Career Description:In the bookkeeping career path, some of the duties you will be expected to perform include preparing ledger accounts, trial balances, stock and credit control and managing accounts receivable and payable, manage pay rolls for employees and make social security and tax deductions from employees’ pay and for the organization. Bookkeepers generally keep the accounting records of companies or organizations up to date on a daily basis. You will need to be a detail oriented individual and be able to keep matters confidential, to pursue this career.
How to Become a Bookkeeper
The first step is for you to complete high school.
Then pursue post high school education. You have the choice of pursuing a one year certificate course in bookkeeping. Alternatively, you have the choice of pursuing an associate’s degree for two years or a Bachelors degree.
The third step is to get a practicing license. You can choose to get a certification from the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (AIBS) to increase your chances of recruitment as a bookkeeper. You will need at least two years professional experience as a bookkeeper and to pass a 4 part AIBS exam, before you can receive certification.
BOOKEEPING Career Paths
You can choose to specialize in different areas as a bookkeeper. Some of the specialization areas include but are not limited to:
Audit clerks
Accounting clerks
General ledger bookkeepers
Tax preparer
Insurance policy clerk
Bank teller
Brokerage clerk
BOOKEEPING Courses, Training, Programs, certification online courses
The training program you chose in order to pursue a bookkeeping career should educate you on how to carry out accounting transactions on a day to basis using various machineries such as computers. Some of the classes that are included in bookkeeping training programs include: Cost accounting, Essentials of Economics, Intermediate Accounting and Principles of Financial Accounting.
Some of the degree programs you have the choice of pursuing in order to become a bookkeeper, include Business Studies, Bachelor of Business Administration and Masters in Business Administration. You have the option of pursuing these courses through certificate online courses. Preferably, pick an accounting college that has been accredited by established accounting bodies such as the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
Schools/colleges, education
You will need a GPA of at least 3.5 and SAT scores of at least 600 as a prerequisite to admission into college. Instead of entrance exams, some universities will ask you to write a statement of purpose as a prerequisite to admission.
TOP 5 colleges/Universities
DeVry University
Strayer University Online
University of Phoenix
Kaplan University
Argosy University
BOOKEEPING Jobs Opportunities, Salaries/pay
The job outlook for a bookkeeping career is great and you should expect to always have a reliable job whether you choose to work from home or for an organization. You have the choice of working overseas as a bookkeeper.
When you are still pursuing your studies for a bookkeeping career, it will be a good idea to look at job advertisements even if you are still not through with your education. This will keep you enlightened on the types of qualifications that employers are looking for. You can then pursue those skills if you want to become more marketable once you finish college.
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