Ten Reasons To Chose Bookkeeping As Your Career
Copyright © 2006 Bookkeeping R Us
Are you just out of school or haven’t graduated yet and don’t know what direction to take in life? Are you new to the job market perhaps because you have been busy raising a family? Or perhaps you are just looking for a new challenge. A bookkeeping career can be your answer. I have listed below my top ten reasons why you might want to give bookkeeping a try.
1. Bookkeeping is one of the oldest professions (we all know what the oldest one is) and as a result brings respect to all who choose this as their career.
2. Because bookkeeping functions are needed by all companies in every country in the world, the world is your job market.
3. Also because all companies will need your services, you have an unlimited choice of industries to chose from.
4. Bookkeeping functions can be broken into specialities, for example you might want to specialize in Accounts Payable, or perhaps Payroll. Or
you might want to consider being a full charge bookkeeper in which case you would have a knowledge of all functions including General
Ledger.
5. If you are interested in temporary positions, bookkeepers are high on the list of needed candidates. Temporary positions offer many
benefits. They give you experience when you are early on in your career. They give prospective employers an opportunity to see your work
and many times these employers are offering you a position in their company at the end of your assignment. They also give you the
opportunity to check out a prospective employer or industry prior to becoming hired. And if flexibility is your goal than there is no better
way to go. And a lot of temporary agencies are offering benefits now.
6. But you ask how do I get to be a bookkeeper? There are many choices depending on your circumstances. Of course the best way is to educate
yourself. An associate degree (2 years) in a local college is the degree you would be aiming for. However, even how you obtain that degree
can bring choices. For example you might choose to take the standard road of going to school full time. You might choose to work and get
your degree through continued education courses. You might take a course from an online college or a through the mail course. Of course
while earning your degree in these ways be sure to take advantage of all opportunities available for you to work in areas that will give you
some practical experience. School not in your immediate future - look for a clerk or data entry job in an accounting department. This will
give you a look at what bookkeepers do and often companies offer educational reimbursement to their employees. All said and done there are
many ways to get started.
7. Speaking of practical experience, almost all of us have had experience in our personal lives that relate to this career. There are not many
careers you can say that about. We have all have to pay bills, manage money and reconcile our checking account. The only difference
between these everyday personal tasks and performing as a bookkeeper in a business environment is knowing the rules and regulations.
8. The most common comment I hear is “but I am not very good at math”. Don’t worry, you have a calculator and/or computer to do the
math. Bookkeeping is all about where we put the numbers and when. Of course there is some math -we are talking numbers
here. But it seldom gets more complicated than addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and even then the machines do all the work.
9. Once you have been hired by a company and they have learned to put their trust in you, most employers are very hesitant to replace you.
After all you are doing one of the key functions a company needs to exist and be profitable. Do a good job and you will be trusted, respected
and earn your company’s gratitude.
10. Once you have some experience behind you, you might want to think about opening your own business. Setting up a bookkeeping service
does not involve a large investment. If you have a computer with bookkeeping software (check out Quickbooks) you are more than half
way. I will be writing an article soon on how to go about this.
Oh, and one more thing - bookkeeping can be fun. Okay now you think I have lost my mind. But do you like to solve puzzles, figure out mysteries? If these activities are right up your alley than you have the making of a great bookkeeper.
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