How to Learn Accounting Quickly

Learn accounting quickly with self-paced study.

Knowledge of accounting can help propel your career. Accounting represents one of the most important aspects of any business, entailing much more than credits and debits. Business managers use accounting reports to record sales and expenses, to notice sales trends that might require an adjustment to the business plan, to plan and prepare for future growth, and to establish the value of a business as well as calculate its capital. You can learn accounting quickly and several courses come free of charge.

Instructions

1. Study the seven lessons at the Bean Counter Accounting and Bookkeeping Tutorial website if you are a complete novice and need to learn basic accounting terminology. This free course explains single- and double-entry bookkeeping, the accounting equation, debits and credits, ledgers, journals and financial statements. You will find accounting quizzes (also free) there to test your knowledge.

2. Study the 31 free lessons on the Accounting Coach website. The lessons begin with accounting basics and advance into more complicated topics, such as stockholders equity, future value of a single amount, break-even point and improving profits.

3. Learn managerial accounting, in addition to financial accounting, at the Simple Studies website. Their tutorials cover such topics as accounting cost behavior, how to account for land improvements and how to prepare a balance sheet in addition to the basic accounting concepts.

4. Buy an accounting book geared for self-study if you prefer to study offline. Two such books are "Accounting the Easy Way", 3rd Ed; Peter J. Eisen; 1995 and "The Accounting Game: Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand"; Judith Orloff and Darrell Mullis; 2008. Both books contain exercises to practice the concepts.

5. Take an online accounting course at a college or university. You will have the benefit of a tutor to help you with difficult concepts yet still be able to study at a rapid pace. Research any potential school to verify that their accounting program is accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation means that the school has met or exceeded standards set by the U.S. Department of Education.

References

• Bean Counter: Bookkeeping Tutorial
• Accounting Coach: Accounting Tutorials
• Simple Studies: Accounting Tutorials

Resources

• Bean Counter: Tests
• U.S. Dept. of Education: Accreditation Database
• "Accounting the Easy Way", 3rd Ed; Peter J. Eisen; 1995
• "The Accounting Game: Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand"; Judith Orloff and Darrell Mullis; 2008