How Do I Become a Bookkeeper?

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Becoming a bookkeeper is a journey that starts with a desire to work with numbers on a daily basis. Many careers in the financial industry require lengthy college attendance and costly certifications. Bookkeeping positions require neither. Instead, becoming a bookkeeper is something that can happen rather quickly and without a lot of higher education time or expense.

Bookkeepers are the grunts of the financial world. Becoming a bookkeeper is more about learning specific on-the-job skills than it is about spending years in a higher education institution gaining a degree. Bookkeepers spend most of their time working under the direct supervision of accountants or finance managers and must be able to take direction while learning from their knowledgeable bosses.

Salary

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary expectation for bookkeepers and accounting/auditing clerks should be around $35,170 per year. For a job that doesn’t require a degree or extensive years of experience, that’s not a bad number.

Skills Needed

Bookkeepers must be math oriented with a willingness to learn and an appetite to advance. Familiarity with computers and relevant software is necessary along with a sharp attention to detail and the ability to work long, hard hours to ensure accuracy at crucial times. Of course, due to the nature of the job, candidates have to be honest, trustworthy, and must possess a high level of integrity.

Job Duties

To become a bookkeeper, a candidate has to be able to effectively complete tasks like entering financial transactions into the right software application, receipt and documentation of cash, checks and vouchers, report writing, and monetary data reconciliation.

Bookkeepers are not supervisors and generally the position is one where an accountant or other manager watches over the tasks completed closely. However, that doesn’t mean bookkeepers are without responsibilities. A quality, experienced bookkeeper can take quite a bit of the daily chore burden from a company accountant and effectively make the difference between a well oiled accounting office and one that continuously struggles to stay ahead.

On the Job Experience

The best way to start down the career path to becoming a bookkeeper is to find an employer willing to take a chance on a promising employee. Once hired, it is important to pay close attention to the lessons taught by an accountant or financial manager. Listen, learn, and absorb any and all pieces of information possible and put in 100% effort towards learning the craft of effective bookkeeping.

Once enough experience is gained, employers will start to trust a bookkeeper with more complex financial tasks and a pay raise usually occurs. This is definitely a field where proving capabilities is the best way to advance.

For those wishing to pursue a financial career without the stress and cost of a four-year college degree, it is definitely a good idea to consider starting out as a bookkeeper. After a little experience in the field, should a bookkeeper decide to bite the bullet and pursue a full-fledged accounting or finance career, then the experience and knowledge obtained as a bookkeeper will be invaluable on the journey.