Over the course of the last ten years, bookkeeping professionals have help bolster the image of bookkeeping as its own profession. There is a growing demand in Australia, United Kingdom, the U.S., Canada and even as far out as New Zealand. This is due to a number of factors, including the growing trend of small business owners as well as increasing need for compliance with state and federal regulations. Countries where a bookkeeping career has been increasingly in demand have a VAT, GST or other applicable federal, provincial or local tax and reporting requirements. With the weight of learning all the new regulations involved, small business owners often turn to bookkeepers to manage their accounting responsibilities, resulting in an increase in bookkeeping career opportunities.

Over time, bookkeeping has been slowly increasing in the professional ranks, since the need for compliance and business owners need expert skills. The number of small business owners turning to bookkeepers over traditional accounting staff grows daily, often attributed to the vast difference in cost. This has created a growing industry for bookkeeping professionals. While bookkeeping may be a specialized field, it is not one that it requires years upon years of education and training. Accurate reporting and compliance require an understanding of the accounting equation and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP.) A bookkeeping career also requires work experience to apply academic knowledge to real world situations.

If you are interested in a bookkeeping career, especially those with ideas of opening an independent practice, this area of accounting has some of the most flexible options for achieving your career goals. For those with an entrepreneurial spirit, bookkeeping is certainly a career choice that can support these efforts. While the personal flexibility might sound appealing, it also requires hard work and a solid educational foundation. For parents with small children at home, looking for a career option or business to start in their home, bookkeeping can be an excellent choice, especially with the advent of online accounting tools and programs.

A bookkeeping career is not always a person's career of choice. In fact, some people seem to just happen upon it through working on a friend or relative's business books. For some, this experience is what initially sparks their interest. Since bookkeepers typically only handle day-to-day record keeping, accounts reconciliation, and filing of tax payments and records, a degree or licensure is not typically required. However, in order to produce financial statements for publicly owned companies, more schooling and experience are needed beyond simple bookkeeping skills.