Working at the Data School, I am lucky enough that the company provides me with a license to Tableau Desktop. However, prior to that, I was using Tableau Desktop, the Public Version.
To set up Tableau Desktop (Public version), you:
1. Go to public.tableau.com (it will automatically redirect to https://public.tableau.com/app/discover)
2. Click on Sign Up for Tableau Public
3. Create your Tableau account
4. Check your email and click on the verification link provided
It will bring you back to the original page where we first pressed the button to sign up for a Tableau Public profile
5. Click sign in
6. Choose your country/origin
7. Dismiss the pop-up window by clicking the x in the top right corner
8a. Hover over Create and select Web Authoring to create a sheet, dashboard, or story through your web browser
8b. We can also download the Tableau Desktop (with Public Edition restrictions)
Now you can build charts, dashboards, and workbooks using Tableau Public, online and offline! :)