Is Accounting Hard? (Must Read)


Accounting is one of the essential occupations and allows businesses to keep things running smoothly.

Just a few years earlier, the importance of accounting was extremely underrated, and people assumed it to be another easily replaceable profession.

In recent years, however, the importance of this profession has once again come to light, and accountants these days can make a lot of money.

You might be considering a career in finance or accounting and wondering how hard it is to study.

Okay, so is Accounting hard?

Yes, Accounting can be very hard, it’s not intuitive meaning students typically struggle with accounting concepts and rules. Students also find the workload difficult too. 

So in short, Accounting can be hard to learn! 


However, Accounting does not need to be not so hard if you are comfortable with numbers, can think logically, and can get a handle on the accounting structure, concepts, rules, and how they are governed.

Most students struggle with college accounting as they are overwhelmed with jargon and concepts that are very unfamiliar and harder to grasp compared to other business courses.

How hard you find accounting depends not just on the syllabus, but also on your ability to understand accounting concepts.

However, if you attend and pay attention in class, and stay updated with whatever you’re learning, you shouldn’t find it too hard to cope.

If you are a slacker, Accounting can be hard in college.

Accounting does combine many different disciplines, and you need to learn many different sides of the business.

You must also be well-versed in legal words and legislation in order to assist your clients in ensuring compliance.

So let’s further uncover the main questions around Accounting being hard.

Related Articles

Why Is Accounting Hard To Learn? (Explained) 

The reason why students find Accounting hard to learn is that it is not intuitive, there are lots of concepts and rules required to understand to make the transactions work.

For instance, what most students find difficult to grasp is everything Accounting connected.

That every single Accounting transaction has the potential to affect all four financial statements.

For example, a cash sale increases revenue on the Income Statement and increases cash on the Balance Sheet.

In addition, the increase in revenue increases the retained earnings on the Statement of Owners’ Equity. And it also increases the cash received on the Statement of Cash Flows.

When talking to Accounting students most said that getting a grip on how debits and credits work against a ledger was key to understanding Accounting.

And once they got an understanding of how debits and credits work it made all the difference!

Assets: Debit to increase, Credit to decrease.

Liabilities: Debit to decrease, Credit to increase.

Equity: Debit to decrease, Credit to increase.

Expenses: Debit to increase, Credit to decrease.

Income: Debit to decrease, Credit to increase

Terms of how difficult certain subjects are will vary between Colleges.

That being said the most difficult subjects at College are

Intermediate Accounting is difficult due to being involved with plenty of detail.  To be successful do need to have a good foundation of accounting principles.

Cost Accounting is difficult as it requires a very careful and accurate calculation of cost. To be successful need to have a firm understanding of the concepts and logic behind this subject.

Auditing is challenging because it requires careful analysis of accounting transactions. Students find it tedious.

So once you get a grasp of the fundamentals of Accounting it is not that hard to learn.

There are also many technical terms you need to learn, and you need to have a grasp of computer software as well, such as Microsoft Excel and Quickbooks

As mentioned above, getting an understanding of the basics can be challenging, but once you have them down the degree gets much more comfortable.

What the Internet Is Saying!

The thing is, fully understanding an accounting concept can be pretty difficult.

But once it’s clicked for you, you can pretty much recall that information at any time in the future

Source: Quora

Related Articles

Accounting Hard If Not Good At Math? (Explained) 

While math isn’t all there is to accounting; it’s still a vital part of the field.  You have to analyze the financial records of many companies, and this requires crunching a lot of numbers to see that the final figures add up.

You also have to predict a business’s performance based on the current trends, and this involves working with numbers as well.

Working on tax returns and audits also requires you to go over many numbers in great detail.

The solutions you’ll provide to your clients are based upon logical number analysis, and therefore accounting can be challenging if you aren’t good with numbers.

That being said, the level of math is never too hard, and accountants rarely have to perform calculations that are too complex.

Equally important as math is remembering all the rules of accounting and paying attention to detail.

This is what will let you accurately analyze balance sheets.

So if you are not strong at maths, then that’s okay. You can always improve.

If you are still in High School take extra maths classes or courses. Even seek out tutoring.

If you are at college and struggling with maths, take extra classes, and do some extra maths at home. Perhaps take a course online. Or even seek out a friend or tutor to help.

Related Articles

Studying Accounting Worth It? (Explained) 

Yes, studying Accounting is worth it. It is a field that provides you with skills and knowledge that opens up numerous career opportunities to learn, and grow in Accounting, Finance, or Business. It also offers you to earn a decent wage.

You have to use your analytical skills a lot to come up with solutions to financial problems, and each solution is unique to the situation.

Furthermore, accountants get paid well with an average wage of around $73,560 per annum.  

This is a recession-proof job, as accountants are necessary no matter what state the economy is in. the demand for accountants is expected to increase by 4% by 2029.

They might be even more important when businesses are looking to save some money. Studying for an accounting degree is one of the best investments you can make for yourself.

You can work for many diverse clients, or you can start your firm and work in leadership potential.

Accountancy is also a field that has to update itself following state laws continually, so you have an opportunity to keep learning constantly. With this degree, your options are limitless.

How Hard Is Accounting Compared To Other Majors? (Must Read)

Accounting is considered one of the most difficult Majors, and it is when compared to majors such as Marketing, Business, and Arts.

However, the level of difficulty is equal to Engineering and Law. It’s easier when compared to Medical School. 

How hard you find Accounting compared to other Majors largely depends on your interests.

If you excel in playing with numbers, finding patterns, and working logically, you will be suited to Accounting.

If you don’t might be worth looking at other Majors that interest you.

Accounting is a business major that is hugely different from its counterparts.

Majors such as Economics, Marketing, and Human Resources can make Accounting seem different and difficult to learn.

There is a lot of coursework in an Accounting degree, and there is a lot more quantitative work required.

Majors such as Medicine or law are seen to be harder than accounting.  But this does vary from person to person.

How challenging you find a certain subject depends entirely on where your strengths lie. that being said, Accounting can be challenging to get a grasp of initially, but once you have an excellent foundation, it’s worth it.

Related Articles

Final Thoughts

Accounting can be hard to learn. Some concepts and rules are difficult to grasp. Students may also find classwork to be demanding and the homework to be difficult. As you advance through the course, accounting becomes increasingly difficult.

While some topics may be difficult to grasp, you can succeed by studying the subject and taking the time to ensure that you thoroughly comprehend accounting principles.

As an accountant, you get several opportunities to learn and grow, and there are many opportunities to expand your career as well.

With stable pay and a job that offers a great challenge, this is a field that might be a bit hard to study but is worth it in the end.

As an accountant, you get a chance to work with the top tier of some of the best companies, both public and private.

This way, you can make some very good contacts in high places.

As with any other profession, analyze yourself and your strengths and weaknesses before deciding which job you want to pick.

Related Articles