I used the 2007 edition of Power Programming VBA
It has the normal "Hello World" type of introuduction, but has a great glossary for looking up specific terms/case scenarios. It also came with a disc that included workbooks with macro code, so you can see it in action. But it looks like the 2013 edition has gone with a web based host for the documents.
I used it to get up to speed with VBA, then used it as reference, and after about 1-2 years it's now collecting dust. However, it was definitely worth it to get off the ground and I can't recommend it enough.
It's a way to automate operations in your MS Office documents. There's plenty of info for free online, but if you're starting from scratch or don't already know how to program in any language, I would recommend picking up a book, as it would be more of a guided introduction to the subject matter. I'm not familiar with this title, but anything highly rated on amazon (helps if it is specific to the version of Excel you are running) should do the trick:
http://www.amazon.com/Excel-2013-Power-Programming-VBA/dp/1118490398/
A good way to get your feet wet is to record a macro in Excel and try editing the VB code that gets created. I'm sure there's some tedious task you find yourself repeating all the time, for which you wish there was a keyboard shortcut. Well that's precisely what macros and scripts are for. Record a macro of the operation, then look at the code and try editing the code to better suit your needs.
To take up space, add a summary at the top, and slightly customize it for each application with keywords from the job description. I'd also suggest learning SQL (pretty quick to learn) and VBA (I highly recommend this book) by recruiting season. If you're planning to take a third exam this fall, I'd add that at that time too, though it'd be a bit early to list it now if you're currently applying.
Formatting-wise, right-tab the exam dates to match the rest, replace the hyphens in date ranges with en dashes, and add in the missing space before "Passed" in the line for P. I also don't like the header, though I don't know what the best way to improve it would be.
I second the need for Excel and VBA. Then pick up more depending on what you actually end up doing. I advanced up the pay ladder by learning Access & SQL. VBA Resource I agree with your sentiment to just pick a project and start programming. I learned more from trial and error and stackoverflow threads than I did in any tutorial class or reference book.
There won't be any mandatory books for the course, but I will put on the syllabus that a good reference is John Walkenbach's "Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA". I think this book is better for people who already have some experience in VBA since it is very thick an intimidating to the beginning.
http://www.amazon.com/Excel-2013-Power-Programming-VBA/dp/1118490398
If you're making a career in finance, as opposed to in Tech, then Python and Excel are both great ways to go. Per SteamPunkMoonz's excellent comment, Python actually could be better.
If you do go the VBA route, this book is great: https://www.amazon.com/Excel-2013-Power-Programming-VBA/dp/1118490398
If you go the Python route... then I highly recommend that you: 1) Download Anaconda (https://www.anaconda.com/) 2) Learn how to use Jupyter Notebook (comes with Anaconda) 3) Use Jupyter to learn how to use Pandas (also comes with Anaconda)
If you need more details, just ask... happy to help!
Anything by John Walkenbach if you're looking for a textbook. 2013 power programming is an excellent resource if you're willing to pour through it. Only $40 new on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1118490398/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_i_8kuEEb43XQB3B
Any of these books, by John Walkenbach, are highly recommended: