Is A Bookkeeping Certification Worth It?

Bookkeeping is one of the easiest and high-paying jobs you can get into without having a very high educational qualification. 

Though people are getting into the job with high school diplomas and GED. But still, the real question remains, “is a bookkeeping certification worth it?”

Whether or not a bookkeeping certification is worth it, depends entirely on what your ultimate career goals are, and how much time and money you are willing to spend to add an additional skill and get into a particular field. 

Having said this, we will look into everything about bookkeeping and bookkeeping certification.

Is A Bookkeeping Certification Worth It?

Bookkeepers are individuals whose primary responsibility is to keep records of the company’s day-to-day financial transactions.

These financial transactions may include financial statements from banks (debits and credits), receipts, invoices, and running payrolls.

They also manage the organization’s general ledger and accounts which is part of the accounting process in a business.

They also take records of data which comprises the expenses and profit of the business by organizing them in a way that the accounts can turn into meaningful information.

With this, it showcases how important bookkeeping is to companies as it is a means of tracking financial information when necessary.

Bookkeepers work in a variety of different environments such as public and private companies and non-profit organizations.

Responsibilities Of A Bookkeeper

In order to become a bookkeeper, here are the responsibilities you must take: 

• Recording transactions.

• Managing sales invoices, receipts, and payments.

• Completing Vat return.

• Prepare invoices

• Checking company bank statements

• Reviewing and preparing cash flow statements

• Dealing with financial paperwork and filing.

Necessary Bookkeeper’s Skills 

A bookkeeper needs some essential skills and knowledge in order to work effectively.

Below are the essential skills that a bookkeeper must possess:

• Organization Skills

• Excellent Written and Oral Communication Skills

• Attention To Details

• Team Work Spirit

• Administration Skills

• Initiation and Decision Making Skills

• Adaptability

• Proficiency in Computer Operation

• Proficiency In Bookkeeping Software Packages (QuickBooks, Zero etc)

• Mathematics Skills

• Data Entry

Is A Bookkeeping Certification Worth It?

In answering this question solely depends on your education, skills and qualifications that you might have already acquired in bookkeeping

In a case where you are just starting out in this career with no background experience, there will be a need for you to acquire this certification. 

But, if you have already gotten the experience to a certain level probably through previous work experience, education, or skills. Then, it becomes irrelevant.

Acquiring a certification in bookkeeping acts as a bonus for people who are just starting off in this career.

Furthermore, if you take a great interest in numbers, payroll, and accounting while undergoing a degree in accounting, it might seem overwhelming for you. 

Then, a bookkeeping certification course can be helpful since it will help you understand the career better.

Completion of a bookkeeping certification usually takes a year but if you are so interested enough, you can proceed with a degree program.

With this, you can see that acquiring a bookkeeping certification is completely worth it even when you are changing to another employment opportunity.

Bookkeeper’s Educational Requirements 

People can apply for a bookkeeping job right after completing high school. 

So If you are one of those people, then you just need to show the subjects that you completed in High School. 

Moreover, it must contain General Mathematics, Accounting, English, and subjects that prove that you are educated and capable of taking the job. 

But there are times when a mere high school qualification wouldn’t be enough. 

Therefore, you have to take certificate courses that will boost your skill in a bookkeeping job and also give you an insight about the industry and enrich your resume. 

If you are a university student and especially a student of business and relevant subjects, then you can do a bookkeeping job as well. Since, you can do this job remotely or part-time.

Bookkeeping is suitable for university students. In this case, you will also need a certificate to enrich your knowledge and resume. 

But if you acquired a higher education and took business or accounting as your major, you will not require a certificate. 

These programs have courses that give students bookkeeping knowledge and skills. 

Additionally, if you have done an internship or apprenticeship in bookkeeping or accounting, then the hiring company is not likely to request for any kind of certification even though a bookkeeping certification is always a plus point for the job market competition. 

Read More: How Much Money Does A Daycare Owner Make?

Bookkeeping Certifications

There is one more important thing you must take into consideration when answering the question, ” Is A Bookkeeping Certification Worth It”. 

It is the quality of the course that you are going to take. 

The course content plays a huge role in deciding if the certificate is worthy or not.

A complete bookkeeping training course will help you get hands-on everything you need to be a bookkeeper. It must cover all kinds of bookkeeping-related topics. Like the role you have to play, how to keep books and manage accounts, and the skills you will need as a bookkeeper. 

Here are the things a complete bookkeeping certificate course must help you with: 

• Build your foundation on basic bookkeeping concepts, skills, and accounting measurement.

• Give you an understanding of the differences between bookkeeping and accounting.

• Teach how to work with different steps of the accounting cycle to create key financial statements.

• Help you with how to interpret and analyze financial statements to make key business decisions.

• Teach you the accounting equation and the basics of financial accounting.

• Know how a double-entry bookkeeping system works

• Teach best practices for recording financial transactions that are suitable for a different type of industry and company.

• Familiarize yourself with the most common types of transactions.

• Develop excellent asset and liability management skills.

Also, companies usually want to employ employees with the following certification

1. Level 2 Certificate in Bookkeeping

2. Level 2 Certificate in Accounting

3. Level 2 Certificate in Manual and Computerised Bookkeeping

You can also go for bookkeeping software-based courses since it will give you hands-on direction to handle the software and also the job. 

You can go for a certificate course like:

1. Quickbooks Online Bookkeeping 

2. Bookkeeping Systems

3. Xero Accounting and Bookkeeping

Salary Outlook

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the median salary for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in 2019 was $41,230. 

There is a 6% projected decline in the job outlook for these careers from 2019-2019. 

Pay rates depend on several factors, including work location, hours worked, education, and years of experience.

FAQs

Conclusion

Bookkeeping certification can be a great stepping stone in order to get into any career choice related to accounting or finances.

You can always start with one of the bookkeeping courses.

I hope this article satisfies your search intent.

Do well to share your thoughts using the comment section.