Who is required take ACC 253 Accounting Practicum?
ACC 253 is required for any students who would like to receive the Bookkeeping Certificate, Income Tax Preparation Certificate, Accounting Associate Certificate, or Associate Degree in Accounting.

Why do I need to take this class?
Oakton would like its accounting graduates to have some real world experience. This takes the student beyond academic learning and allows them to receive some practical experience.

Why kind of job do I need?
This can be any part-time or full-time job where you are doing some accounting as part of your responsibilities. The accounting can be in payables, payroll, receivables, general accounting, income taxes, QuickBooks, bank reconciliation, etc. As long as you are getting a real world experience in accounting, it will count.

I don't have a job in accounting. Can Oakton help me find one?
There are 3 ways Oakton can help you find a job for ACC 253.

• Check out Oakton's internship program, which has many opportunities for accounting students.
• Look at Oakton's online job posting board for area employers. Offerings change frequently.
• Visit the Career Services office. Career counselors can give you the skills to do a quality job search, including improving your resume and cover letter, and strengthening your interview skills.

Does previous work experience count
No. The students needs to be completing this work experience while they are enrolled in the ACC 253 course.

What shoud I do if I cannot find a job, if I cannot quit my full-time job outside of the accounting field, or if I am an international student and I am not allowed to work?
Consider volunteering your time:

• Ask any friend or family member in business if you could volunteer to help them with bookkeeping for a few months.
• Ask you local church or other nonprofit if they could use some help with any accounting projects.
• Spring semester only: consider volunteering with one of the community tax preparers during tax season. These services provide income tax preparation for individuals and families who cannot afford to pay a professional tax accountant. Oakton has a relationship with Ladder Up. You can find out more about this at http://www.goladderup.org.

What happens in the Practicum course? Do I need to come to campus?
There is a weekly class that you need to attend, but this is not a traditional accounting class. This is a class about careers in accounting. Oakton brings in speakers from banks, credit agencies, insurance companies, accounting firms, the IRS, FBI, and accounting placement agencies. We bring you to outside networking dinners sponsored by the Institute of Management Accountants, Illinois CPA Society, and Becker CPA Review. Our goal is introduce you to many business professionals who can help you prepare for your career in accounting.

Is there any homework in ACC 253?
There is no textbook and no weekly accounting homework, but there are two projects during the semester.

• You will need to prepare 10 tax returns using basic Tax Software that you can purchase at any retail store. Oakton's goal is that everyone who finishes an accounting certificate is able to prepare very basic income tax returns for themselves and their families. We realize that there are many students in ACC 253 who have never taken an income tax course. Therefore, there will be time in class where students will learn income tax basics and receive a hands-on tutorial in tax software.
• You will need to write a paper at the end of the semester which is effectively a business plan. The goal of this paper is to get students to critically evaluate their own companies or another company that they know. Most companies have some flaws in the way they have set up their accounting functions and students will need to make suggestions about how a company can better design its systems. The instructor will talk about this project at length throughout the semester.