Bookkeeping is an accounting school specialty in which an individual records the basic financial transactions of an individual or an organization. (It is important to note that some individuals do not consider bookkeeping to be an accounting career in the strictest sense because it is actually a fundamental component of the accounting process that is carried out in every accounting specialty.) In other words, bookkeepers record the debits and credits that an organization needs to document each time a transaction occurs.

They also track an organization’s assets to identify discrepancies in the amount of money that the organization has, the amount of property that the organization owns, the amount of money that the organization owes, and/or the amount of money that the organization is owed. Bookkeepers also use an organization’s financial records to generate financial statements, verify an organization’s financial information, and perform other similar tasks . Individuals in bookkeeping may work under any of a number of different job titles, including accounting assistant, accounting clerk, bookkeeping assistant, bookkeeping clerk, and bookkeeper.

In most cases, an individual will be able to obtain a position as a bookkeeper with an associate’s degree in accounting, business, bookkeeping, or another similar field from an accredited accounting school. Some employers, however, may require an individual to obtain a Certified Bookkeeper (CB) certificate or another similar certification before they will allow the individual to work as a bookkeeping clerk or a bookkeeper.

An individual may not be required to have a degree and/or experience for every position, and there are some bookkeeping positions that require only a high school diploma, a General Educational Development (GED) credential, and/or experience in a related field, such as accounting, bookkeeping, customer service, office work, etc.