{"id":4367,"date":"2017-02-27T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2017-02-27T17:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/evergreensmallbusiness.com\/?p=4367"},"modified":"2017-02-27T09:52:36","modified_gmt":"2017-02-27T17:52:36","slug":"career-accounting-prepare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/evergreensmallbusiness.com\/career-accounting-prepare\/","title":{"rendered":"Career in Accounting: How to Prepare"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Picture<\/a>You can have a great career in accounting. And you can have tons of fun!\u00a0 But in order to really hit the deck running, you really want to be prepared. Here are a handful of ideas you might find useful\u2026<\/p>\n

Step 1: Get comfortable working with computers<\/h2>\n

Just about everything accountants do uses computers in some way. Our whole shtick is collecting and working with financial data. However, a lot of people in today\u2019s workforce don\u2019t know as much about computers as employers in a modern office environment expect them to. If you\u2019re a worker who\u2019s looking to transition to a new industry, or even just someone whose workplace has recently updated its IT tools, you might need to buff up your skill set in order to be successful in a career in accounting.<\/p>\n

If the idea of learning to work more with computers sounds overwhelming (to you or to a loved one), don\u2019t worry: there are plenty of resources out there to help you succeed. For example, here are a bunch of local (our CPA firm is in Redmond, WA) and online resources for learners at all levels:<\/p>\n

The Public Library<\/h3>\n

The Seattle Public Library offers free classes for adults<\/a> who want to learn to work with computers. These programs really do start from square one (learning how to turn on a computer, practice getting comfortable using a mouse and keyboard, etc.)<\/p>\n

Microsoft Digital Literacy Curriculum<\/h3>\n

Microsoft offers a free digital literacy program<\/a> on its website. Click the link to see what\u2019s covered. We think of this as a \u201cnext step\u201d after what the Seattle Public Library type of courses cover (since you need to know a little bit about web browsing in order to be able to use the online learning tools).<\/p>\n

Dummies Books<\/h3>\n

Steve\u2019s friend Dan Gookin started a whole series of computer books<\/a> that you\u2019ve maybe heard of. These are a great, super-economical resource on how to work with common business software such as Outlook and Microsoft Word. A number of book excerpts are free on the Dummies.com website, and if you want to buy a whole book<\/a> its usually less than $30.<\/p>\n

Your Local Community College<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re someone who benefits from having a teacher, we would highly recommend taking computer courses at your local community college or vocational college. The vocational school closest to our CPA firm offices is Lake Washington Institute of Technology, and they have a Business Technology program<\/a> that can teach you all of the major programs you\u2019ll be expected to know when working in a modern office (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.)<\/p>\n

For what it\u2019s worth, in Washington State a 15-credit quarter generally costs about $1,300<\/a>, but there are all sorts of ways to pay for college if you can\u2019t afford that out-of-pocket. If you\u2019re interested in attending a school, then you should always schedule a meeting with someone from the school\u2019s financial aid office<\/a> to figure out your options. You may qualify for tuition scholarships or low-interest rate loans<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Take a couple of accounting courses<\/h2>\n

A couple of good free resources on the Internet for learning accounting are Accounting Coach<\/a> and LearnAccountingForFree.com<\/a>. We particularly like that Learn Accounting for Free has engaging videos that you can pause, speed up, or slow down to match your learning style.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re someone who has difficulty staying focused and motivated in an online learning environment and you really benefit from having a teacher who knows you personally, your local community college or vocational college is sure to be a great resource to learn from.<\/p>\n

Once you take a few courses, you may decide that this is something you like enough to stick with and make your career. If so, you\u2019ll probably be interested in attaining an accounting-related credential to put on your resume. Two of the most common accounting-related credentials you\u2019ll see are Enrolled Agents (EAs) and Certified Public Accountants (CPAs).<\/p>\n