Is an Accounting Apprenticeship Hard?

  • By: Preetam
  • Date: October 10, 2021
  • Time to read: 4 min.

When figuring out your ideal career, taking a look at all the possibilities and the challenges is essential.

You know you want to do something that will have a fair amount of security and one that will be malleable to wherever life takes you.

Accounting is one such career.

But, is an accounting apprenticeship hard? The answer to this will depend on the kind of person you are and what kind of strengths you have.

If arithmetic is natural to you and you’re meticulous with record keeping and statistics, then accounting might be perfect for you.

However, if you like math but can’t stand sitting behind a desk all day, then this kind of apprenticeship may not be for you.

That said, there are more things that go into performing duties that may be very difficult.

What compounds this is weighing the difference between having a university degree or solely training through the apprenticeship.

What is the difference between getting a degree in accounting versus an apprenticeship?

Believe it or not, you don’t have to go to college to become an accountant.

In fact, it might be better to go for the apprenticeship rather than getting a degree.

Not only will you become an account much quicker, but the hands-on experience is also far more valuable.

Pros ; Cons

Plus, individual accounting firms do things very differently.

This means what you learn in school may be useless depending on where you find employment.

Likewise, solely learning from one firm will limit your knowledge base.

Some firms do offer education programs where they will flip the bill for your education while you also earn money.

The Benefits

The good thing with getting a degree is that you will be able to go anywhere with it.

There are many areas of accounting you can pursue.

You can get into banking, trading, taxes, forensics or help manage the finances of any type of company.

If you successfully complete your apprenticeship without an education, you will have limited maneuverability in this regard.

The Pitfalls

But the downfall with education is landing yourself in mountains of debt that can take years to pay off.

Apprenticeships allow you to get paid while gaining a valuable skill.

This latter case is much more desirable and far more convenient if it’s difficult to find the funds to pay for school.

What is most difficult about taking on an accounting apprenticeship?

The hardest aspect about taking on an accounting apprenticeship is the competitiveness involved.

You have to be top notch and impeccable with your work ethic, abilities and skills.

There are many people out there who are currently aiming at becoming an accountant.

So you have to make yourself desirable. Determine to develop a special edge or other sought-after qualification.

This will go a long way in having some of the more popular firms pay attention to you.

But, you want to make sure you like the company you work for and the work they do.

Does the firm or company determine the difficulty of an accounting apprenticeship?

Since accounting can have such a varied and wide range of possibilities, make sure you like the firm as much as they like you.

Many studies over the last decade show that when you love the place you work for, your tasks and duties are more enjoyable.

Also, even though you may be good at math, reasoning, logic, problem solving and record keeping, the hustle-and-bustle (or lack thereof) may not be your cup of tea.

So, the difficulties of an accounting apprenticeship will very much depend on the firm itself, how they do business and the manner in which they treat their employees.

Are there any other factors that can make an accounting apprenticeship hard?

There are a few other things to take into consideration when looking into becoming an accounting apprentice.

Some of these include the age of the apprentice and withstanding office politics along with what the job demands.

Age of the Apprentice

Even though you can take on an apprenticeship at any age, there are more incentives and bonuses for those who are 25 years old and younger.

That said, younger people don’t have the patience or presence of mind as someone who is 30 or 45 years old.

Older people tend to have more patience and understand responsibility more than younger people do.

Office Politics

If office politics are strong and prevalent, you’ll be the lowest one on the totem pole.

This means you may have to deal with a lot of flack at first as a sort of hazing ritual.

Some people can’t stomach this kind of social interaction and it can make doing tasks next to impossible.

Simultaneous Education ; Apprenticeship

If you are undergoing an education in conjunction with an apprenticeship, you will eat, sleep and breathe accounting concepts.

In some cases, people even start dreaming about it. So, it will be something that takes up a massive amount of time, effort and energy.

Demands of Training ; Exams

Depending on the firm, training can be very demanding. It also is going to require massive amounts of test-taking, receiving stringent performance evaluations, constant reading and many hours of training.

This goes on top of all the numbers you have to keep track of while ensuring proper calculations.

It can be overwhelming at times, but also very rewarding.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, determining the difficulty of an apprenticeship has many variables involved.

A lot of this is going to depend on the firm, the type of industry it serves, the office politics and how popular or competitive it is.

While some places will be fairly easy, others can feel almost soul-crushing.

Then, it’s going to come down to you, what you can handle and how desirable your skills are.

Even though you don’t have to get a degree, there are nuances of pros and cons between just being an apprentice, going to college or doing both at the same time.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

How Old Is Too Old For Apprenticeship?

Previous Post

How Old Is Too Old For Apprenticeship? (Need To Know This)

Next Post

Do Apprentices Get Holiday Pay?

Do Apprentices Get Holiday Pay?