Manny: What is needed to prepare for the first Accounting course is an open mind - which you have - and a "can do" attitude - which you have - and a little bit of hard work - which you also have.
That's really it. There is nothing to fear. No real heavy-duty math. Just lots of talk about business and then "rules" on how to structure one's thinking about business. Almost like Business Law! Not quite - but the same skills you demonstrated in Business Law will hold you in good stead here.
The key is to get off to a fast start with the work, so that there is no falling behind. Read everything; do all the homework; and ask all the questions you can think of that help clear up any issues you might think of.
I hope to have the materials posted in the next 48 hours, including the course Syllabus and any commentary. This is a new text so I don't think I will have Teaching Notes ahead of time (if at all). Do get the text (Survey of Accouting, 4th ed., by Carl Warren) and start reading chapter one if you have the time.
See you in class!
Regards,
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Temise: Thank you for your comments. Good to hear from you, and glad to see that you see the value in knowing some Accounting. The "shame" of Accounting is that it really gets interesting when it is used in conjunction with running a business, and not just at the initial learning curve stage which is always steep to get through. I really wish the High School systems would include a basic "Bookkeeping 101" so that the language part - e.g., the debits and the credits - is already known when some one first then takes Financial Accounting. Then Financial Accounting can be viewed more from its impact on running a business. Sort of like it is hard to sit and read and enjoy a good novel in a foreign language when one is first learning the language.
Again, thank you for offering your comments. Regards,
Again, thank you for offering your comments. Regards,
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Making The Most of Your College Experience
We'rrr Back!!!
Welcome back to the world of Accounting, Accounting, and Accounting. Whether you are first considering whether to take Accounting as a major, or whether you are a graduating senior about to step out into the work place, Accounting continues to be the field that is hiring. All indications are that there can be a job for you!
What seems to the key factor is how you make use of your college experinence and have it work for you. One young lady is reported to have seemingly understood that, and put her time to maximum use. You need to do likewise. And it is never to late!
As was reported recently (by Geoff Roth, 2/25/10,2:31pm), Amanda had varied interests, with dancing as an expression of her creative side, and also an appreciation for rules-based thinking such as embedded in Accounting. She worked hard at both, and found the time to undertake internships in both areas while going to school and majoring in both fields. Each gave her the appreciation of the hard work involved in being successful in each field, including the long hours and time commitments that would be needed in any meaningful full-time position.
She also made full use of the college experience and its resources, getting involved in school organizations (perhaps her Accounting Association!) that gave her the experiences that she could then relate to others - perhaps those interviewing her - about the many aspects of her personality and character. This gave her the contacts and connections she would also need. Besides sending out her resume and cover letter, she attended many networking events where she met employees from the firms she had an interest in working for. She created her own business card and freely exchanged it with the potential employers, creating its own good impression. She always immediately followed up with emails to the employers she had met to have them keep her in mind.
She also worked with the school's career center and took advantage of its resources of recruiting and internship opportunities. These opportunities allowed her to network and to be interviewed many times and from such interviews she landed her first full-time job with a major accounting firm as a tax accountant.
Taken all together, this gave her confidence in herself. Potential employers saw that in her: not arrogance but a well-earned confidence, earned over many experiences and years while in college. Even when someone lands their first job, this approach will hold one true for all one's working career and future job changes.
So where are you in the process? At the beginning? Near graduation? Have you contacted the various State Societes of Accountants and CPAs? Have you joined the Student Division of each, and upon graduation, the New Member division of each? Have you considered attending the local county chapter of these societies nearest you, and attended some of their monthly meetings? Do you read the monthly journals and become acquainted with the major issues of the day, as well as the names of companies that advertise and perhaps what they specialize in? Did you ever read an article and have a question, and then reach out via the email address that the author usually provides, to start a discussion on a particular point, ask for advice, just say that it was a good article? Did you attend the February 9th presentation by the folks of Becker Professional Services, hosted here at Berkeley College by the Accounting Association, attended by about 30 students, at which many of these ideas were discussed, including what it takes to get certified as a CPA?
So the point of all this is, what are YOU doing about YOUR career? It will not just happen. It will not just happen upon your graduation. This is something that one works on all one's life, even beyond just the work years. TAKE CONTROL!!!
Let me hear from you. Let me know of some of the things that you are doing that are helping you further your aspirations. You only go through life once, and we were not "born with a silver spoon in our mouths." Meaning, the only thing we have is our time. How we invest it is up to each of us.
What are you doing with yours?!?!
Welcome back to the world of Accounting, Accounting, and Accounting. Whether you are first considering whether to take Accounting as a major, or whether you are a graduating senior about to step out into the work place, Accounting continues to be the field that is hiring. All indications are that there can be a job for you!
What seems to the key factor is how you make use of your college experinence and have it work for you. One young lady is reported to have seemingly understood that, and put her time to maximum use. You need to do likewise. And it is never to late!
As was reported recently (by Geoff Roth, 2/25/10,2:31pm), Amanda had varied interests, with dancing as an expression of her creative side, and also an appreciation for rules-based thinking such as embedded in Accounting. She worked hard at both, and found the time to undertake internships in both areas while going to school and majoring in both fields. Each gave her the appreciation of the hard work involved in being successful in each field, including the long hours and time commitments that would be needed in any meaningful full-time position.
She also made full use of the college experience and its resources, getting involved in school organizations (perhaps her Accounting Association!) that gave her the experiences that she could then relate to others - perhaps those interviewing her - about the many aspects of her personality and character. This gave her the contacts and connections she would also need. Besides sending out her resume and cover letter, she attended many networking events where she met employees from the firms she had an interest in working for. She created her own business card and freely exchanged it with the potential employers, creating its own good impression. She always immediately followed up with emails to the employers she had met to have them keep her in mind.
She also worked with the school's career center and took advantage of its resources of recruiting and internship opportunities. These opportunities allowed her to network and to be interviewed many times and from such interviews she landed her first full-time job with a major accounting firm as a tax accountant.
Taken all together, this gave her confidence in herself. Potential employers saw that in her: not arrogance but a well-earned confidence, earned over many experiences and years while in college. Even when someone lands their first job, this approach will hold one true for all one's working career and future job changes.
So where are you in the process? At the beginning? Near graduation? Have you contacted the various State Societes of Accountants and CPAs? Have you joined the Student Division of each, and upon graduation, the New Member division of each? Have you considered attending the local county chapter of these societies nearest you, and attended some of their monthly meetings? Do you read the monthly journals and become acquainted with the major issues of the day, as well as the names of companies that advertise and perhaps what they specialize in? Did you ever read an article and have a question, and then reach out via the email address that the author usually provides, to start a discussion on a particular point, ask for advice, just say that it was a good article? Did you attend the February 9th presentation by the folks of Becker Professional Services, hosted here at Berkeley College by the Accounting Association, attended by about 30 students, at which many of these ideas were discussed, including what it takes to get certified as a CPA?
So the point of all this is, what are YOU doing about YOUR career? It will not just happen. It will not just happen upon your graduation. This is something that one works on all one's life, even beyond just the work years. TAKE CONTROL!!!
Let me hear from you. Let me know of some of the things that you are doing that are helping you further your aspirations. You only go through life once, and we were not "born with a silver spoon in our mouths." Meaning, the only thing we have is our time. How we invest it is up to each of us.
What are you doing with yours?!?!
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