Enter your email below to receive weekly updates from the Ashton College blog straight to your inbox.
By: Ronda Payne
Published On: May 21, 2020Some courses naturally lend themselves to an online platform and bookkeeping is definitely one of them. With all of the online accounting tools available, video conferencing software and efficiency programs there is no shortage of connection when it comes to taking online bookkeeping courses or accounting courses.
If you’re looking to learn more about accounting and participate in a bookkeeping course, now is a great time! Even during COVID-19 restrictions, you could explore bookkeeping as your next career or brush up on your skills to take your existing bookkeeping career further, faster.
Like all courses delivered online, online bookkeeping courses come with a range of benefits that might just make online learning your favourite way to take a course. Before we look at benefits of an online bookkeeping course, it’s important to consider the school delivering the bookkeeping course. Be sure any school you look to has a complete course description, has instructors with both theoretical and practical knowledge of bookkeeping and explains the requirements for online learning upfront, so there’s no surprises. For example, Ashton College gives a complete bookkeeping course structure for potential students. There is also an opportunity to connect with the school in order to learn more information about the program.
Another benefit worth checking out in detail is that many bookkeeping courses, like the Ashton College Certificate in Bookkeeping program is accredited by the Canadian Bookkeepers Association (CBA). Certain bookkeeping courses like this one give students the option to apply for a membership with the CBA to expand their networking, learning and career development.
Taking a bookkeeping course online is an ideal learning method for a variety of reasons. First is that often students get more information and more interaction than they would in their in-person courses. This is because through meeting and interaction tools, participants can speak up more often without fear of asking something within a large group. Questions can be asked when they arise and conversations with other participants aren’t confined to the classroom, they go where technology allows.
Flexibility is king when it comes to online learning. In an online bookkeeping or accounting program, you can attend classes from wherever you like so long as you have an internet connection and video-enabled devices. Plug in your earbuds and watch your workshop over lunch, or sit back with a glass of wine and make notes at home in the evening. While some sessions are conducted live and give the ability for live interaction with the instructor and other students, if you can’t attend, these are generally recorded so that you can watch them when you are available, making for the ultimate in flexibility. There is no need to drive to a campus, pay for parking or worry about the traffic ahead.
You can ask questions, offer suggestions and generally interact with the classroom at any time. Through online “classroom” tools that bring a class into one online space, you can weigh in when something is bugging you in the middle of the night and you need an answer. You won’t likely get a response at 3 am, but others will check in at their own times and you’ll gain that sense of classroom community.
The only downside of online learning is that you must be able to push yourself more than you would in a traditional in-person classroom environment. Because you are not attending lectures or labs in person, you need to make the video sessions and corresponding homework a priority. This is especially true with booking or accounting courses where those who are coming at it with a minimal background will have a hard time catching up if they miss large portions of the lessons.
Now is perhaps the best time to invest in your continuing education. With everyone focusing on online connections, it is an ideal opportunity to learn and take your bookkeeping career to new levels.
Read our other blog: How to Become an Accredited Bookkeeper in Canada
View All Comments