Learning Accounting and Bookkeeping Basics

Bookkeeping Training and Accounting Training are Different

Bookkeepers have always held vital positions within the companies they work for. They verify and balance receipts, post debits and credits, and record transactions. Some Bookkeepers have offices in their own homes and make extra money in addition to their regular salary. Newspaper ads regularly appear for payroll clerks, accounts receivable and payable clerks, and Bookkeepers for large and small companies.

Bookkeeping is the language of business, and no matter what your occupation, it is important to learn accounting and learn bookkeeping. To understand what type of training is necessary to become proficient at bookkeeping, consider the differences in accounting and bookkeeping courses.

What will you learn in an Accounting Training program?

Accounting training is instruction in setting up a financial tracking system, monitoring the data-entry process for financial transactions, and the interpretation of financial statements for management. Although the accounting process is the same in theory, it's much different in practice when applying it to small and large companies. For instance, the accountant in a large company is most often a financial analyst, reviewing the results of operations, interpreting the results, and presenting information to management.

Small businesses, on the other hand, need someone that can set up a system that will fit their needs, then ensure the data is entered correctly, and finally consult on ideas and strategies that will improve the bottom line.

The problem with many accounting courses

Most accounting training programs and accounting courses, cater to the large business in developing their curriculum. The primary objective of the degree programs is to teach auditing, management and public reporting or financial results. Little of the training is concerned with proper set up of the accounting records. Furthermore, day-to-day processes have been all but eliminated from the four year and six year curriculums. The emphasis has become analysis of the end product.

This has created an opportunity for Universal Accounting Center℠ to fill that need for small businesses. Curriculum at Universal emphasizes the setup of the accounting system to fit the business needs, monitoring of the actual data entry process, and final interpretive consulting to the business owner. Universal demonstrates throughout the course material how to perform each task and allows the student to experience it him or her self.

Bookkeeping training is different

Bookkeeping is the daily process of recording financial transactions of a business. It includes the maintenance of Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, and Payroll accounts and working with specialty journals. As nearly 90% of all businesses have fewer than 20 employees, there is a good chance that the accountant will also be performing the bookkeeping role for a company.
Although not as technically taxing, bookkeeping still requires knowledge of debits and credits, proper distribution of accounts, and how to research problems. Bookkeeping training must be hands-on to ensure that the student understands not only the purpose of what is being done, but how to do it.

The Universal bookkeeping courses are perfect for learning the entire process. Students get focused small business bookkeeping training and will complete the entire sets of books for nine different businesses, in different industries.
Courses are available at their US accounting training campuses, or through distance-learning. The training consists of four modules on 16 DVD's. Each of the accounting courses and bookkeeping courses provides the student with specific experience in various phases of the accounting cycle. The accounting courses were created in an actual class environment with students and instructor.

Universal has found this media format to be an improvement over online accounting courses by permitting the student to view the class as many times and at whatever time is most convenient and needed. A person can view the course from wherever he or she will be, without the need for an Internet hookup.

Accounting and Bookkeeping Tutorial

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