Best QuickBooks Classes Chicago, IL: Find Courses & Onsite Training

Learn More About Chicago QuickBooks Courses

In the beginning (and 1983 truly was the beginning for the personal computer), a firm named Intuit came up with the then-brilliant idea to create software that would enable individuals to keep track of their finances on their new computers. Thus was Quicken born. The next logical step was to create software that could manage the finances of small businesses, and that logical path led to the development of QuickBooks, which hit the market in 1992 with a splash that hasn’t subsided since. Despite a large number of available alternatives, QuickBooks remains the market leader, holding an enormous market share estimated at 85% of all small businesses in the United States. The software’s reach extends beyond even that, however, thanks to the international versions of the software that Intuit makes available.

QuickBooks can take care of all essential bookkeeping duties, including payroll, inventory, and accounts, both payable and receivable. In a way, it’s an accountant in computer form, although most QuickBooks users do employ CPAs to keep an eye on the books and make sure that they’re fully accurate at the end of quarters or years.

The software is available only by subscription (the prices are substantial) from Intuit, which still makes QuickBooks. The software comes in two completely distinct versions: QuickBooks Desktop, which keeps all your data on your own office computer, and a cloud version that offers the convenience of being able to access your company’s financial information anywhere. The prevailing winds seem to be in favor of the online version, although Intuit has assured users that QuickBooks Desktop won’t be phased out. You should be aware from the start that the two versions of QuickBooks are substantially different, and that learning to use one is not going to teach you how to use the other. You should thus do some research to determine which version will be of more use to you.

Given the popularity of the software, there are plenty of reasons for learning how to use it. Bookkeeping is a well-paid profession with consistent demand, and, given that huge market share, QuickBooks is a definite stepping stone to a career in managing small companies’ finances. Or, if yours is a very small enterprise and you’re still at the phase where you can (or have to) handle accounting duties, you’d also do well to learn to use QuickBooks. A bonus is that you’ll be able to understand what your bookkeeper is doing when it comes time to hire someone to fill that role. Finally, although CPAs don’t need to use QuickBooks themselves, they will no doubt have clients who use the software, and thus will also have to know how to make heads or tails of the software.

Are There Prerequisites to Learning QuickBooks?

You’ll find that there are many classes in beginning QuickBooks, and, indeed, you can tackle learning the software with a minimum of outside knowledge. Some QuickBooks classes begin by teaching the fundamentals of business accounting, but some don’t, and have that knowledge as a prerequisite for the QuickBooks course. You’ll also find that Accounting 101 classes are plentiful and don’t take long to bring you up to speed. Thus, if terms like double-entry bookkeeping make your eyes glaze over, you probably do need an introductory accountancy class. It’ll make learning QuickBooks that much easier.

Is It Difficult to Learn QuickBooks?

In two words, yes and no. QuickBooks Desktop is a reasonably user-friendly program, and its basics can be learned without too much difficulty or frustration. The cloud version, on the other hand, has a steeper learning curve and is generally acknowledged to be less intuitive (pace the name of the manufacturer) than the desktop version. The software has its own ways of doing things, and you’ll have to get used to those if you’re going to be able to use it. Mastering QuickBooks will require more than one introductory class, and many schools offer classes at beginner and intermediate/advanced levels. It certainly can be done, and with a combination of formal instruction and real-world experience using the software, you can become an in-demand expert Bookkeeping professional.

What Will You Learn in a QuickBooks Course?

Most beginner QuickBooks classes begin at the very beginning, covering how to install the software and set up your business. (Your class will probably use data from a fictitious business; this will be your working example during the course.) A key component of the software is the Chart of Accounts, which organizes customer, vendor, and payroll files. You’ll learn to set that up early in your class, along with the various lists essential to the software’s functionality. You’ll likely then learn to work with customers and forms such as invoices and receipts. Keeping track of vendors and accounts payable usually follows, after which you’ll learn about connecting QuickBooks to your bank so that you always know how much money is available. Beginning classes generally cover sales tax and the creation of reports such as balance sheets. (Note that the desktop version offers significantly more reporting capabilities than the cloud-based version.) Some beginner classes also include payroll, although this is often reserved for advanced classes, along with topics such as inventory, job costing and estimates, and working with your CPA.

Chicago Industries That Use QuickBooks

Software with an 85% market share clearly isn’t limited to any single industry. Most of the Windy City’s small- and medium-sized businesses (QuickBooks can accommodate a 150-person payroll) use QuickBooks, and that includes just about everything—from the corner dry cleaners and sushi restaurants to sizable businesses with warehouses, large employee counts, and numerous customers and vendors. These can include companies involved in manufacturing, retail, services, or high-tech sectors that produce software or hardware. Bookkeeping is the great equalizer in the business world: no matter what your business does, you need to keep financial records. That means using a software solution like QuickBooks—unless you have a passion for doing things manually and prefer to keep handwritten ledgers while wearing an accountant’s green eyeshade. As a result, bookkeepers can work with a wide range of clients, adding variety and interest to what some might otherwise consider a routine profession.

QuickBooks Jobs & Salaries in Chicago

The Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) groups Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks into a single category. It also groups Chicago, Naperville, and Elgin as one region for statistical reporting. According to its May 2022 figures, approximately 46,000 people are employed in these fields in the area, out of about 4.5 million total workers. Salaries for individuals in the Bookkeeper category typically range from $50,000 to $55,000, which, admittedly, is lower than the approximately $66,000 mean annual wage for all Windy City workers. However, this compares well with the average salary for Office and Administrative Support Occupations, which is around $48,000 per year. It also exceeds the national average for the same sector, which is approximately $47,000. Although they typically have more education (including four-year accounting degrees), Accountants also use QuickBooks and earn salaries primarily in the $85,000 to $90,000 range—close to the national mean for the profession.

Best QuickBooks Classes & Schools in Chicago

Computer Training Source: QuickBooks Online I

Computer Training Source is a Chicago-area school that has been teaching students to use workplace-essential software programs since 1991. Its introductory QuickBooks class lasts one day and, using data from a fictitious company, teaches students the software’s basics, from start-up through (but not including) payroll. Students learn to set up the software, create an invoice, manage sales and expenses, and arrange to do their mock company’s banking with a mock bank. The class also teaches how to create basic reports, manage sales tax, and print checks. Computer Training Source offers a parallel QuickBooks Desktop Part I class that teaches students how to use the stand-alone version of the software. Follow-up advanced classes are available for both versions. Classes take place at CTS’s Schaumburg location. (From there, grabbing Mexican or Italian for lunch is a short drive, and you can unwind after your day’s labors at Finn McCool’s Irish Sports Pub, just a few blocks from the office park in which the school is located.)

Tuition for either beginner class is $425, due upfront. The classes are also available simultaneously online for those who’d rather spare themselves the trip out to Schaumburg (and miss out on Finn McCool’s).

Discovery Center: QuickBooks (Online)

This is an online class in QuickBooks Online from Chicago’s eclectic school for adult education, Discovery Center, where you can learn everything from how to be a notary to how to play bridge to how to read tarot cards. Lasting only two-and-a-half hours, the class is obviously not going to provide in-depth knowledge, but it will teach you how to set up the software, process basic transactions, and even create reports. Although you won’t learn everything you need to run your business, the class is a good way to get your feet wet with the software, see whether QuickBooks is right for you, and point you in the right direction. The online modality and the evening schedule—6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Chicago time—make the class extremely convenient.

The price of the class is $75, due upon registration. An additional $15 materials fee is charged at the beginning of the class.

Best Live Online QuickBooks Classes & Schools

Noble Desktop: QuickBooks Bootcamp

Noble Desktop has been teaching IT topics for over 30 years and offers a two-day introduction to Intuit’s bookkeeping software that covers the online version. Offered online (or live in-person in Midtown Manhattan if you prefer the Amtrak commute), the class takes you from the basics of running the software to advanced topics such as inventory management, handling credit card accounts, customizing reports, job costing, and entering payroll. The class meets on two consecutive days from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Central Time).

The price for the 12 hours of live online learning is $499. Noble Desktop includes a free retake option valid for one year. The school also provides access to class recordings so you can review the material after the session.

ONLC Training Centers: QuickBooks Desktop Introduction

One of the largest IT training providers in the country, ONLC offers a two-day introduction to QuickBooks Desktop available to anyone with internet access. (If you live in Ashgabat, you’ll need to find another option—although, ironically, the Turkmenistani Manat is a currency that QuickBooks supports.) The course syllabus begins with launching the software and continues with setting up a company and its Chart of Accounts, creating lists, handling inventory, invoicing, processing payments, managing bank accounts, paying bills, and using the built-in EasyStep Interview to establish a company. The class runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time on two consecutive days. A follow-up advanced class and self-paced versions of both courses are also available.

The class costs $695. Although it is a beginner-level course, the curriculum assumes some prior knowledge of basic accounting concepts. For students who need a primer, the school offers a self-paced course—Introduction to Business Accounting, Bookkeeping & Payroll—for $495, which will prepare you for the live online QuickBooks class.

Digital Workshop Center: QuickBooks Online Beginners

Located in Fort Collins, Colorado, the Digital Workshop Center trains both traditional and non-traditional students in digital technologies essential for today’s job market. Its QuickBooks Online Beginners class meets for three afternoon sessions over eight days, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time. Topics include company setup, Chart of Accounts, inventory, recording transactions, paying bills, and writing and printing checks. A second course, QuickBooks Online Advanced, is also available, along with additional courses in bookkeeping and payroll that make up the school’s QuickBooks Bookkeeper Certificate Program.

All courses are priced at $1,406. Payment plans may be available. A free retake option is included. Although not a formal prerequisite, the school recommends that students have some familiarity with accounting vocabulary before enrolling in the QuickBooks course.

Corporate and On-site QuickBooks Training

Are you in the market for corporate on-site QuickBooks training? Noble Desktop can provide a customized class or classes to help increase your employees’ skill level with the accounting software. The entire curriculum can be tailored to suit your company’s needs and can be delivered either live, in-person or via a teleconferencing platform such as Zoom. You also have the option of purchasing multiple seats at a discount for one or more of Noble’s regularly scheduled classes. Please contact Noble Desktop with any inquiries you may have.

Kelsey Kissner

Kelsey Kissner is a writer for Noble Desktop. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Ohio State University, a master’s degree in creative writing from London Metropolitan University, and a certification in UX Writing and Content Strategy from the UX Content Collective. Collectively, she has 15 years of experience in publishing and marketing spanning across a variety of industries, including education, fashion and retail, and the nonprofit sector. While working in the publishing industry, she managed the books and materials for construction, architecture, hospitality management, and various trades like HVAC, electrical, and plumbing. Kelsey's writing at Noble Desktop also covers a variety of professional training programs and career fields.

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Key Insights

Learn More About Chicago QuickBooks Courses

Are There Prerequisites to Learning QuickBooks?

Is It Difficult to Learn QuickBooks?

What Will You Learn in a QuickBooks Course?

Chicago Industries That Use QuickBooks

QuickBooks Jobs & Salaries in Chicago

Best QuickBooks Classes & Schools in Chicago

Computer Training Source: QuickBooks Online I

Discovery Center: QuickBooks (Online)

Best Live Online QuickBooks Classes & Schools

Noble Desktop: QuickBooks Bootcamp

ONLC Training Centers: QuickBooks Desktop Introduction

Digital Workshop Center: QuickBooks Online Beginners

Corporate and On-site QuickBooks Training

Chicago QuickBooks Corporate & Onsite Training Noble Desktop

QuickBooks Training Locations in or Near Chicago

Chicago Careers & Salaries Related to QuickBooks

Chicago QuickBooks
Corporate & Onsite Training