Accounting

People don't typically wake up one day and decide they want to become an accountant. Many people stumble upon it. Some have known an accountant and found it to be a fascinating profession. Some have a family member who is an accountant, and they just want to be able to understand what the person is saying when talking about the subject. Many get hooked after the first semester because they see how it can flow into their personal life and are fascinated with being able to plan their home budget like it is a business setting.

There will be new terms that you will need to get used to using, but the concept of accounting is very logical. It is not recommended to memorize how to do debits and credits for every transaction but rather understand the logic of how it works. It’s like learning a game of poker. Once you understand the rules of the game, you can play the game. In accounting, once you understand the logic of debits and credits and how numbers flow through the financial statements, you can figure out most problems by using logic and common sense.

Admittedly, there is a lot of mystique in the profession. The old days of Bob Cratchit (ala Ebenezer Scrooge) overloaded with ledger books has become a thing of the past. Today’s accountant is a vibrant individual who works with lots of different people, has a sense of humor, and likes to balance hard work with socializing. There is a wide spectrum of people in the profession now with varied backgrounds and skill sets.

There are a lot of accountants, accounting assistants, bookkeepers, and more with a variety of job titles and functions. The CPA will typically help you earn about 10% more than a non-certified accountant. It provides a wider range of career opportunities, but there are plenty of jobs where a CPA is desired qualification but is not required.

The Certificate of Completion (CCL) consists of 9 courses. There are the basic courses in financial and managerial accounting (ACC111, ACC112, ACC212), as well as courses in Quickbooks (ACC115), Payroll, Sales, and Property Tax (ACC105), and Personal Income Tax (ACC121). This is rounded out by taking Intro to Business (GBS151), Intro to Computer Systems (CIS105), and Excel Spreadsheets (CIS114DE).

The Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree builds on these courses and adds 12 to 15 additional courses that cover Business, English composition, Math, Communication, Economics, Business Law, Science, Humanities, Statistics, and Management.

The Associate in Business (ABUS) requires approximately 20 to 22 courses. It covers more business and a little less accounting. It is the pathway toward transferring to a four-year university and a bachelor’s degree in accountancy.

It really comes down to what you want to achieve. There are entry-level bookkeeping jobs that can be attained with just one semester of completing ACC111. An individual can become employed while continuing their education. With a certificate, you can work as a bookkeeper or accounting assistant. With the AAS degree, you can be promoted to a full charge bookkeeper, or even an Accountant I in some instances. You can pursue a bachelor’s degree and, subsequently, a CPA by take the ABUS pathway.

Yes, definitely. MCC offers several classes for people who wish to be in a daytime or evening classroom setting and there are online classes for those needing an off-campus option. Feel free to look at the class schedule and/or consult with an academic advisor.

ACC112 and ACC212 are the second and third classes for the basic accounting classes. The first class one should take is ACC111, which is a full semester course. After a student has a solid foundation in basic accounting knowledge, the next two classes are easier to grasp. ACC112 and ACC212 are half of a semester each and should be taken one in the first half of the semester and the other during the second half of the semester. The number of chapters can be balanced approximately one chapter per week, so it is in bite-sized proportions. The advantage is that you get two classes done very quickly so you can move forward in your academic pathway.

There is a very broad world of accounting, and it is as diverse as an individual’s personality. Accounting is not a one-size-fits-all. It may take time to find an area of accounting that fits your particular style, but there is something for everyone. This is not a comprehensive list, but it includes some of the jobs that accountants, bookkeepers, and accounting assistants may perform:

• Entering journal entries, and recording and adjusting entries
• Generating monthly reports for upper administration
• Counting down cash registers
• Monthly cash reconciliation
• Informational presentations to upper administration or a board of directors
• Working with mainframe financial systems, such as PeopleSoft or JD Edwards
• Working with Quickbooks in a small business office
• Payroll accounting
• Accounts Receivable
• Accounts Payable
• Inventory count audits
• Preparing tax returns for clients in a CPA firm
• Participating in month-end and year-end close
• Participating in new year budget planning
• Participating in strategic planning
• Tracking monthly expenditures
• Travel Reimbursement
• Miscellaneous financial consultations with clients, customers, and employees
• Internal audits of a company’s financial records
• Working as an external auditor for a CPA firm