Accounting Classes Houston, TX

Accounting is the process of keeping detailed financial records and analyzing those records to get a better understanding of the finances of an individual or business. It is an important part of having a business because it helps with decision-making and planning for the future. Some Accountants have their own businesses, others work for accounting companies, and some work for a specific company.

There are different types of Accounting, including tax Accounting, financial Accounting, cost Accounting, and managerial Accounting. Another type of Accounting specialization is that of Certified Public Accountant (CPA). In a Forbes Advisor article, the author explains the difference between a CPA and a regular Accountant. He says, “An Accountant is a professional with a bachelor’s degree who provides financial advice, tax planning, and bookkeeping services….. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is a type of professional Accountant with more training and experience than a typical Accountant. Aspiring CPAs are expected to have a bachelor’s degree, more than two years of public Accounting work experience, pass all four parts of the CPA exam, and meet additional state-specific qualifications if required.”

Are There Prerequisites to Learning Accounting?

Most beginner-level Accounting classes don’t have prerequisites; instead, you’ll learn the skills that you need as you progress through the class. However, if you are planning to learn Accounting, certain knowledge and skills can be helpful. Accounting involves math, and if you don’t know how to do math, then you may find the learning process a lot more difficult. It also involves working with financial data, so it is beneficial to have an understanding of basic business and financial concepts. Also beneficial are strong written and verbal communication skills, because as an Accountant, you’ll need to create reports and communicate financial data to others. Finally, good time management skills can be helpful, since Accountants often have to meet deadlines.

Is It Difficult to Learn Accounting?

Many people find it challenging to learn Accounting. Mastering this subject requires an understanding of many different financial concepts and skills, and Accountants often say that they felt overwhelmed when they started out. If you’re thinking about learning Accounting, you should also be aware of the fact that this profession requires lifelong learning because technology and laws change often and you’ll need to update your knowledge accordingly. Despite the challenges, though, many people find Accounting to be a rewarding career. With dedication and practice, almost anyone can master Accounting. One way to make the learning process easier is to enroll in a paid Accounting class. With a paid class, you’ll get guidance from an expert and will be able to get answers to your questions whenever you need them.

What Will You Learn in an Accounting Course?

Most Accounting classes cover a broad range of financial and business topics. You’re likely to learn how to record and analyze financial data, and how to work with Income Statements, Balance Sheets, and Cash Flow Statements. Classes are also likely to cover tax returns, using computer applications like Microsoft Excel, and financial concepts like depreciation and amortization. More advanced classes might cover topics like fraud examination and international accounting.

Best Accounting Classes & Schools in Houston

Lone Star College, which is a community college with several different campuses, offers a course called Accounting Certificate Level I, which is a one-year program with 20 credits. Students take Introduction to Accounting I, Intro to Computerized Accounting, Business Computer Applications, Business Principles, and either Principles of Management or Learning Framework: 1st Year Experience. They also take Human Relations and Federal Income Tax: Individual. The class is designed to prepare students for an entry-level Accounting position. Tuition at Lone Star College is $103 per credit for in-district residents, $231 for out-of-district Texas residents, and $290 for out-of-state students.

The University of Houston has a bookkeeping course focused on QuickBooks. Professional Bookkeeping with QuickBooks Online is a six-month course that costs $2,375. Students learn bookkeeping and Accounting principles. They learn to set up a company in QuickBooks Online, perform bookkeeping tasks, apply basic Accounting principles, and perform analysis of accounts and reports. Students also get a prepaid voucher to sit for the QuickBooks Certified User Exam.

Austin Community College Continuing Education also offers Accounting classes. The Accounting and Bookkeeping course has a total of 76 hours of instruction and includes two courses: Accounting and Computerized Accounting (QuickBooks). Students who take this course learn about the accounting cycle, including analyzing, classifying, and recording business transactions, entering information manually or using QuickBooks, and preparing tax forms and financial statements. Students can attend in-person in Austin, or online.

Best Live Online Accounting Classes & Schools

Established in 2006, the Digital Workshop Center offers job skills and professional development classes in a live online format. Bookkeeping Fundamentals is intended to give students a strong bookkeeping foundation. Instructors cover the entire bookkeeping workflow including creating accounts, entering debits and credits, and preparing statements. Upon completion of the course, students should have gained a wide range of bookkeeping skills including analyzing common business transactions, classifying accounts, entering debits and credits, recording transactions in the journal and posting to the ledger, and preparing financial statements. Tuition for this course is $1,406, and there are three class sessions. Students should have basic digital literacy. Access to QuickBooks and some experience with Accounting vocabulary are also helpful.

The Digital Workshop Center also offers a class focused on payroll. Payroll Fundamentals has three sessions and costs $1,406. It runs in an accelerated, bootcamp style. Students also receive mentoring and support. They learn about best practices of fair labor and documenting employee status, business entity types and special payroll types, and comprehensive payroll activity. They also learn to differentiate between pre-tax and post-tax deductions, record and remit voluntary withholdings, and calculate employee federal and state taxes.

Another place to learn Accounting in a live online format is Noble Desktop, a New York City-based school that was founded in 1990. In Intro to Financial Accounting, students examine the financial statements of Apple, Amazon, and other large companies to get a better understanding of Accounting. This is a one-day class and costs $325. Students learn financial Accounting fundamentals such as generally accepted accounting principles and cash vs. accrual accounting. They also learn about Income Statements, Balance Sheets, and Cash Flow Statements.

Noble Desktop also offers Intermediate Financial Accounting, another one-day class that costs $325. In this class, students learn more complex Accounting skills like income statement footnotes, revenue recognition, interest expense, capitalized interest, and stock-based compensation. They also learn to handle unusual items and deal with deferred taxes. Other skills covered in this course include earnings per share, discontinued operations, intercompany investments, and navigating equity method investments.

Students who are interested in learning cost Accounting will find a course offered through the American Management Association, a nonprofit educational organization that promotes management. Fundamentals of Cost Accounting teaches students how to value inventory and the cost of goods sold. Instructors cover a range of cost Accounting topics such as absorption costing techniques, process costing, job costing procedures, direct costing techniques, cost-volume-profit analysis, and costing techniques for future production decisions. There are three sessions in this class and the cost is $2,595.

The American Management Association also runs a class called How to Speak Accounting. This class only takes one day to complete, and costs $279. It covers a wide range of fundamental Accounting concepts, and students also learn about the Accounting process. Specific topics include the accounting equation and its components, how various business transactions affect financial statements, and accrual basis Accounting. Instructors also cover Income Statements, profit and loss statements, Balance Sheets, Cash Flow Statements, and Statements of Retained Earnings.

Computer Training Source, Inc. Is based in Chicago, but also offers live online courses, including several different QuickBooks options. There are classes for both online and desktop versions of this program. QuickBooks Desktop Part I covers many different QuickBooks skills including invoicing, receiving payments, making deposits, printing checks, entering credit card charges, and reconciling your accounts. Students also learn to customize and filter reports.

Houston Industries That Use Accounting

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, with a regional GDP of $490 billion, and ranks third among all U.S. cities for having the most Fortune 500 company headquarters. It has many different opportunities in Accounting. According to the Greater Houston Partnership, it is the seventh-largest metro economy in the country and is one of the best places in the United States to do business. The organization explains, “Houston is pro-growth, with low costs and low regulations, and with no corporate or personal income tax at the state level, companies operating in Houston enjoy one of the lowest overall tax burdens in the country.” Major financial companies in Houston include JP Morgan Chase & Co., Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley.

Accounting Jobs & Salaries

Learning Accounting can lead to a variety of different jobs. One of the most basic is bookkeeping, which is focused on keeping financial records. Accountants keep records too, but they also go a step further, analyzing and reporting on that information. Some Accountants choose to focus on a specific type of Accounting. For instance, a Financial Accountant is someone who works with financial transactions related to business operations. Another popular Accounting job is the role of Certified Public Accountant (CPA). In order to become a CPA, you need to meet strict educational and testing requirements. In Houston, a Bookkeeper can expect to earn $38,000 to $59,000, according to Glassdoor, a website that provides salary estimates for a wide range of jobs. Glassdoor finds that the average salary for an Accountant is $55,000 to $86,000, and $73,000 to $117,000 for a Financial Accountant. It is $83,000 to $147,000 for a CPA.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a federal agency that tracks U.S. labor market statistics, predicts that over the next ten years, Accounting jobs will grow by about 4 percent in the United States. Overall, it says, “Globalization, a growing economy, and a complex tax and regulatory environment are expected to continue leading to the strong demand for Accountants and auditors.” It finds that Houston is one of the ten top-paying metropolitan areas in the United States for Accountants, with an annual mean wage of about $94,000.

The agency also provides information for Financial Managers and Budget Analysts, who also use Accounting. Over the next ten years, Financial Managers are expected to see 16 percent job growth, which is much faster than average. The BLS says, “Services provided by financial managers such as planning, directing, and coordinating investments, are likely to stay in-demand as the economy grows. In addition, several specialties within financial management, particularly cash management and risk management, are expected to be in high demand over the decade.” Job growth for Budget Analysts is predicted to be about 3 percent. The median pay for Financial Managers in Houston is $176,000, according to the BLS. For Budget Analysts, it is $92,000. The BLS also includes Houston on its list of the ten metropolitan areas with the highest level of employment for Financial Managers–with more than 14,000 people employed–and Budget Analysts, with more than 800 people employed. The agency reports that almost a quarter of Budget Analysts work for the federal government. Many are also employed in education, and for state and local governments.

Corporate and On-site Accounting Training

Having employees who are trained in Accounting can be beneficial, no matter what type of company you run. You can find corporate and on-site Accounting training programs offered through Noble Desktop, with flexible options to meet any schedule. Content can be customized to meet your specific needs. Virtual training sessions are conducted through Zoom or another teleconferencing platform. You can also choose to purchase vouchers for Noble’s regular group classes so that employees can enroll individually. There is a discount with the purchase of multiple vouchers. Email Noble Desktop for more information about corporate training options.