JennifersLost Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Do you make good money? Are you able to work from home? Are your hours flexible or set? I'm planning to take two classes at the local community college toward a first-year certificate in Business Admin. A woman I know has told me she could probably train me enough to earn money within a couple of months - the company she works for is always desperate for bookkeepers - but I'd also like to work toward the "piece of paper" that will let me apply to jobs anywhere I go. What do you think? Is this type of work worth it? There are several accountants/bookkeepers in my own family who seem to be doing quite well. I'd like to hear some other people's experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey in TX Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I did bookkeeping for our business for many years. It was concurrent with a teaching job, so hours were flexible. I'm not a sit-at-your-desk person, so it was interminable. You have to love numbers, accounting, and have an interest in the given business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennifersLost Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 Thanks, Tracey. I can't believe you're the only one out of all these people, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie in CA Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 and always in demand. You can easily work at home. You will just need to network a bit and make connections to get clients. Taking classes is a good start but you will learn the practical day-to-day things on the job. I have a B.S. in accounting and got my CPA license many years ago. I worked for 5 years then stopped after I had babies so I'm "retired" from the field. When I was working we always hired extra help during tax season, the rest of the time is actually much slower at a CPA firm. The monthly bookkeeping clients are actually the bread and butter of a CPA firm so they guard those clients closely. A good way to get some accounts is to approach small businesses who don't necessarily need a full-time bookkeeper on site and see if you can go in a few hours a week. I have a friend who used this approach and has been able to work around 20 hours a week. You do not need a degree to work in the accounting field if you can get someone to train you. Laurie in CA dd(14) TOG and other stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 and always in demand. You can easily work at home. You will just need to network a bit and make connections to get clients. Taking classes is a good start but you will learn the practical day-to-day things on the job. I have a B.S. in accounting and got my CPA license many years ago. I worked for 5 years then stopped after I had babies so I'm "retired" from the field. When I was working we always hired extra help during tax season, the rest of the time is actually much slower at a CPA firm. The monthly bookkeeping clients are actually the bread and butter of a CPA firm so they guard those clients closely. A good way to get some accounts is to approach small businesses who don't necessarily need a full-time bookkeeper on site and see if you can go in a few hours a week. I have a friend who used this approach and has been able to work around 20 hours a week. You do not need a degree to work in the accounting field if you can get someone to train you. Laurie in CA dd(14) TOG and other stuff Jumping in here-If you do not need a degree, should you atleast take some classes? If so which ones would you recommend? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinMominTX Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I kept books for an area non-profit organization and a furniture manufacturing company. In addition to taking a good basic accounting class I would suggest taking classes in specific bookeeping software. The most popular is Peachtree and Quickbooks is also popular. Like most things, you need a good foundation before you can use the computer, but I cannot imagine a scenario in this day and age where you would be required to do the bookeeping on a computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I've always done the books for my dh's business. I think bookkeeping is one of the most flexible, well-paid things you can do without a ton of schoolwork beforehand. If you google "basic accounting", you can find alot of free information/tutorials/etc., which might give someone enough to get started or at least figure out if they want to pursue it. Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Jumping in here-If you do not need a degree, should you atleast take some classes? If so which ones would you recommend? Thanks! I'd recommend taking some accounting classes at a community college. CC classes tend to be more practical than university acctg courses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 What do you think? Is this type of work worth it? There are several accountants/bookkeepers in my own family who seem to be doing quite well. I'd like to hear some other people's experiences. I am a CPA. There is a severe shortage of CPA's, which has opened more opportunities and improved salaries for non-CPA accountants and bookkeepers. If you have a head for numbers, it's a great career with lots of flexibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie in CA Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Jumping in here-If you do not need a degree, should you atleast take some classes? If so which ones would you recommend? Thanks! Boy, I went to school so long ago that computers were located in a different building and we had someone keypunch the data to a remote location. Also, when I got out of school I didn't know how to run a 10-key adding machine. Like I said earlier, the practical day-to-day accounting was unknown to me. The best thing that happened to me was at my first job, they made me do the monthly bookkeeping accounts and many were hand posted into real general ledgers that weighed about 20 pounds. Sounds crazy but that was not taught at the university. They gradually had me doing taxes, then auditing. This was when there were very few women in the field and they really discriminated against women and didn't think we knew what to do. When I passed the CPA exam(in Montana) I was taken much more seriously. When I moved to California, my employer was most impressed with my bookkeeping experience. My fellow accountants were not able to do the simple bookkeeping work that I was forced to do at my first job. So my long answer to your question is classes plus experience will equal good opportunities. Again, a degree is only needed if you want the CPA title. Classes in accounting and computer application will be valuable but you will have to "pay your dues" first getting experience. My sister got good tax training working for H&R Block and now works for a CPA doing basically everything and she has no degree. I wish at least one of my 3 kids had some kind of interest/aptitude for accounting but I'm the lone ranger in my house. I think it is a great field and the opportunities are endless. Laurie in CA dd(14) TOG and other stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Thank you! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassicMom Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 I have a Business Admin and Psych degrees but worked as an accountant before kids. I have a network to the office, so am able to most of my work from home and go into the office two days a week to answer phone calls, file, and do any research that requires looking into files, etc. It's a great job. However, I don't really need my accounting background for it. I think any kind of bookkeeping background would be sufficient. Most companies work with Quickbooks or Peachtree accounting. Most community classes have classes for bookkeeping. There are always ads in the paper for bookkeeping. I think once you get your foot in the door and start working for them, the possibility for working at home becomes an option once they trust you (thats what I did). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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