<p>This is husband, a CPA who has worked in financial field for many years. There are several different aspects of “accounting” which I will outline below:
Bookkeeping/keeping the numbers straight and balanced: This requires the ability to keep thoughts straight and figure out puzzles. From my point of view not too hard, but many people with accounting degrees and even CPAs can struggle with this if they have to figure out on their own.
How do you set up and run an accounting system (total of people, procedures, and computer systems) which works reliably and efficiently. Not different from any operations management type questions/skills.
How do you obtain and deliver useful information that helps drive the decisions the organization has to make? How do you become business partner/advisor to the business driver. Often called Management Accounting.
Financial/Tax/Regulatory accounting. How to keep track, make sense of, apply, and know what you can stretch and what you can’t in often ill defined, illogical, and sometimes idiotic rules that apply from time to time in different industries and fields. Requires a combination of business judgement and legal type judgement, as these are essentially laws about what the reports must say.</p>
<p>Read over the thread, “Everything you should know or wanted to know about accounting.” As noted in that thread, the difficulty of accounding is discussed. In essence, the math isn’t too tough. What makes it tough is that it is like law school. Folks have to digest reams of information and rules and be able to apply these rules to solving problems.</p>
<p>I have found that some people take to it easily and some do poorly no matter how hard they struggle with it.</p>
<p>If you know basic algebra, you’ll be fine, mathwise. </p>
<p>Accounting, in school, is not really that difficult a subject. The people who do poorly generally do poorly because they either don’t have a good understanding of basic algebra or don’t put in the effort. </p>
<p>There is probably also a small fraction of students that put in the effort but don’t really have the study skills necessary to succeed…because as others have said, at times, you’re asked to learn/understand a lot of information. </p>
<p>But relatively speaking, an average student who has a good understanding of basic algebra and who puts in the effort, should be able to pass all accounting courses without a problem; but maybe getting c’s in some of the more difficult courses. </p>
<p>Although, I guess Tax courses are sort of like “learning a new language.”</p>
<p>Don’t agree with Whatdidyou. No matter how well you understood algebra, accounting is a bit different due to the legal nature of the subject. Moreover, like Physics, people either get it or don’t get it. I agree that it only involved some algebraic knowledge,but this is misleading. It requires a lot more sophisticated problem solving skills than what you might expect to find in algebra.</p>
<p>I don’t agree with the you either get it or don’t. Accounting is NOT like physics. The reason some “dont get it” is because either they dont know basic algebra, dont put in the effort, or don’t have the study skills necessary.</p>
<p>Hi! I don’t think Accounting requires you to be a math whiz or something, but it entails you to be really good in analysis, logic, and of course basic math. Without those three combined with determination and hard work, you can’t be an Accountant (add more prayers )</p>
<p>Accounting is not easy, and as they say it is like learning a new language. Sometimes it takes a lot of patience but everything pays off.</p>
<p>As our professor notes it every time: ALWAYS keep the Accounting equation and remember the dual effect of accounting.</p>
<p>Hi! I don’t think Accounting requires you to be a math whiz or something, but it entails you to be really good in analysis, logic, and of course basic math. Without those three combined with determination and hard work, you can’t be an Accountant (add more prayers )</p>
<p>Accounting is not easy, and as they say it is like learning a new language. Sometimes it takes a lot of patience but everything pays off.</p>
<p>As our professor notes it every time: ALWAYS keep the Accounting equation and remember the dual effect of accounting.</p>
<p>I have 15 years experience in various Accounting areas and I agree with 311Griff.
He hit the nail on the button. And I do not have an Accounting Degree, I have a Marketing Degree but from my classes too many years ago to remember and all my years of building experience in the field, he/she is pretty accurate.</p>
<p>i dont think it is that hard but you definitely have to put in the work. those who put in the work usually are the ones who do well. i have all A’s in my accounting courses so far and am taking intermediate 2 next semester. should be my hardest one so far although some say intermediate 1 is harder while others say the opposite.</p>
<p>I found that Principles of Financial Accounting requires a lot of memorization more than any other skill. Once you memorize one method it is helpful to remember it so that you know how other methods tie into it. If you can’t remember all the methods you will find yourself asking how accounts are cleared at the end of a period. I am not good at memorizing and this is the first accounting class I have taken and I feel stressed out! I am a B + or A- but it was extremely hard to get this far. I have 2 more tests and then final. I’m just taking it to become a bookkeeper but I sure do have a lot of admiration for accounting majors as they have a real talent for numbers!</p>
Accounting is not necessarily difficult. Personally, The amount of time needed to study for courses is not the same as your average GE course though. I can get stuck on a problem for hours until I finally solve it, and still not fully understand it. I decided to go into accounting because…I’m not really sure, though I knew I wanted to pursue business. At my CC, I really enjoyed Financial and Managerial accounting, got A’s in both courses and felt I would do good. In my university, I am now in my level 300 and 400 courses and I have yet to receive A’s. You definitely need to put in the effort if you want to do good.
Accounting has been projected a hard subject by many out there but it is not that way. The requirement is to understand the things with logic, since all the rules are man made it is not that difficult to understand all this.Some people say that it is like Mathematics and if a student is not good at Mathematics can not cope up with Accountancy.It is not true.During my span of teaching senior students for twenty seven years, I have not seen any student lagging behind just because of weakness in Mathematics. The minimum level required is just some types of calculations ,they can be taught for doing that. I have developed and selected some short cut tips for that. I have created and uploaded a website solely for the purpose of self-learning of Accountancy and Business Studies and students are freely making use of it.So, Accountancy is not that difficult.
Like most things, some people will have an aptitude for accounting while others may not. That is hard to predict. However, I will say that the people who do tend to do well in accounting are the hard-working and organized students. Accounting is not a subject that people find comes naturally – it is necessary to study the rules, do practice problems etc. That said, many people who invest the time and energy into learning accounting do meet with success.
Accounting is financial history. I have a BS degree in General Business Administration. I
took 4 or 5 accounting classes. I made b’s and c’s in my accounting classes. Accounting was not for me I have math/numbers. If
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