No, 30 is not too old to learn QuickBooks. It is useful to learn how to use QuickBooks accounting software at any age to track and manage your finances or to jumpstart a career in finance and accounting. Learning QuickBooks can be a useful way to get a handle on your finances as a small business owner or when working as a freelancer or independent contractor and it is also a key tool used by Bookkeepers, Accountants, Financial Managers, Financial Analysts, and Financial Advisors. Most people learn QuickBooks in two to four weeks, depending on one’s knowledge of accounting and determination to learn the course material. Enrolling in an instructor-led QuickBooks bootcamp or live training course can make learning QuickBooks easier and quicker.
Why Learn QuickBooks at 30?
There are several reasons why one might choose to learn QuickBooks at 30, including learning to manage one’s own business finances, upskilling for one’s current career, or transitioning into a new career. QuickBooks was originally developed for small and medium-sized businesses that lacked an accounting department. Even today, the majority of users are small business owners or those who work with them like Accountants and Financial Managers. Someone who runs a small business should learn QuickBooks as a way to view a comprehensive breakdown of their finances and perform actions like sending invoices, paying bills, and managing inventory and payroll. Moreso than other types of accounting software, QuickBooks also has industry-specific features so that those such as manufacturers, construction workers, retailers, and attorneys can use QuickBooks for their own business needs.
Many people learn QuickBooks to manage their own finances. Someone working as a freelancer or independent contractor will likely be learning QuickBooks to track and manage their own profitability, as QuickBooks will allow them to set financial goals in QuickBooks Solopreneur (formerly QuickBooks Self-Employed or SE). Self-employed individuals also use QuickBooks to create custom invoices, receive payments, keep track of their mileage, and prepare taxes. Both small business owners and those who are self-employed might be looking to learn QuickBooks as a method of money management and a way to grow their business’s profitability.
Others are looking to learn QuickBooks to upskill and take on new roles in their current job or to begin transitioning into a new career in finance or accounting. For someone who already has an accounting background, upskilling by learning QuickBooks should be relatively easy as they will be familiar with the concepts that underlie this software. Learning QuickBooks can also be the start of changing one’s career at or even after age 30. Someone who wants to work professionally in accounting or finance might start by learning QuickBooks before taking a full certificate program in accounting or bookkeeping and then pursuing official licensing to become an Accountant or Bookkeeper. Someone pursuing a career as a Financial Analyst, a Financial Manager, or a Financial Advisor might also start by learning QuickBooks before taking additional classes and certificate programs to learn financial analysis, financial modeling, Excel, and Business Intelligence software like Tableau or Microsoft Power BI.
How Long Will It Take to Learn QuickBooks?
How long it will take to learn QuickBooks depends upon your educational background, your determination to learn how to use the software, and how you want to use QuickBooks. In just a few hours, someone can become comfortable using the QuickBooks interface. For most people, it should take less than a month to become proficient in QuickBooks, though this will depend on one’s knowledge of double-entry bookkeeping or accounting. Those with no financial background can take longer to learn even the basics and might struggle to understand how to use the software. Mastering the more complex, advanced, and customizable features of the software will take additional time.
QuickBooks learners should expect that learning the basic features of QuickBooks will take around 10-20 hours of training and practice. This will include learning how to set up one’s company profile and Chart of Accounts, create and send customer invoices, record and track expenses, pay bills, receive payments, and perform bank reconciliations. For many, this will take two to four weeks, though determined learners can move at a quicker pace. If someone has no knowledge of accounting or bookkeeping, it will take longer to get started using QuickBooks and they should budget extra time to learn common accounting terms and principles along the way.
It can take additional weeks or even months to learn and master the intermediate and advanced features of QuickBooks. This further training will include learning how to use the more complex and customizable aspects of inventory management, payroll management, and financial reports as well as learning how to automate workflows and use QuickBooks to run one’s business more efficiently. Those learning QuickBooks should also expect that training on how to use the industry-specific features in QuickBooks will take additional time. How long it takes for you to learn QuickBooks will ultimately depend upon the speed at which you learn new skills. You can speed up the learning process by devoting more time to learning QuickBooks initially or enrolling in a bootcamp, a type of accelerated class designed to get you using QuickBooks quickly.
Ways to Make Learning QuickBooks Easier and Quicker
Enrolling in a live, instructor-led class is the best option for making it easier and quicker to learn QuickBooks. Live online and in-person QuickBooks classes will provide learners with structure and hands-on training based on one’s skill level. Many QuickBooks classes are beginner-friendly and some, like bootcamps, aim to provide students with comprehensive knowledge of how to use QuickBooks in a short amount of time. QuickBooks can be difficult to learn on one’s own without training and an instructor-led class will guide students through the steps of setting up an account, learning the basics, and starting to get a handle on complex, industry-specific, and customizable features.
The quickest way to learn QuickBooks is by enrolling in a comprehensive QuickBooks bootcamp. Bootcamps are accelerated classes that aim to teach students one specific topic or skill. They can be more career-oriented than other standalone classes and this makes them a great option for those wanting to use QuickBooks for their own business or to start training for a new career by learning QuickBooks. QuickBooks bootcamps are usually beginner-friendly and will not require any specific prerequisites for students to receive training. These bootcamps will often teach both basic and more advanced uses of this accounting software, so, for those who want to learn comprehensive QuickBooks skills in as little as one or two days, a bootcamp is your best bet.
In addition to bootcamps, one can learn QuickBooks by taking an introductory QuickBooks class. Instructor-led classes that are not bootcamps can be a useful option for those who are worried about following a bootcamp’s intensive schedule or who would prefer to learn QuickBooks over a slightly longer period. Professional training centers and community colleges offer live online and in-person QuickBooks classes that can be completed in a week or over a few months. These classes are more likely than an accelerated bootcamp to include training in accounting concepts, depending on whether they are geared towards accounting majors or not. Like enrolling in a bootcamp, these classes will provide students with detailed, up-to-date, and accurate guidance in learning QuickBooks and access to a live instructor means students can ask questions and receive individualized feedback on their skills.
What kind of QuickBooks training you choose can be dependent on your schedule. Having a full-time job, a busy schedule, or needing to attend to other commitments does not mean that you cannot take an instructor-led class. Many professional training centers offer part-time and full-time options as well as evening and weekend classes to make them more accessible for working professionals and other busy learners. Taking a full-time QuickBooks class will allow you to learn the material quicker than you would when taking a part-time class, but you should choose the training format that is best for your own needs. As long as you can put time and effort into learning QuickBooks consistently, you should be able to learn how to use this software in a few weeks.