How to Start a Career in Accounting in Canada: The Short Answer
If you want to know how to start a career in accounting, here is the honest answer: you do not need to have everything figured out before you begin. You need a clear first step, a practical skill set employers actually test for, and a plan to get real experience. Accounting rewards people who can keep accurate records, explain numbers in plain language, and meet deadlines — and those skills can be built step by step, with or without a university degree to start.
This guide walks you through the routes into accounting in Canada, the skills to build first, the entry-level jobs to target, and a 90-day plan to move from interested to employed.
Why Accounting Is a Solid Career Choice
Every business, charity, and government office needs someone to track its money. That is why accounting work exists in almost every industry: public accounting firms, corporate finance departments, tax preparation offices, banks, and small businesses. The work is steady, the skills transfer between employers, and there is a clear ladder from junior roles to senior ones.
Pay reflects that demand. According to the Government of Canada Job Bank, financial auditors and accountants (NOC 11100) in Ontario earn a median wage of $40.87 per hour. Entry-level roles such as bookkeeper or accounting clerk start lower — which is why your first job is about getting experience, not chasing the median on day one.
Step 1: Choose Your Route Into Accounting
There are three realistic routes, and the right one depends on where you are starting from.
Route A — Degree plus CPA. If you want the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation, the path is set by CPA Ontario: a four-year degree (120 credit hours) from a recognized post-secondary institution, prerequisite courses, the CPA Professional Education Program (PEP, six modules), the three-day Common Final Examination (CFE), and 30 months of practical experience. This is the longest route, but it opens the most senior roles, including controller, audit manager, and partner-track positions.
Route B — College diploma plus experience. A college diploma in accounting or bookkeeping, combined with practical training in software such as QuickBooks and Excel, qualifies you for bookkeeper, accounting technician, and accounting clerk roles. From there, you can grow into senior bookkeeper, payroll specialist, or staff accountant roles — and you can start CPA prerequisites later if you decide to go further.
Route C — Practical training first, credentials later. If you already have a degree in another field, or you are changing careers, short practical training focused on real client files — bookkeeping, payroll, personal and corporate tax returns — can get you job-ready faster than another multi-year program. Employers hiring junior staff care most about whether you can do the work accurately on day one.
None of these routes is “the only way.” The mistake is waiting years for the perfect credential while gaining no experience. Start with the route that gets you working soonest, then keep upgrading.
Step 2: Learn the Skills Employers Actually Test For
Job postings for junior accounting roles consistently ask for the same core skills. Build these first:
- Double-entry bookkeeping: debits and credits, journal entries, the general ledger, and the trial balance. This is the foundation everything else rests on.
- Accounting software: QuickBooks Online is the most commonly requested tool for small-business roles, plus strong Excel skills (formulas, pivot tables, reconciliations).
- Payroll basics: calculating pay, statutory deductions, and remittances. Payroll errors are costly, so accuracy here stands out.
- Canadian tax basics: personal (T1) and corporate (T2) returns, GST/HST rules including the $30,000 small-supplier threshold, and the CRA rule that business records must generally be kept for six years.
- Bank reconciliations and month-end close: matching records to bank statements, adjusting entries, and producing clean financial statements.
- Communication: explaining a variance or a tax result to a client who is not an accountant, in plain language, without jargon.
Integrity matters as much as technique. Accountants handle sensitive financial information, so accuracy, confidentiality, and honesty are part of the job description, not optional extras.
Step 3: Decide on a Specialization — Later, Not First
Accounting covers many specializations: public accounting, tax, forensic accounting, management accounting, internal audit, government accounting, and bookkeeping. You do not need to pick one before your first job. In fact, early variety helps: working in a small firm exposes you to tax, bookkeeping, and payroll for many clients, which teaches you faster what you enjoy and what you are good at.
Two broad settings are worth understanding. Public accounting means working for a firm that serves many clients — varied work, busy tax seasons, fast learning. Private (industry) accounting means working inside one company — deeper knowledge of one business, steadier hours, narrower scope. Many accountants try both over a career.
Step 4: Get Experience — Even Before a Full-Time Job
Experience is what turns training into employment. Practical ways to get it:
- An internship or co-op placement, even a short one, where you work on real files under supervision.
- Volunteer bookkeeping for a small charity or community organization — real transactions, real deadlines, real references.
- Freelance bookkeeping for one or two small businesses, once you can reconcile accounts and file basic returns accurately.
- A practical training program that uses real-life cases rather than textbook exercises only.
When you apply, show your work: a sample reconciliation, a clean set of books you prepared, or a short case study of a problem you solved. Hiring managers trust evidence over certificates alone.
Your 90-Day Plan to Start a Career in Accounting
Days 1–30: Foundations. Learn double-entry bookkeeping, the chart of accounts, and Excel basics. Pick your route (degree, diploma, or practical training) and enrol. Set up a simple study routine you can actually keep.
Days 31–60: Tools and practice. Learn QuickBooks Online and practise payroll and bank reconciliations on sample files. Prepare a one-page resume focused on skills and any practical work, not just courses listed.
Days 61–90: Apply and interview. Target bookkeeper, accounting clerk, and accounting technician roles. Apply to firms and small businesses, not only large employers. Prepare answers for common interview questions: how you handle a discrepancy, how you meet a deadline, and how you explain a number to a non-accountant.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Collecting certificates without ever practising on real files.
- Ignoring software: theory alone will not pass a practical hiring test.
- Applying only to senior roles and skipping the junior roles that build your experience.
- Assuming a degree alone guarantees a job — employers hire for demonstrated skill plus attitude.
How GetTrainedGetHired Can Help
If you are not sure where to start, GetTrainedGetHired’s accounting courses focus on practical, real-life training — bookkeeping, QuickBooks, payroll, and tax — followed by resume help and job-placement support through their network. You can also read our guides on becoming a bookkeeper with no experience and becoming an accountant without a degree to compare routes. Book a free 30-minute career counselling meeting to map your next step, or contact the team through the contact page — call 647-276-7150.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a degree to start a career in accounting in Canada?
No — not to start. Bookkeeper, accounting clerk, and accounting technician roles are open to people with diplomas or practical training. A degree is required only if you want the CPA designation.
How long does it take to become an accountant?
A junior bookkeeping or clerk role can be reached in months with focused practical training. The CPA route takes much longer: a four-year degree plus PEP, the CFE, and 30 months of practical experience.
What is the first skill I should learn?
Double-entry bookkeeping. It underpins journal entries, ledgers, trial balances, and financial statements — everything else builds on it.
Is QuickBooks required for accounting jobs in Canada?
Not for every role, but it is the most commonly requested software for small-business and firm roles, so learning it gives you a clear advantage.
Can I switch into accounting from another career?
Yes. Many accountants start in other fields. Practical training plus a junior role is the usual bridge; your previous work experience, especially with clients, deadlines, or data, counts in your favour.
What salary can a new accountant expect?
Entry-level roles pay less than senior roles. As a benchmark, Job Bank lists the Ontario median for financial auditors and accountants (NOC 11100) at $40.87 per hour — a figure that reflects experienced professionals, not first jobs. Your early pay grows quickly with proven accuracy and software skill.
