Accounting - Bookkeeping Certificate of Achievement
Cabrillo College · Aptos, CA
- Cost
- $1,991
- Length
- 36 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
Program names and program descriptions appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Occupation titles are translated where O*NET publishes a Spanish name. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
- People enrolled
- 15
Small group — treat with caution
- Finished the program
- 100%Based on 8 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
The jobs this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
Shrinking -13.8%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.
Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.
Related work California expects more of
The U.S. Department of Labor lists these as related to the job above, and California projects growth in them rather than decline. Related is not the same as interchangeable: the training, the licenses and the pay can all differ, and this program does not train for these. It is a place to start asking, not a recommendation.
- Billing and Posting Clerks$57,591 · +4.8% · 20 programs here
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers$79,426 · +1.9% · 16 programs here
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel$81,587 · +4.7% · 3 programs here
- Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs$65,023 · +5.4% · No programs here train for it
Where California publishes a separate figure for Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
Job ads may call this: Account Clerk · Accounting Clerk · Accounting Assistant · Accounting Associate
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information.
- Prepare and process payroll information.
- Check figures, postings, and documents for correct entry, mathematical accuracy, and proper codes.
- Prepare bank deposits by compiling data from cashiers, verifying and balancing receipts, and sending cash, checks, or other forms of payment to banks.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Comply with federal, state, and company policies, procedures, and regulations.
- Operate 10-key calculators, typewriters, and copy machines to perform calculations and produce documents.
- Receive, record, and bank cash, checks, and vouchers.
- Calculate and prepare checks for utilities, taxes, and other payments.
What this pays in Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $44,437 | $63,426 | $101,158 |
| Across California | $42,584 | $60,632 | $83,930 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $60,632per yearSanta Cruz-Watsonville MSA: $61,517
- Projected openings
- 178,570Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA: 1,250
- Projected change
- -4.1%
- Usually needs
- Some college, no degree
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- 1 to 12 months
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Timekeeper · Payroll Clerk · Payroll Assistant · Payroll Specialist
- Verify attendance, hours worked, and pay adjustments, and post information onto designated records.
- Process and issue employee paychecks and statements of earnings and deductions.
- Compute wages and deductions, and enter data into computers.
- Prepare and file payroll tax returns.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Process paperwork for new employees and enter employee information into the payroll system.
- Prepare and balance period-end reports, and reconcile issued payrolls to bank statements.
- Review time sheets, work charts, wage computation, and other information to detect and reconcile payroll discrepancies.
- Distribute and collect timecards each pay period.
What this pays in Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $40,035 | $69,998 | $90,574 |
| Across California | $47,211 | $66,886 | $94,259 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $66,886per yearSanta Cruz-Watsonville MSA: $63,529
- Projected openings
- 17,950Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA: 120
- Projected change
- -13.8%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- 1 to 12 months
Brokerage Clerks
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Sales Trader · Sales Assistant · Client Associate · Operations Clerk
- Correspond with customers and confer with coworkers to answer inquiries, discuss market fluctuations, or resolve account problems.
- Document security transactions, such as purchases, sales, conversions, redemptions, or payments, using computers, accounting ledgers, or certificate records.
- File, type, or operate standard office machines.
- Schedule and coordinate transfer and delivery of security certificates between companies, departments, and customers.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Monitor daily stock prices and compute fluctuations to determine the need for additional collateral to secure loans.
- Perform clerical tasks, such as answering phones or distributing mail.
- Verify ownership and transaction information and dividend distribution instructions to ensure conformance with governmental regulations, using stock records and reports.
- Compute total holdings, dividends, interest, transfer taxes, brokerage fees, or commissions and allocate appropriate payments to customers.
- Typical pay in California
- $79,805per year
- Projected openings
- 4,850
- Projected change
- -8.5%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
California publishes no separate figure for this job in Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA. The statewide figures above are the only ones there are.
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- 1 to 12 months
Program details
This is a hybrid or blended program providing both in-person and online instruction.
The Bookkeeping Certificate of Achievement is tailored for students who wish to have the basic foundation needed to enter the accounting field. Bookkeeping is the foundation for financial record keeping of any business and requires accurate analysis of an economic event then the proper recording of that event. Bookkeeping is a credentialed occupation that sustains lifelong employment as well as the foundation to step into higher-level accounting positions. The coursework required for this certificate includes basic accounting and information system concepts coupled with specialized accounting software and robust keyboarding skills.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-09-18). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
Ask before you enroll, not after
The order the rules set out starts at the center rather than at the school. Before a center can find somebody eligible for training services it has to gather enough to decide, at a minimum through an interview, evaluation or assessment and career planning. Referring a person to the provider they have chosen and setting up the account both come after that, and both are the center's to do — the account is a payment agreement with the training provider, and it is the provider that is paid through it. So the call belongs before enrolling and before paying. Anyone who has already done either should still ask, and ask what it means for them.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
Capitola Career Center - America`s Job Center of California (AJCC)Affiliate site
Phone: 831-464-6286
2045 40th AvenueSuite BCapitola, CA 95010about 5.5 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm
Has a veterans' representative
SCCOE - Suenos Youth Program ServicesAffiliate site
Phone: 831-466-5672
229 Green Valley RoadSequoia SchoolsFreedom, CA 95019about 6.9 miles away
Hours: Monday-Friday 9a.m.-5p.m.
Santa Cruz County, Workforce, Watsonville Career CenterComprehensive center
Phone: 831-763-8933
500 Westridge DriveCounty of Santa Cruz, South County Government CenterWatsonville, CA 95076about 7.9 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm Closed 12:00 noon - 1pm
At a comprehensive center all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →