Which Accounting Training Format Is Right for Me?

Accounting gives proper insight into a company’s financial health and is crucial to a company’s predictable cost planning and accurate measurement of economic performance. Employing accountants is necessary for every company. When comparing types of accounting training, there are many factors to consider. Everyone learns differently, and proper training is critical to an individual’s experience. Keep reading to learn more about the different formats of accounting training, how they compare, and how to determine which is best for you. 

Accounting involves recording financial transactions and storing and presenting the results in different reports or analyses. It provides proper insight into a company’s financial health. Different accounting types include financial, management, and tax accounting. Employing Accountants is necessary for every company. 

Experts Accountants are crucial to a company’s reliable decision-making, predictable cost planning, and accurate measurement of economic performance. In small businesses, accounting may be handled by a bookkeeper or an accountant, some of which work part-time for several companies. Larger companies may have entire finance departments. 

Learn more about accounting, why you should learn it, and possible careers through Noble’s comprehensive guide. 

What Can You Do with Accounting?

Accounting can be a challenging but enjoyable field of study. Individuals can use their skills to start a business or improve their lives outside work. Generally, accounting courses provide valuable knowledge on managing a budget and expenses effectively. 

By completing accounting courses, individuals learn a broad range of topics. Beginner-level accounting courses cover tax returns, financial statements, and computer applications like Microsoft Excel. Advanced courses may dive deeper into financial analysis and presentation, auditing, fraud examination, and international accounting. The more courses an individual completes, the more options the same individual has. Each course opens doors to different career paths. Possible roles for those who have taken some accounting classes include an auditing clerk or an accounting assistant. 

Students who complete full accounting degrees may take advantage of international opportunities. Individuals who wish to work abroad can easily find jobs overseas, as most accounting principles are not specific to one region. Good recommendations for career advancements and can be used as stepping-stones for other degrees. There are several opportunities to volunteer for large organizations, as they constantly need more Accountants. Individuals can even use their degrees to further their education towards other topics, such as law. 

Training Formats for Accounting

Different training formats depend on the type of instruction an individual is interested in. Those who enjoy interacting with instructors in real time may be interested in live online or in-person classes. Those who would rather learn at their own pace may be interested in self-paced asynchronous accounting classes. Free seminars, tutorials, guides, blog posts, and YouTube videos are available. 

In-Person Accounting Training

Noble Desktop offers high-quality in-person accounting classes. These classes are taught by experts in accounting and are available at the training center in New York City. Noble’s courses boast small class sizes with individualized attention and mentorship. In-person classes are a good option for individuals who enjoy training in a classroom setting with an instructor in front of them. Individuals must consider whether or not they can commit to driving to an in-person location. Those who enjoy interacting face-to-face with peers and their teacher will enjoy in-person training. 

Individuals can take Noble’s Financial Analyst Training Program in NYC. Through this course, individuals master Excel and financial accounting concepts. NYIM, Career Centers, and Training the Street also offer in-person courses in NYC, such as Intro to Financial Accounting and Financial Statement Analysis/Accounting. UCLA Extension provides courses in Los Angeles.

Live Online Accounting Training

Individuals who prefer to train from the comfort of their own homes or offices may want to enroll in virtual accounting classes. Live, instructor-led training is the best way to learn accounting, and there are several perks to virtual training. Classes are live online and allow for flexibility. Individuals can learn from anywhere as long as they meet course deadlines. With this flexibility, individuals can work on other priorities in their lives. Individuals also have the luxury of avoiding lengthy commutes and getting stuck in traffic. Those who enroll in online classes must consider some things. There is no face-to-face interaction, and individuals are responsible for establishing their routines and completing coursework while balancing other priorities. 

Most of Noble Desktop’s accounting classes have a live online option allowing students to attend courses from anywhere. Noble’s top courses, according to students, include Financial Analyst Training Program and Financial Modeling Bootcamp. The Financial Modeling Bootcamp teaches the fundamentals of finance, accounting, and corporate valuation. To enroll in this course, individuals must have Excel proficiency equivalent to Intermediate Excel for Business. Financial Analyst Training Program covers core excel skills and advanced Excel for financial modeling, accounting, and corporate finance and valuation. Prior knowledge of finance and accounting is helpful in this course. Other schools offering live online accounting training include NYIM Training, NYC Career Centers, City Lit, and The Knowledge Academy. 

Free Online Courses & Tutorials

Anyone looking for an overview of accounting can start learning for free online! Free, beginner-level courses are valuable for busy individuals to learn accounting basics. Noble Desktop offers a variety of free seminars on multiple topics. To get started with accounting, check out the accounting seminars on Youtube. Through these seminars, individuals gather a general idea of basic accounting concepts. 

Noble Desktop’s Youtube channel contains various free financial modeling videos, which combine accounting, finance, and business with learning how to determine a company’s future results. Individuals can view these free Youtube tutorials to learn about mergers and acquisitions, the LBO Model, Transaction Comps, Business Risk, and other topics. Focus on the most recent uploads to learn the most up-to-date information. Some free accounting videos include Financial Modeling: LBO Model-Step 1 and Financial Modeling: LBO Model-Step 2. 

Other providers around the country offer free online tutorial videos. Some of the more popular companies include Coursera and Udemy. Udemy offers shorter tutorials, like an Introduction to Management Accounting or an Overview of the Moving Average Crossover System in Accounting. They post some longer videos, like an Introduction to Financial Accounting. Coursera also offers an accessible Introduction to Financial Accounting course. 

Read about more free accounting videos and online tutorials.

Then find other non-Noble courses.

On-Demand Classes

Not everyone can participate in live online or in-person classes, so some learners may wish to explore self-paced or asynchronous accounting classes. Udemy–one company providing video tutorials–offers The Complete Introduction to Accounting and Finance and Accounting: From Beginner to Advanced. Skillshare offers Accounting Fundamentals: Understanding Financial Statements. Udemy is not the only company teaching asynchronous classes. Other providers, including LinkedIn Learning and Brainy Money, have courses for curious individuals.

Comparison of Accounting Training Formats

The three primary training methods to learn accounting include in-person, live online, and self-paced or on-demand. While all forms of training are beneficial, individuals should note that in-person and live online classes are the most interactive formats. Through in-person accounting classes, individuals can interact with instructors and peers and ask questions in the classroom in real-time. The same is true for live online classes, as individuals can interact in real-time but will interact virtually rather than in a classroom. 

Since in-person and live online classes are real-time, individuals receive immediate feedback and guidance while building their portfolios. Individuals also get the opportunity to interact with like-minded peers and gain knowledge through open discussions. Those who enroll in face-to-face classes receive additional bonuses, such as networking opportunities and computer labs with up-to-date software. 

On-demand learning is the most affordable and excellent way to learn the basics. It is crucial to understand that this method doesn’t offer the same benefits as live online instruction. This instruction may also be outdated, so individuals should watch recent videos and seminars. On-demand learning eliminates the chances of having a professor who may not be the best at explaining a particular process to students. Providers can consistently provide high-quality training, as they can record top instructors presenting the instruction. 

Is it Possible to Teach Yourself Accounting?

Some may wonder if they can teach themselves accounting. Individuals can learn some of the fundamental accounting concepts or start their journey by watching videos, following tutorials, and other methods. However, to grasp accounting, especially for those learning it for professional reasons, having an instructor who is an expert in the topic and can provide accurate information is essential. There are tons of accounting-related videos and tutorials, and it can be overwhelming to sift through them. Individuals may not know whether the videos they watch provide accurate information. 

It is important to recognize that accounting is a profession, and there are often specific credit requirements before taking an accounting exam. Therefore, no matter how much self-studying an individual does, they will only be allowed to take the exam with the necessary credits. 

Many individuals struggle to learn new concepts independently and work better when there are clear guidelines for what they need to accomplish. When no structure is involved, it often leads to too much freedom and insufficient motivation. To understand accounting at a deep level, students best learn from an expert. 

How to Decide the Best Way to Learn Accounting

Learning accounting is simple. There are multiple ways to learn accounting, including online and in-person options. Those who prefer to train in a classroom may want to enroll in in-person accounting courses, while those who would rather avoid traffic and train from home may want to enroll in virtual accounting courses. When deciding which type of instruction is best, individuals should consider what they intend to use accounting for once they learn this skill. 

Those new to accounting and interested in learning an overview of this topic may be interested in free, introductory-level classes. Many top educational providers, like Udemy, Coursera, and Noble Desktop, offer free online videos or seminars that provide an overview of accounting basics. These tutorials are free and can be watched anytime, from any location. Individuals can rewatch these tutorials as many times as they need to. 

Those wanting to develop a strong knowledge of accounting may want to enroll in a bootcamp, such as Noble Desktop’s Financial Modeling Bootcamp. This bootcamp can be taken live online or in NYC. Through bootcamps, individuals learn from skilled instructors and gain hands-on accounting training to grow within their current careers or plug a skill gap. Noble Desktop’s Financial Modeling Bootcamp teaches the fundamentals of finance, accounting, and corporate valuation. It is a great way to gain a more advanced skill set. 

Individuals wanting to master accounting for a new career or pivot to a new industry may be interested in enrolling in a certificate program. A certificate is a completion-based program through which students receive a certificate of completion at the time of graduation. Noble’s Data Science Certificate teaches individuals to analyze data with Python and query databases with SQL. Learning Python helps individuals to transform into efficient Accountants. This course is perfect for those who need a mentor, as six 1-on-1 mentoring sessions are included. Students can take it live online or on campus in NYC.

Learn Accounting with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Individuals can learn accounting through finance classes with hands-on training at Noble Desktop. Finance courses boast small class sizes, expert instructors, and free retakes. Noble’s Financial Analyst Training Program teaches excel and critical financial and corporate finance options. Individuals gain basic and intermediate skills in Excel while learning to build a comprehensive valuation model for a public company. Critical concepts taught include advanced Excel for financial modeling and accounting, corporate finance, and valuation. 

Noble also offers Intro to Financial Accounting, through which individuals master the fundamentals of financial accounting and begin taking the next steps in accounting or finance. Enrollees see real-life examples and go through real 10-K’s to better understand how accounting concepts apply to large companies such as Facebook, Amazon, and Apple.