The best way to find an entry level accounting position is to look for odd positions that may not have regular hours or may not initially pay you a lot of money.  An example would be at a hotel for a “Night Auditor” position or a traineeship position at an accounting or consulting firm.   Also you will need to look at a long term career path to ensure that any position taken allows you to learn and gain experience as a real accountant.

For a “Night Auditing” position you will learn about balancing receipts and nightly reports and how to use a ten key.  These positions usually start around midnight and go to the early morning.    They are also great positions for students who need to go to school during the day but can work at night time.  There is usually a lot of downtime associated to night auditing positions so you are able to read or do homework during this time as well.

Other ways of looking for accounting positions would be to enslave yourself to consulting firms that train you for several years.  After your traineeship, you will have the knowledge and experience to make definitely more money at another firm or company.  Usually the way to land these positions are through college job fairs or call the receptionist of a firm and ask for the college recruitment personnel.

These are just ideas as to acquiring entry level positions in the accounting field.  You have to look out of the box and usually figure that it will take you around 3-5 years to gain enough experience to earn more money once you start in your accounting field.  Think small but ensure that any position you apply for has the ability to allow you to expand.  An example is that not all cashier’s positions are the same.  Some require the cashier to be able to balance their own money.  Others have the shift manager count it for you.  You want something that will allow you to start learning at the beginning and possibly be transferable to other industries.

If you really want to earn more money at the beginning then you will need to acquire a CPA certification.  If you don’t have time for a CPA certification, then go purchase one of the well-known accounting software out there and start learning their how to balance using them.  Peachtree, Quicken and Quickbooks are probably the most popular accounting programs out there for small businesses.  If you can add that to your resume then you have a step up from most.