the best spreadsheeters in the world but I can only do my best and I know I'm good at what I do.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing all the international competitors that I've heard so much about, or had a chat with in our Excel group chats."
Ha Dang was crowned Britain's spreadsheet champion. (Charley Atkins via SWNS)
He decided to enter the competition after watching a contest during a conference in February.
He added: "I thought I can do that, I'll give it a try. I watched a lot of instructional videos on YouTube.
"They are really fun, well for me personally, and they help you improve your critical thinking skills, your Excel skills massively.
"I won the British title by the skin of my teeth. It took me a minute when I saw the result to actually start moving again.
"I have never been so passionate about anything like this."
Ha came to the UK in 2014 to study a master's degree at Lincoln Business School and became a British citizen earlier this year.
Entrants to the world championship will compete in three knock-out rounds with each participant needing to answer as many questions in 30 minutes.
He said: "I’m really excited. It's going to be fun.
"The British final was really close but when I'm in the zone, I know exactly what formula to use to create the best spreadsheet."
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