Hi, I’m Alicia Katz Pollock from Questiva Consultants, the author of the most comprehensive hand-on QuickBooks training textbooks on the market. Check them out at www.questivaconsultants.com.
Today I’m speaking to our instructors who have been teaching QuickBooks Desktop for years, and are now converting their curricula to QuickBooks Online.
Some of you are working bookkeepers, and teaching class as an adjunct faculty member. You’re either already familiar with using QBO and are excited for this book, or you’re still using QBDT and have been thinking about making the change.
Others of you are experienced accounting instructors who teach full time, and haven’t had any bookkeeping clients in quite awhile.
We get it. You’ve been using our book to teach QuickBooks Desktop software for years, and you can run the class in your sleep. You probably haven’t had to put in much prep time for awhile.
We know that moving to a new curriculum may be time-consuming for the first semester, but I can assure you that it will take much less time the second time around. And after that, you’ll know what to expect.
The question is, how can you learn the new software with the least amount of effort and stress?
Obviously, running through the curriculum, stepping through the lessons, and doing the homework exercises will give you the experience you need to lead students through the material.
So let’s look at some of the other less obvious things you can do.
The best way to make the leap from QuickBooks Desktop software to QuickBooks Online is to use it yourself.
If Teaching Is Your Main Gig
How do you do your finances now? Are you using QuickBooks Desktop, Quicken, MYOB, or something else? We suggest converting to QuickBooks Online for your own personal bookkeeping. Run your family budget through QBO. Since you already know your numbers, seeing how to manage it in QuickBooks Online is just a matter of learning the software.
You can sign up for a discounted QBO subscription through our QuickBooks training and support company at https://bit.ly/ORDER-QBO. This curriculum was written using QBO Plus, but for family finances Simple Start or Essentials is usually sufficient. While you won’t have access to all the bells and whistles covered in the book, you’ll at least be able to get familiar with the interface and workflows.
If You Are a Bookkeeper
If you are still running your practice using QuickBooks Desktop, this is a great time to convert your firm to QuickBooks Online for Accountants (QBOA). You can create a free QuickBooks ProAdvisor account at https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accountants/proadvisor.
Start by importing your QBDT file into QBO’s “Your Books”. Because you’re already familiar with your own company’s finances, you’ll just need to wrap your head around the interface. Then, you can begin to migrate your clients over as well, managing your entire practice through QBOA.
Additional Training Resources
You can teach yourself through the same book you’ll use to teach your students, but you may feel you would like additional training. I have developed a comprehensive QuickBooks Online training program at the Royalwise OWLS, my QuickBooks training and support company.
Over the years, I have written over 40 different QBO on-demand video courses. They are available for individual purchase, and subscribers to my website and coaching program can access them all, including additional group training and 1-to-1 support. I will be happy to guide you through additional customized training to get you comfortable in the shortest amount of time.
Stay current and updated. Keep an eye out for Intuit’s free “In the Know” webinars, where every month they introduce new features that are about to be released. Register for the series at https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/accountant-features/watch-know-webinars/L4MyEiQuS_US_en_US
Intuit also offers free ProAdvisor certification training at http://qbtrainingevents.com. These webinars don’t directly cover topics that you’ll need as an instructor, but you may find them helpful, especially if you’re using QuickBooks for clients, and would like to get certified yourself.
Conclusion
Our best advice is to embrace change. The business world is evolving rapidly, and moving into cloud-based services. More companies are now adopting QuickBooks Online than QuickBooks Desktop. Let us educate our students for the real world.
Preparing yourself by gaining experience through multiple channels will make it that much easier to make the transition yourself.
So head on over to www.questivaconsultants.com, order your textbooks, and get started on this exciting new chapter of your teaching career.
