Free accounting courses online
In the USA, typically the CPA qualification for accountants is the most widely recognized whilst in Europe and the UK, ACCA and CIMA is a regional benchmark.
The Open University in the UK (open.ac.uk) offers the following free accounting courses:
- Introduction to the Context of Accounting
- Influences on Accounting Regulation Course
- Investment Risk
For this course, no registration would be required as it is one of the free quality courses offered by the open university in the UK.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit.edu)
- Introduction to Financial and Managerial Accounting Course
- Financial Accounting
- Taxes and Business Strategy
The MIT OpenCourseWare project has made available several graduate level accounting courses from the MIT Sloan School of Management, available worldwide to any interested parties.
New Jersey Institute of Technology (njit.edu)
At The New Jersey Institute of Technology there are several free business and accounting courses through their OpenCourseWare project. Course materials include syllabi and video lectures, and are available without registration.
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania (kutztownsbdc.org)
University of Alaska – College of Business and Public Policy (scob.alaska.edu)
University of California- Irvine (uci.edu)
The University of California Irvine currently has available free accounting courses that covers the basics of financial planning.
Gresham College (gresham.ac.uk)
Gresham College frequently offers free public lectures from the school’s professors in London.
Wikibooks (wikibooks.org)
5 Interesting facts about accounting careers:
1. USA: The average starting salary for accountants in the US is now above $52K per annum. This is the case for certified public accountants.
2. USA: The annual increase has exceeded 5% thus remaining above inflation – this is better than what is the case for legal careers, an overall improvement in career prospects for accounting professionals.
3. In the UK the salary ranges between £25K and £45K for fully qualified and certified starters, however during training it can be as low as £15K – this is incline with the decrease in graduate salaries the UK experienced for the past three years, despite claims that the economy is improving, it affects the highest paid accountants in the country.
4. In the UK, graduate salaries have remained stuck in a sideways pattern for more than 3 years now, which in real terms is a significant under performance, with accounting jobs being no different than the rest. Chartered accountant jobs in the UK vs USA? It seems to be an obvious choice right now, America!
5. In 2013 and 2013 Canada and Australia both seems to be relaxing from a period where accountants was in short supply, which peaked around 2009/2010.
As for Latin America (Brazil, Colombia, Argentina) and the Middle East region (UAE/Dubai/Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel) – also Japan and the Pacific rim, watch this space for future updates on their salary scales and predictions through 2014/2015.
