https://unsplash.com/photos/white-printer-papers-G_91H-3qZOA

Training as an accountant can be a fun, rewarding, and lucrative career. But many people assume that training in accountancy leads to a career as an accountant. While this may be true, several other job roles require individuals to possess some form of accounting knowledge. 

Accounting courses and qualifications can develop skills beyond the obvious, and several businesses offer accounting/finance-based roles outside of applying your trade as an accountant. There are also several opportunities to work for yourself as a result of learning accounting. In this article, we’ll look at some less traditional roles that our accounting courses can lead to. 

Freelance Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants are modern-day admin assistants. Being a virtual assistant means you’ll work from a remote location, as has become extremely common since the COVID pandemic. This is great for those who want a strong work-life balance and is particularly common with workers who need to balance childcare with their career.

As a virtual assistant, you won’t just be expected to supply accounting support, and many VAs don’t even offer this as a service. Common tasks include things like email management, social media scheduling, invoicing and so on. If you can add accounting to your skillset, then you’ll likely have a big advantage over fellow virtual assistants. Simply put, the more you can do, the more in demand you will be.

There’s also the opportunity to work as a freelance virtual assistant. Many VAs offer their freelance services to a variety of businesses, which is great if you want a varied day. In the morning, you may be assisting with payroll for an SEO agency in Manchester before working on financial forecasting for a tech startup in New York in the afternoon.

Entrepreneur/Business Owner

Finance is one of the most important areas of running a business, so having a solid understanding of accounting and finance principles can be the perfect base for those who want to try their hand at entrepreneurship.

Obviously, there’s more to running a business than finance, but many of these other skills can come naturally. For instance, creative thinking, risk-taking, and negotiation skills may all come naturally to successful business owners.

If you already possess some of these skills, adding an accounting qualification could leave you with the perfect skillset to start a business. Completing an accounting course can allow you to handle things such as cash flow, tax and all-around growth.

You can also partner with experts in other areas to create a dream team. Many marketing experts or product creators have no interest or knowledge of finance, so they would benefit greatly from your skill set.

Finance Journalist

If you like the idea of working in finance but not necessarily working in finance, there are a number of other careers that you may be better suited to. One of these is the role of a finance journalist, where you can cover finance topics and create content around finance news without the pressure of handling finances for a company.

If you have an interest in accounting and finance but don’t enjoy crunching numbers, writing about finance could be the solution. It’s good for people who are passionate about the industry rather than those who are simply motivated by the monetary rewards that come with a career in finance.

Teacher / Mentor

If you like the idea of teaching others or passing knowledge on to the next generation, accounting courses could be for you, too. Completing an accounting qualification may spark an interest in teaching or lecturing, and depending on the level you wish to teach at, you may need to expand your accounting knowledge beyond a basic level.

There’s also the opportunity to mentor small business owners who require a little help in terms of finance by leading corporate training events. Many entrepreneurs lack accounting knowledge, and basic knowledge of accounting may be of great assistance to them.

Final Thoughts

Accounting courses aren’t just for budding accountants. It’s becoming a popular option for those who want a more flexible career, as individuals become their own boss by combining accounting with entrepreneurship or by pursuing remote careers by supporting businesses with their skills from afar.