Computerized Accounting Practices Shaping Face of Bean Counters to Come

As the world continues to advance in its digital revolution, many careers are taking on entirely new forms. The world of accounting is one of the most obvious examples of what kind of transitions businesses can expect to make in years to come.
Tax season is no longer a thing of dread for accountants nationwide. There's a collective sigh of relief in departments of book-balancers all across the nation. Rather than long nights of precise, meticulous calculations, Accountants everywhere are now able to simply able to input a few numbers into a slew of new computer programs than voila! Taxes are prepared.
And you wondered why Susan the typically grouchy bean-counter seemed so chipper on the elevator this morning. Don't worry; there wasn't anything unusual in her coffee. She's just excited to know that she'll be leaving work at 5pm in April. On this day last year, she was stuck at the office until 3am...for eight workdays in a row.
Many companies have even developed useful Accounting assistance programs, all with different features and varying amounts of hands-on vs. automated practice. Whether Accountants are using spreadsheet programs like Excel, or venturing into less do-it-yourself programs like Quickbooks and Peachtree, it's easy to see that preparing balance sheets and statements of owner's equity has never been easier.
Like so many computer-based applications, Accounting education has begun taking on a new face. Many high schools have begun offering introductory Computerized Accounting courses, while Colleges and Universities across the country are making comparable adjustments to their entire core curricula in order to meet the needs of preparing for a changing job market.
While the basic principles and practices must still be adhered to, the physical calculation and reporting done by Accountants nationwide has become an evolving art form. It's very important for any professional bookkeeper to know the practice well enough to sit down with a handful of statements and receipts and be able to create a Trial Balance. Computer programs should be viewed as tools rather than secondary staff-members. No one can overlook the value of essential working knowledge, no matter how much easier a task may have been made in recent years