Is a bookkeeping certificate worth it?

Part of the difficulty that recruiters face in hiring employees is that they can’t really be sure that the skills someone learned at their last job will actually transfer to the role they’re hoping to fill. This can be especially difficult in the world of accounting, where companies use a number of different software and systems for tracking expenses, creating financial reports and filing tax returns.

Certifying your skills as an accountant, or in any other field, eases the mind of recruiters and sets applicants up for success when seeking a job. A recent survey by Microsoft Certifications found that 91% of hiring managers consider certification as part of their hiring criteria. And 64% of IT hiring managers rate certifications as having extremely high value in validating the skills and expertise of job candidates.

But getting certified isn’t just about impressing employers. In fact, 91% of certified professionals say certification has given them increased confidence to do their jobs, per the 2021 Pearson Vue Value of Certification survey, and 74% of the certified pros surveyed say they have greater work autonomy and independence.

So, is a bookkeeping certificate worth it? The answer is pretty emphatically, YES. For more confidence in your job, and to impress the 94% of decision-makers worldwide who say that certified team members provide added value, (again, per Microsoft Certifications) consider certifying your skills with an independent program.

How to get certified?

Universal Accounting Center provides the perfect solution for professionals seeking certifications to strengthen and verify their arsenal of workplace skills. The Job Placement Assistance Program, offered through short video instruction, teaches you how to leverage your talents and resources (like resumes, cover letters, networking, and interviews) to make your career a success as you choose to define it.

In the program, Universal Accounting President Roger Knecht uses his expertise from sitting on both sides of the interviewing table to give you confidence in seeking better employment. Knecht will help you identify your career goals, learn powerful techniques for making a first impression, and show you the power of planning with his Vision Board Training. There’s also actionable advice for how to navigate job interviews and how to negotiate compensation with employers to ensure you get paid what you’re worth.

Sign up for the course today at this link.

Certifying your bookkeeping skills

OK, now that we’ve discussed the general skills you can learn from the Job Placement Assistance Program, let’s look at specific certifications in the accounting industry. These certifications are useless if you can’t talk about them when you land interviews, so don’t miss out on the tips at the above link.

There are a number of certifications you can get as an accountant but a great place to start is with Universal Accounting’s Professional Bookkeeper system. All of Universal Accounting’s certification courses are self-paced and taught online. You can watch the videos again and again and complete exercises on your own schedule. In this course, you will learn the language of accounting and its basic concepts with the Color Accounting program. Then, you’ll dive into how to process payroll for a business, create financial reports, and how to apply what you learn to specific industries. After between 4 to 6 weeks of instruction, you’ll be ready to take the test and become certified as a Professional Bookkeeper.

QuickBooks, Tax prep and beyond

Becoming certified as a Professional Bookkeeper will make the day-to-day tasks you complete as a bookkeeper feel like second nature. It’s a great way to stand out to recruiters, but the course also teaches you how to market and price your services if you decide you want to run an accounting firm of your own one day. Every Universal Accounting student is assigned an academic coach to walk them through complex concepts when they’re stuck. It’s not just instruction with Universal. You’ll have support from coaches and a network of other students at every step along the way.

Another great resume builder is to become certified as a QuickBooks Specialist with Universal’s QuickBooks Online Bootcamp. This course teaches you the ins and outs of the most popular accounting software in the world. With such a powerful tool, it’s best to learn the essentials from a Top 10 ProAdvisor so that you get set up properly, from the beginning! And who puts the “fun” in fundamentals more than QBO Rockstar Alicia Katz Pollock?

Alicia has designed this QBO Bootcamp course to be approachable and absorbable so you gain a solid understanding of how QuickBooks software works. With easy-to-follow step-by-step guidance, Alicia will cover everything you need to quickly get up and running.

Tax planning and preparation are invaluable skills to small business owners and large accounting firms, so what better way to certify your value to an employer than earning the Professional Tax Preparer designation with Universal Accounting Center? Just like the Professional Bookkeeper course, this training empowers what you can offer to recruiters, but also sets you up to start a firm of your own, if you choose to someday.

How to get started

So, one last time, let’s answer this definitively: is a bookkeeping certificate worth it? We’ve seen that recruiters highly value certifications when considering employment candidates. Surveys show that being certified gives professionals confidence in their skills. And with powerful, easy-to-manage, and supportive programs like Universal Accounting Center ready to provide those training, how can the answer be anything other than YES?

To get started on the path to certifying your skills, call 877-801-8080. Or, set a time when it’s convenient for you HERE.

Connor Sanders

See Full Bio