It is easy to confuse the job of being a bookkeeper with that of an accountant – this is mainly due to the fact that bookkeepers are often referred to as accounting technicians or accounting clerks. Although these jobs can be very similar the job of a bookkeeper is normally more focused on keeping accurate and prompt record keeping of financial data which ranges from income, payments, sales, purchases and all the costs incurred in running a business. Where as an accountant will take all of this information and create a financial statement for the company or business which can be used for tax returns and also enable the company to see how it is performing. So although these two jobs are similar and intermixed they are quite different in a number of ways.

Accountants will normally be required to go to colleges for there qualifications but because the qualifications for a bookkeeper are not as high you can take accredited courses to become a bookkeeper and once you have passed the course you will get a certificate listing your qualifications. You will find that a bookkeeping course takes in quite similar tasks of a basic accounting degree which include processing accounts information and processing financial transactions. If you are good with numbers and have a good attention to detail then becoming a bookkeeper could be the career path for you. When deciding which bookkeeping course is suitable for you check out the accreditation and qualifications you will end up with as the better this is the more chance of landing a decent job, some of these courses can qualify for government aid to help you with the costs, but its best to check first.

As the name suggests Bookkeepers keep the records of transactions in books or ledgers and there are various ways which they can achieve this the first is by using a method called “The Double Entry” which uses a system of balancing the credits and debits of the company which is separated by two different ledgers within the books this system is quite complicated and time consuming but very safe and secure. The other method is the single entry system where the data is kept in a revenue and expense journal and uses accounts which consist of just income and expense which is much easier than the double entry method and less time is required keeping the records accurately. There can be lots of different books which are kept for accounting purposes and they all need compiling into the master books which will be used by the accountant to complete the company accounts.

Bookkeeping is not a simple or easy job and you cannot hurry it as this is when mistakes are made but if you are good with figures and have a good attention to detail then accounting maybe the job for you. Most companies and businesses will require a bookkeeper and large companies will have an accounts section where lots of bookkeepers are employed you can either work for a company or several small companies where they will hire you for a period of time each week for you to complete their bookkeeping. If you enjoy bookkeeping but want to further your career this could be a good stepping stone to becoming an accountant as well.

Have you ever thought of having a career change or have you yet to decide on a career, then why not give accountancy a go. Are you good with figures or have an interest in math then accountancy could be the answer. If you are not that good at math but have a talent for organization and an eye for detail then accountancy may not be out of the question. You  can still be an accountant if your math skills are not the best by either getting some private tuition or taking extra courses at colleges or evening classes. Being an accountant requires a good understanding of facts and figures along with the complicated processes needed in working on business accounts.

To become an accountant you will need to go to collage to get at least bachelors degree in accounting to be hired as and accountant by a firm. You should also enquire what qualifications are required in your state for you to become and accountant as each state has different rules. A good qualification to get is a CPA certificate this will help you to get an accountancy jobs when you have qualified.

Lots of small business accounts or firms do not employ an accountant but will have a freelance accountant who will look after accounts for small businesses. Lots of these companies have accountancy software which they use this helps them keep the accounting of the firms accounts to a minimum, so reducing the amount of work you will have to do for them. Freelance accountancy is a good way of getting started in the accountancy world most big firms will want experienced accountants in their accounts departments. A good way of getting experience is by starting off as a freelance accountant working for small businesses.

There are four main categories of accountant which are Industrial or managerial accounting where you work for a business either in an accounts department or if it is a small business then you will be responsible for the accounts. There are public accountants where you work for individuals such as small business owners, shops and firms with only a few employees or a single person. Then there are the Government accountants which can look after federal accounts, government accounts, cities accounts and accounts similar to this. Lastly you have the Internal auditor who can be employed by the government or a business to check that the accounts are properly being submitted and looked after. Within these main areas there are lots of sub-branches of accounting you could specialize in tax returns or corporate tax issues all depending on what you are interested in doing.

If you do not know much about accounting then a good way of finding out what is required of an accountant and the sort of work they do is to see if you can get a job with an accountancy firm or maybe go along to a firm and see if you can see what it is like. This may end up saving you a lot of money as if you do not like what you see or enjoy it you do not have to go and spend a lot of money on being an accountant to find its not the job for you.