How to Become a Bookkeeper

There are many professions that are not very well-known, yet are attracting a good demand in the job market. A career opportunity as a bookkeeper is one such job. There is a common misconception among people about careers as certified bookkeepers. It is generally believed that bookkeeping is a recently developed profession. However, this profession has been around for approximately 500 years, and was first practiced by a person named Luca Pacioli. Every company, be it big or small, is required to implement bookkeeping as a standard practice. As a result, the demand for certified bookkeepers is soaring significantly.

How to Become a Bookkeeper

Since the duties consist of handling financial matters of an organization, you need to be good at handling and keeping a record of money. You need to be good in subjects like economics and math in high school. In secondary school, you should prefer to do majors in subjects such as accounting, banking, finance, etc.

The knowledge gained from these subjects will serve as a base for becoming a bookkeeper in the future. It is also a good idea to become proficient in handling applications and software which are related to financial data management. There are many ways in which you can gain basic knowledge in this field. You can enroll for a vocational course in financial management and accounting, or go in for a full-time course at university.

You can also do a diploma or an associate degree in subjects such as business management, accounting, banking and finance, or similar ones. It is always better to do a reputed course that would make you eligible for job as a bookkeeper. After you have the right educational qualifications in your hand, you need to search for a job. Remember that for being certified, you need to have few years of experience.

In order to be eligible to sit for the certification exam, you need two years of experience. The certification is administered by the National Institute of Certified Bookkeepers, one of which is the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers. With passing the exam, you will be required to sign a code of conduct for being certified. It is better that you back your career with education and the necessary certifications. By taking some advanced courses, you can certainly add some credit to your educational qualifications.

Job Description
A majority of the responsibilities include assessing the financial details of an organization and suggesting proper financial management for the future. A standard task is to gather company data for the purpose of developing statistical reports involving sales, profits and losses, expenditures, and other financial aspects. A full-time bookkeeper can be asked to manage the accounting department and oversee the employee payroll process. Typically, the roles and responsibilities are not much different from those of accountants.

Keep in mind that being certified is not at all a mandatory requirement, but is beneficial for obtaining a higher salary range for job as a bookkeeper. If you are working as a freelance bookkeeper, the salary range would largely depend on the clients you deal with.