Bookkeeping Course?

TheWoot

Hello
After a bit of advice. I have been looking into doing an online course in bookkeeping and wondered if i should do a manual or computerised course....or both. What is called for these days, i imagine everyone uses computerised systems including Sage packages but i just want to make sure before i decide and pay out. Also does anyone have any experience with particular course providers?
If you have any info it would be greatly received.
Many thanks
The Woot

fratty

Hi there!

IMHO the computerised one would probably be best - it depends what type of roles you want to use it in really.... If you want to use it in a general broad admin / accounts role then probably the computer version is best...

Having said that though, if you are looking to go into a pure accounts role then a more indepth course is probably best. These tend to start off with manual and then bring in the software side of things.

Hope that helps!
Fratty

WHA

I'd suggest doing a manual/paper based book-keeping course first. That way you'll learn all the fundamental basics and will have a much broader understanding of how all the ledgers/day books, etc fit together, not to mention learning all the tricks of the trade to find out why and where the ledgers or reconciliations don't balance.

If you limit yourself to something like Sage, you may well become a Sage expert, but that won't really help if you want a job at a firm with hand-written books, spreadsheets, or one of the many other popular accounting packages on the market. Learning a computer package just teaches you how to use that package - it doesn't tell you the logic of what is happening in the background.

Once you have learned manual book-keeping, you will find that learning any computerised package will be far quicker and you probably won't need a course at all - just a quick play around with the demo data should be fine and you'll be able to move from one computerised package to another far easier.

TheWoot

Thank you both very much!
The decision has been made with your help, will do basic manual course and then see how well i get on with it. Can then look at moving to computerised when i have grasped the basic concepts.
Will update you both.
Thanks again for taking the time to reply.
TheWoot

BexTech

Yes, wise choice, manual course first. This was they way I did it some years back, as I was then about to start my own business, although I have always worked in the computer industry since leaving education, it was felt learning the manual way would be more beneficial and then computerised as it is really just button pushing.

kazd

I have paid for an IAB course which starts at Level 2 and I have to say I am struggling. You are supposed to be able to do this course without no knowledge of accounting at all. I have balanced my own accounts on Microsoft money for years and pulled off reports. But this seems to throw you straight in at the deep end and trying to get your head around debits and credits is really difficult as they are the opposite to what we would normally expect.

Have just restarted the course tonight and am already struggling on the first practice session.