It’s no secret that becoming a certified accountant is hard work. It requires years of schooling, long-winded credentialing examinations, and sometimes a graduate degree. For those financially-minded individuals who desire an accounting career, but who do not want to invest all their time and money into this career path, it’s important to know there are still options available. Becoming an accounting assistant, bookkeeper, or auditing clerk are other promising, prosperous (and faster-paced!) pathways within the accounting field.
Right now, you may have questions such as: What can I expect to make in one of these positions? What is the average accounting assistant salary today? Will I make a comfortable living, and will there be room for growth within these areas of work?
These are all important questions to ask as you contemplate an accounting assistant career, and other entry-level positions within the financial field. In this article, Goodwin College will walk you through the earning potential and average salaries of accounting assistants today.
Accounting Assistant Salary Details
An accounting assistant is an essential support role, working within different organizations, companies, and accounting firms to carry out daily financial duties. A person in this position must be versatile, as an accounting assistant’s job duties cover a wide array of routine, clerical tasks: preparing purchase orders, processing invoices, recording payments and transactions, reviewing documents for accuracy, answering phone calls, filing important documents, and managing payroll are just a few on the long list.
Due to the variability of their role, accounting assistants can expect to make a comfortable living – even in an entry-level job. Nationwide, bookkeepers, auditing clerks, and accounting assistants make an average salary of $41,110 per year, or $19.76 an hour.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, Connecticut is ranked 4th among the top-paying states for this occupation. The average, annual accounting assistant salary in Connecticut is $46,570. Based on a 40-hour work week, accounting assistants in Connecticut can expect to make over $22 an hour. This is higher than the national average for accounting, auditing, and bookkeeping clerks.
Becoming an Accounting Assistant
If the accounting assistant salary potential aligns with your needs, you can make it reality in just a matter of months. To become an accounting assistant today, you will need to complete postsecondary schooling and learn the fundamentals of accounting. Pursuing an associate degree in accounting is a great way to gain the necessary competencies and skills.
At Goodwin College, for example, accounting students learn the ins and outs of financial reporting, payroll, taxation, managerial accounting, accounting information systems, and more. Students also hone their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills through the accounting angle. Upon completion of our associate accounting program, students leave prepared to sit for the professional certification in bookkeeping, QuickBooks, and Microsoft Excel – equipping them with resume-ready, stand-out skills and credentials for an accounting assistant career (and strong earning potential, too).
The accounting school at Goodwin College is structured around convenience for our working students. Accounting classes are offered on days, evenings, and weekends, and can be taken on-campus or in a hybrid, online/on-campus format. Courses can also be taken at an accelerated pace, for those looking to complete their degrees quickly and dive into the workforce fast.
In Accounting, there is Always Room for Growth
There are over 17-thousand accounting assistants, bookkeepers, and auditing clerks currently working in the state of Connecticut – and there is plenty room for more!
Starting out as an accounting assistant is a great way to jumpstart your financial services career, and to determine whether the accounting field is truly right for you. By landing a job as an accounting assistant, you can expect to make a great salary, establish connections within the field, and gain hands-on experience in an active accounting firm. If you would like to advance your career after gaining a foothold in the field, you can always choose to go back to school for a bachelor’s or master’s degree, or pursue the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) credential to increase your earning potential even further. According to the Connecticut Department of Labor, the mean wage for Accountants and Auditors is $39.48 an hour.
Interested in learning more about the accounting assistant salary in Connecticut, or about the accounting programs at Goodwin College? Call us at 800-889-3282 or visit us online at www.goodwin.edu/landingpages/accounting for more information.
Goodwin University is a nonprofit institution of higher education and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), formerly known as the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Goodwin University was founded in 1999, with the goal of serving a diverse student population with career-focused degree programs that lead to strong employment outcomes.