Accounting & Bookkeeping & Small Business Forum

[VERA979]

I have 8 years experience in Banking (Operations and Mortgage) I have a degree in business and have taken 5 accounting courses in college but I have never worked in accounting and therefore have no accounting experience. However my banking experience I believe can be relevant in my job search. How do I apply for accounting positions? Should I start with bookkeeping or Accounting assistant/ trainee? Where do I look for those kinds of jobs? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[stasia2003]

VERA979 wrote: I have 8 years experience in Banking (Operations and Mortgage) I have a degree in business and have taken 5 accounting courses in college but I have never worked in accounting and therefore have no accounting experience. However my banking experience I believe can be relevant in my job search. How do I apply for accounting positions? Should I start with bookkeeping or Accounting assistant/ trainee? Where do I look for those kinds of jobs? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

To be honest, you're most likely gonna have to start out as an accounting clerk. Depending where you live, the starting salary is not good. I'm talking $10-$12 per hour. I live in the Orlando area and that's the going rate for a person who doesn't have any experience. Even people who have experience still ended up getting paid that. When I graduated from college with my accounting degree and a couple of years experience, I ended up with that pay. I said screw that and I ended up starting my own business. I'm an independent person anyway and I don't exactly play well with others. I like my own space and it's hard to be creative and help people if you're working for someone else.

Now, I'm getting ready to pursue my CPA certification so it's been a great ride.

[dp1903]

Okay, 5 accounting courses. Is that two semesters in basic accounting with a lab, two semesters Intermediate, and perhaps one semester tax?

You may be able to start out as a bookkeeper, perhaps full charge if you know the full accounting cycle. A CPA office might be ideal. With your experience I'm thinking doing accounting for a bank would be a good fit since you have experience with mortgages.

I'd also recommend getting some schooling in tax and start a continuing education program for yourself in accounting and tax, either self study or college that lasts forever, no kidding.

Here's one source for jobs, click on job seeker:

http://www.accounting.com/

[stasia2003]

dp1903 wrote: Okay, 5 accounting courses. Is that two semesters in basic accounting with a lab, two semesters Intermediate, and perhaps one semester tax?

You may be able to start out as a bookkeeper, perhaps full charge if you know the full accounting cycle. A CPA office might be ideal. With your experience I'm thinking doing accounting for a bank would be a good fit since you have experience with mortgages.

I'd also recommend getting some schooling in tax and start a continuing education program for yourself in accounting and tax, either self study or college that lasts forever, no kidding.

Here's one source for jobs, click on job seeker:

http://www.accounting.com/

If she can start off as a bookkeeper, then she would be considered lucky. I had a bachelor's degree in accounting with accounting experience under my belt and I couldn't get a bookkeeper position even though I tried. They kept telling me I wasn't experienced enough. I had done full cycle AP and AR and they still said no. Remember, I live in the Orlando area so that was sad.

But anyway, like I said, I refused to work for someone else like a slave.

[dp1903]

It's different in Texas where I live. In early 1976 I came out of the Army after two years. I had graduated college in 1973 with a BBA degree in accounting. Within 2 months I got a job as a junior accountant working as an assistant to the controller of a small publicly held oil and gas drilling company in the city where I lived. But, the pay wasn't that great.

There aren't that many private accounting and bookkeeping jobs available here, but Dallas/Ft. Worth area has a lot of them and they pay $4 or more an hour above where I live. The pay is still not great where I live. Bookkeepers earn anywhere from $8.50/hour up to around $12 to $13 an hour. Some accounting positions start out at $12 or $13 an hour. Maybe with minimum wage going up to $7.25 next year the pay will go up a little. A couple of years ago, while I was working for Jackson Hewitt during tax season, I talked with a woman who was a bookeepper for a company here in town. She was making $8.50 an hour and didn't have an accounting degree. Most bookkeeping jobs here don't require an accounting degree, just some accounting from college (some don't require that if you've have bookkeeping experience) and sometimes a year or two experience.

Stasia, you could probably find a job for a CPA firm here. They look for folks who are young with accounting degrees with the intention they eventually get their CPA certificate. But the hours are usually long no matter where you work.

[RobJ]

dp1903 wrote: You may be able to start out as a bookkeeper, perhaps full charge if you know the full accounting cycle. A CPA office might be ideal. With your experience I'm thinking doing accounting for a bank would be a good fit since you have experience with mortgages.

I wholeheartedly agree. Your local CPA offices are a great place to start (especially if you're looking for advice on how to break into the field in your area). If you pursue accounting in a bank, try a small local bank or a credit union to start. You don't have to be a genius to do bookkeeping or accounting, but you've got to have an eye for detail and know where to go to get the answer. I've hired bookkeepers and I'm less concerned with book knowledge and more concerned with organizational skills, the ability to add and subtract, and to use a computer.

That's my 2¢,

Rob

[stasia2003]

dp1903 wrote: It's different in Texas where I live. In early 1976 I came out of the Army after two years. I had graduated college in 1973 with a BBA degree in accounting. Within 2 months I got a job as a junior accountant working as an assistant to the controller of a small publicly held oil and gas drilling company in the city where I lived. But, the pay wasn't that great.

There aren't that many private accounting and bookkeeping jobs available here, but Dallas/Ft. Worth area has a lot of them and they pay $4 or more an hour above where I live. The pay is still not great where I live. Bookkeepers earn anywhere from $8.50/hour up to around $12 to $13 an hour. Some accounting positions start out at $12 or $13 an hour. Maybe with minimum wage going up to $7.25 next year the pay will go up a little. A couple of years ago, while I was working for Jackson Hewitt during tax season, I talked with a woman who was a bookeepper for a company here in town. She was making $8.50 an hour and didn't have an accounting degree. Most bookkeeping jobs here don't require an accounting degree, just some accounting from college (some don't require that if you've have bookkeeping experience) and sometimes a year or two experience.

Stasia, you could probably find a job for a CPA firm here. They look for folks who are young with accounting degrees with the intention they eventually get their CPA certificate. But the hours are usually long no matter where you work.

I thought about trying to get work with a CPA firm here but I have to go back to school and finish up my 150 credit hour educational requirement. I don't want to work for anyone else. If anything after I get my CPA, I may see if I can intern with a firm just to get an idea of how it's done. Then I will take that knowledge and use it in my own business.

But for the time being, I'm enjoying working for myself and can't imagine doing anything else.

[stasia2003]

VERA979 wrote: I have 8 years experience in Banking (Operations and Mortgage) I have a degree in business and have taken 5 accounting courses in college but I have never worked in accounting and therefore have no accounting experience. However my banking experience I believe can be relevant in my job search. How do I apply for accounting positions? Should I start with bookkeeping or Accounting assistant/ trainee? Where do I look for those kinds of jobs? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Oh yeah Vera. I forgot to tell you that I too have mortgage experience. I was a mortgage broker for over 2 years and I'm still a Realtor, although non-practicing. I hated the mortgage business because it was so cutthroat and people were getting loans they couldn't afford. I'm such an honest person with ethics and I couldn't do it anymore. So God led me back to my first love and that's accounting.

So like I said, things may be different where you're located but it's kind of bad in Orlando, especially when this is such a popular place.

[Accountant101010]

does anyone know where i can find some good accounting articles?

david