What to Expect
General business courses are always good, but accounting technology students
should also focus on learning good study habits and problem-solving skills.
They'll come in handy when you're wading through two hours of homework each
day, or working on a complete set of books for an imaginary small business.
Learning to discipline yourself now, while you're still in high
school, will go a long way towards getting you through the long hours of homework
ahead, says Stacy Bleigh. She studied accounting at Shepherd College in West
Virginia.
But homework time really depends on the student, says Sylvia McLaughlin.
She is a product of the accounting program at a career college. "[For] some
people it takes a little longer than others, especially if you make a mistake
in the bookkeeping," she says.
How to Prepare
If your high school offers any accounting courses, take them, says
Charmel Sanchez. She is a graduate of Ivy Tech State College. She also recommends
typing and any other business-related courses you can find.
Doing volunteer work while you're in high school can always help,
not only because of what you learn, but by giving you experience to add to
your resume. Sanchez suggests students wanting to increase their accounting
skills look for "anything that requires serious thought and concentration."
McLaughlin says being familiar with computers is a big plus when
it comes to learning accounting software. Keyboarding skills are also useful.
"It seems most students never have enough keyboarding experience, " she says.