QuickBooks bootcamps can be one of the fastest ways to learn how to use QuickBooks. Enrolling in a QuickBooks bootcamp is an advantageous option for those who want to learn basic and advanced features of QuickBooks by taking just one class. Bootcamps are often available with in-person and live online options meaning that one can receive reliable, comprehensive QuickBooks instruction by taking a bootcamp. As you decide whether to take a QuickBooks bootcamp, consider your own needs and how bootcamps compare and contrast to other QuickBooks training formats.
Why Learn QuickBooks in a Bootcamp?
A bootcamp is an accelerated class that covers information about one skill or one topic. QuickBooks bootcamps are often one-or-two days in length, depending on how much material they cover. For those who can commit to taking a short class and want to learn QuickBooks quickly, a bootcamp is a great option. Bootcamps should provide learners with the knowledge and experience to start managing their own finances through QuickBooks or start using the software as part of their career in accounting or finance.
Most QuickBooks bootcamps are beginner-friendly and aim to familiarize students with QuickBooks by teaching both commonly used features of the software and strategies for using more advanced and customized features in QuickBooks. This means that QuickBooks bootcamps aim to be more comprehensive than classes that divide QuickBooks training into introductory, intermediate, and advanced skills. Thus, one will often only need to take one QuickBooks bootcamp rather than multiple QuickBooks classes.
A QuickBooks bootcamp might not be the right style of class for someone with a busy, inflexible schedule. Bootcamps offered in person or live online need students to commit to taking a multi-hour class at least once or twice. For someone with a full-time job or other important life and work commitments, this can be difficult if not impossible. In this case, one can try looking for bootcamps with part-time, evening, or weekend options. There are also on-demand, self-paced bootcamps, though taking an on-demand class will remove the default quick pace of a live online or in-person bootcamp.
QuickBooks Bootcamps Compared to Other Training Formats
Bootcamps are not the only way to learn QuickBooks. As you decide whether or not to enroll in a QuickBooks bootcamp, it is important to keep in mind how a bootcamp compares to other common ways to learn QuickBooks.
Certificate Programs
Certificate programs are career-oriented courses of study that aim to teach students the knowledge and skills they will need to enter a specific profession after completion of the course. It is unlikely that one will find a full QuickBooks certificate program. Instead, QuickBooks will often be taught as part of a bookkeeping or accounting certificate program.
It will take longer to learn QuickBooks through a certificate program, mainly because it will not be the only skill that one will learn. Even though it will take longer, those interested in becoming a Bookkeeper or Accountant should consider certificate programs. QuickBooks is often taught in bookkeeping classes as licensed Bookkeepers in the US are required to have training in QuickBooks. Though CPAs are not required to know QuickBooks before receiving their certification, many Accountants will need to be familiar with QuickBooks, especially if one intends to work with individuals or small business owners.
College or University Degree Programs
There are no QuickBooks degree programs or majors. QuickBooks is also unlikely to be something one learns when earning a traditional four-year degree from a college or university. Most accounting bachelor's degrees will focus on teaching students how to manually complete the processes that QuickBooks is designed to automate, so it is understandable why these degree programs might not teach accounting software even if Accountants often find themselves needing to use it.
By contrast, community colleges and technical schools will often teach accounting software, including QuickBooks, as part of accounting degrees. Compared to a bootcamp, it will take longer to learn QuickBooks in these programs, and learning QuickBooks will not be the priority of the degree program. One can also find QuickBooks offered as a standalone class through a community college or as part of a continuing education program. These classes are useful for those who do not want to complete an entire degree, though they are also more likely to be offered only in person, at a higher cost, and take longer to complete when compared to a QuickBooks bootcamp.
Self-Paced Classes
Self-paced classes are often also called on-demand classes. In this mode of training, QuickBooks learners receive access to the course material and can move through it at their own speed. No instructor is leading the class and learners do not meet with other students. While on-demand classes often have no strict deadlines, many do still have skills practices and skills checks like quizzes and tests that one needs to pass to move on with the material.
Self-paced classes are often low-cost in comparison to in-person and live online bootcamps. Like online bootcamps, these too can also be taken from anywhere and are a great option for those who want to learn from home or who have busy schedules that would prevent them from regularly attending a live online or in-person QuickBooks class. Those intending to take a self-paced class do need to be self-motivated. Learners who can successfully prompt themselves to learn the course material on their own schedule can get through these classes quickly. However, because these classes lack an instructor, some learners find them challenging to complete and the lack of instructor-led guidance can cause someone to take longer than normal to learn QuickBooks from a self-paced class.
Free Resources
Free online resources are another useful way to learn the basics of QuickBooks. For many people, free resources are a great place to start learning QuickBooks or to supplement one’s education after they have been using QuickBooks for a while. Compared to a QuickBooks bootcamp, it will be more difficult to find quality free resources and more of a challenge to learn comprehensive or advanced QuickBooks features entirely from free materials. Additionally, it will often take learners much longer to teach themselves QuickBooks using free materials than it will be to enroll in a bootcamp.
Free resources are best for beginners and those wanting to learn QuickBooks basics. There are myriad free resources for QuickBooks learners, from video tutorials to eBooks to websites with step-by-step instructors and practice modules. Most QuickBooks learners find that the best free resources are YouTube tutorials. YouTube tutorials can provide walkthroughs of the software and overviews of its many functions. They can also help one learn QuickBooks fundamentals and learners can follow along with a video tutorial in real-time on their own software. Because these tutorials are directed broadly at QuickBooks users, it can be difficult to learn everything one needs to know to manage their own business’s finances from a video tutorial.
Another free resource that many learners turn to is on-demand classes through LinkedIn Learning. LinkedIn Learning is available for free through many local libraries in the US. They offer QuickBooks, bookkeeping, and accounting classes in a self-paced format. This training is best for those just starting with QuickBooks and who are self-motivated enough to complete a course of study without external motivating factors like an instructor, other students, or firm deadlines.
Learn QuickBooks Skills with Noble Desktop
Noble Desktop offers expert in-person and live online training for those interested in learning QuickBooks. Every Noble Desktop class comes with expert, hands-on guidance, small class sizes, and free retake options and many classes offer both part-time and full-time options so that one can find the QuickBooks or finance class that works best for their schedule. For fast and comprehensive training in QuickBooks, consider enrolling in Noble Deskop’s QuickBooks Bootcamp which teaches students everything they need to know about how to use QuickBooks to track and manage a business’s finances. This bootcamp uses interactive training to teach students the basics of QuickBooks like configuring a company profile, working with customer, vendor, and inventory lists, and invoicing and processing payments as well as the more advanced management and customization features. Noble Desktop offers this bootcamp live online from any location and it can be taken in person at Noble Desktop’s training facility in New York City.
Noble Desktop also has accounting classes and bootcamps which are a great option for anyone interested in developing their skills or learning more about finance and accounting. The Intro to Financial Accounting & Financial Statements class uses hands-on exercises to teach students the fundamentals of analyzing financial statements and reports. After completing this introductory class, students can progress to the Intermediate Financial Accounting class which teaches more complex topics like earnings per share and deferred taxes. For those who want a comprehensive, accelerated class that tackles both beginner and intermediate topics of accounting, consider the Financial Accounting Bootcamp which teaches everything students need to know in two class sessions.
Noble’s finance and accounting classes are great for those who want to grow their financial literacy beyond learning about QuickBooks. These classes are also useful for those interested in becoming a Bookkeeper or Accountant. If this is something that interests you, you can learn more about the career path of an Accountant by reading Noble Desktop’s comprehensive guide to accounting, a free resource that covers essential information about accounting and how to learn the skills necessary to make this one’s career. Learning principles of accounting or receiving QuickBooks training can be the first step on the path to becoming a Financial Manager or Financial Analyst. For those who want to work in finance, Noble Desktop’s guide to finance is a useful way to read about different career options and how to receive training for careers in finance.