How to Become a Bookkeeper

Recently, we explained what you can do after completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, why accounting is a good degree, and what makes accounting so important for modern businesses.

Here, we’re going to cover how to launch a career as a bookkeeper, a common, but excellent job for accounting program graduates.

Bookkeepers play a critical accounting role, performing activities similar to accountants, like recording transactions, debits (costs), and credits (income) for the organization, as well as helping create financial statements and financial reports, but they are not accountants, per se.

In this post, we’ll explain why you should think about getting into bookkeeping, including what you would be asked to do as a professional bookkeeper, why you’ll want to get a degree before landing a job in the industry, and what you should think about doing to help improve your odds of launching a successful lifelong career in the field.

After you’ve learned everything you need to know about becoming a bookkeeper, fill out our information request form to receive additional details about our 100% online Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting.

If you’re ready to get started, submit your application today.

What’s the Difference Between Accountants and Bookkeepers?

Before we get into some of the topics outlined above, let’s first explain the differences between an accountant and a bookkeeper.

First, both financial professionals do similar things, and while accountants could be called bookkeepers, bookkeepers aren’t necessarily accountants.

This is because bookkeepers require a specific certification in order to call themselves accountants, which is a more senior-level role.

The biggest difference between bookkeepers and accountants is that bookkeeping is an administrative type role, recording transactions, including expenses and income, and essentially making a record of the organization’s expenses.

In this way, bookkeepers simply record the daily financial activities of an organization, whereas an accountant is tasked with not just recording financial activities, but also reviewing them, analyzing them, and providing reports, projections, and suggestions based on that analysis.

To make it easier to differentiate between the two roles, it may be helpful to think of the bookkeeper as the person responsible for answering questions like “what happened with our finances”, while the accountant might be responsible for more complex questions, like “what should we do about our finances?”.

Is Bookkeeping Really a Good Career Option?

Yes, this is an excellent career opportunity for anyone interested in finances and accounting.

There are three good reasons to think about becoming a bookkeeper, including:

1. Bookkeepers serve an important role for nearly every organization, as it’s virtually impossible for businesses to be successful without tracking the financial information that bookkeepers are responsible for monitoring.
2. Bookkeepers are relatively well paid, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting that Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks earned an average median annual salary of $42,410 per year as of May 2020.
3. Bookkeeping is one of the best possible professions for starting a career in accounting.

Bookkeeping is a great potential career opportunity for anyone interested in a career in finance, as it’s the perfect role for developing the real-world experience you’ll need to become a professional accountant.

If you enjoy working with financial data, you’ve got a good eye for detail, and you want to acquire the skills and abilities needed to become an accountant, then bookkeeping could be the perfect job for you.

What do Bookkeepers Actually Do?

Bookkeepers are responsible for overseeing an organization’s finances, but not directly managing them, and instead simply recording what is happening.

Typical tasks for bookkeepers include:

• Recording all financial transactions.
• Posting the organization’s debits and credits.
• Creating and sending out invoices.
• Managing an organization’s payroll.
• Maintaining and balancing an organization’s ledgers, accounts, and subsidiaries. 

Nearly every organization needs bookkeepers, as this is critical work required to understand what is happening with the organization’s finances, and it’s especially essential work for executives who need help analyzing and determining business strategy based on financial results.

If you want to play a critical role in helping organizations determine what’s going on with their finances, then bookkeeping may be an excellent fit.

What Skills & Abilities are Needed to Become a Successful Bookkeeper?

Bookkeeping certainly isn’t easy, as there are several important skills you will need to develop to be successful in this challenging industry.

According to E-Careers.com, here’s a list of some of the most important skills you’ll need to succeed as a bookkeeper: 

1. Solid Math Skills – Math skills are critical, as you’ll spend a great deal of your time recording or calculating financial figures, using addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and more complex math to determine exactly what your organization is spending, earning, etc. 
2. Excellent Organization Skills – Because bookkeeping requires managing large sets of information, you’ll need to be organized if you’re to keep your head above water. Coming up with a good system to remain organized will be critical to achieving success in this fast-paced industry.
3. Communications Skills – Calculating accurate financial figures won’t matter much if you aren’t able to share them with others, including your organization’s accountants and executive leadership team. You’ll need solid written and verbal communication skills to become an effective bookkeeper.
4. Attention to Detail – Because bookkeeping hinges on accuracy, you’ll need extreme attention to detail to succeed in this complex role. Basic and simple mistakes can lead to incredibly inaccurate numbers, so make sure that you’re truly interested in this type of work before attempting to break into the industry.
5. Discipline – Being the person responsible for calculating an organization’s finances could be draining, and tedious, so you’ll need a great deal of discipline to remain successful in the field.
6. Commitment – Bookkeeping is an excellent career opportunity for anyone who wants to become an accountant; remember that! As you’re working on your bookkeeping skills, remember that they could serve the greater picture by helping you gain an accounting role down the line. Be patient, and do a good job as a bookkeeper to increase the odds that you’ll be able to eventually become an accountant.
7. Computer Skills – Nearly all bookkeeping work in the modern economy will require computer skills, including extensive use of accounting systems, like Quickbooks or Sage, two of the most popular systems for modern bookkeepers. Learning to use these systems will be critical to your career success.
8. Problem-Solving Skills – Odds are high that you’ll run into issues and problems regularly as a bookkeeper. You may find data that doesn’t align with expectations, and you’ll need to be able to determine where things went wrong, so problem-solving skills might be paramount to your success.
9. Expertise in the Field – You may be able to balance your own budget and track your own expenses, but doing it at the corporate level is another beast altogether. If you’re serious about breaking into the industry, you’re going to need to develop knowledge of the field’s best practices, procedures, etc., to launch a successful career in bookkeeping and accounting.

Completing a B.S. Degree in Accounting will provide you with the skills you need to handle these complex tasks, while also proving to hiring managers that you’ve got the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to provide value to their organization from your first day on the job.

Do I Really Need a Degree to Become a Bookkeeper?

Not necessarily.

While your odds of getting a good job are likely to be higher after completing your degree, the BLS does mention that the typical education level required for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks is some college, but no degree.

As we mentioned earlier, however, we think it’ll be easier to get a good job as a bookkeeper if you choose to complete your degree program first, since this will improve your academic credentials and help enhance your resume.

Listing a B.S. in Accounting on your resume should help improve your marketability for relevant industry roles, making it easier to catch the eye of hiring managers and get a good job in the field.

Another reason to consider earning your accounting degree is that it is almost certainly going to be required before you can become an official accountant with any modern organization since the BLS reports that accountants and auditors do tend to need at least a bachelor’s degree.

How Will an Accounting Program Help Prepare me for a Career as a Bookkeeper?

Accounting programs aren’t all identical, so there could be some variance in what you’ll learn between different schools, but all of them are going to focus on developing some key financial skills that will help improve your odds of becoming a successful bookkeeper.

At CSU Global, our online Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting program focuses exclusively on training you to handle the most important responsibilities of accountants and bookkeepers, including tasks like:

• Preparing, analyzing, and confirming the accuracy of an organization’s or an individual’s financial records.
• Ensuring that taxes are paid properly and on time.
• Organizing and maintaining accurate and clear financial records.
• Identifying ways to increase value, reduce costs, and improve profits.

These are critical tasks for both accountants and bookkeepers, but this is just the basic foundation of what our program provides to students.

To ensure that our graduates are capable of providing sound, strategic financial advice, well also develop our students understanding of organizational management issues, covering topics like:

• Economics.
• Business intelligence.
• Finance.
• Leadership.
• Marketing.
• Qualitative decision-making.

Armed with this knowledge and the critical skills you need to succeed in the field, your degree from CSU Global will play an important role in helping launch or advance your career in bookkeeping and accounting.

What Else Can I Do to Increase My Chances of Success?

Completing a B.S. Degree in Accounting is the best way to prepare yourself for a successful career in this challenging field, but there are also other things you could consider doing in addition to finishing your degree.

First, if you’re looking to land a more senior-level position in leadership or management, then you might want to also consider completing an accredited, respected, graduate program, like CSU Global’s online Master’s Degree in Accounting.

This program will enhance your traditional accounting skills, while also helping to further refine your leadership skills, teamwork skills, planning skills, and communications skills, all of which would be useful for advancing your career.

Next, you may want to think about using your B.S. in Accounting as a stepping stone towards additional financial licenses and certifications, since our program provides you with a foundation that can help you prepare for industry certifications like:

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
• Certified Financial Analyst (CFA).
• Certified Management Accountant (CMA).
• Enrolled Agent (EA).
• Certified Financial Services Auditor (CFSA).
• Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).
• Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).
• Chartered Global Management Accountant.

The amount of time and level of effort that you put into developing your skills, abilities, and credentials could play a significant role in determining your success in this challenging, competitive industry.

But what’s clear is that completing a B.S. in Accounting from CSU Global is the most important step you can take towards launching a successful career as a bookkeeper, and eventually, as an accountant.

Should I Get My Degree Online? 

Yes, no matter what degrees or credentials you decide to pursue, we suggest earning them online instead of in-person.

Why? Because in-person and on-campus learning is simply less efficient than studying online, which offers far more flexibility and freedom.

In fact, should you choose to study online at CSU Global, you’ll get to take advantage of several excellent benefits that our program provides, including:

• No requirements to show up at set times or in physical locations.
• Monthly class starts.
• Accelerated courses.

These benefits could play a critical role in helping ensure that you graduate quickly and easily, especially if you’ve already got a busy schedule full of work and family responsibilities.

If you’re worried about being able to get to class on time or finding time to study and complete your schoolwork, then you should certainly consider studying online instead of on-campus as this will make it easier to fit everything into a busy schedule.

Why Should I Choose CSU Global’s Accounting Program?

Our 100% online Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting was designed to provide you with everything you need to launch a successful, lifelong career as a bookkeeper.

The program is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, ACBSP Accredited by the Council of Business Schools and Programs, and is endorsed by the Institute of Management Accountants. These prominent designations ensure that your degree will be respected by hiring managers looking for skilled bookkeepers.

Our program is also widely viewed as one of the best accounting programs available, as it’s been awarded several excellent rankings, including:

• A #2 ranking for Best Online Bachelor’s in Accounting Degrees by Great Business Schools.
• A #2 ranking for Best Online Accounting Degrees from College Choice.

90% of our program alumni report working in the field, earning an average annual salary of $67,310, and three of the top job titles being accountant, bookkeeper, and staff accountant.

CSU Global itself is also widely regarded as an industry leader in higher education, having recently achieved several important rankings, including:

• A Top 10 ranking for Best Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs and Top 7 ranking for Best Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans from U.S. News & World Report.
• A #3 ranking for Best Colleges in Colorado from Best Value Schools.

Finally, we provide affordable tuition rates, and a Tuition Guarantee to ensure that your rate won’t increase as long as you remain enrolled with us.

To get additional details about our fully-accredited online Degree in Accounting, please give us a call at (800) 462-7845, or fill out our Information Request Form.

Ready to get started today? Apply now!