Calling all Court Reporters. Are you happy with what you do??? Is the countless training worth it?

Question

I'm I'm 28 years old and currently a Legal secretary and have been for 7 years. I have been weighing the option of going back to school to be a court reporter. I like the idea of flexibility and working from home as I plan on starting a family in the next 3-5 years.


I may have to quit my secretarial job and get a job as a manager in retail (my old record store job from before I was a legal secretary.) for awhile to accommodate school as I would need something closer to my house and with more flexible hours. It would be a pay cut, but I live out in the suburbs and work in Chicago so I commute for 3 hours a day using public transportation (the train). So while I'll be making less, I'll have about 15 extra hours a week.

do you think its worth it or am I crazy???? I don't want to make a huge mistake.

So court reporters... Do you love what you do? Do you enjoy your career? I would really love your opinion.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

I attended Court Reporting school and worked Judicial.

I'll give you my perspective about school-

Learning Theory is very, very important. You must understand and practice it from the beginning, otherwise it could be a struggle. The keyboard is blank and you must memorize the keys, as well as combinations, i.e. EU keys on the lower right side = "I"

I didn't finish due to family constraints; however I took a judicial state test for a lower title/less speed, using the steno machine.

It's challenging, with emphasis on focus, self-motivation, determination, persistence and daily practice, in school and at home.
Some students practiced only in school, didn't at home, then when others who started after them went on to higher speeds-they couldn't get why.

You may, after reaching a certain speed, hit what we call a "plateau." It'll seem as though no matter how hard you try, you can't break through to the higher speed. Don't give up. Keep practicing at speeds at least 10wpm higher than what you're doing, to allow for drops. Throw in some "book practice" - reading Literary, Q&A, Congressional, while practicing. Take down speeches or Q&A especially from "the man off the street" during newscasts from TV. In other words, when you come home from school, immediately set up your machine. It'll seem as though you're addicted. : ) Eventually you'll cut through.

Call for an appointment to visit an accredited NCRA ("National Court Reporter's Association) school within your area. Observe a class in action. Speak to the Director. Ask if you could leave your name and a graduate contact you. Based on your visit, you'll get an idea.

Or visit a court in session. When there's recess, ask either one of the court officers, or the Court Clerk if you could speak to the Reporter (don't just walk up to the Reporter, it would look suspicious). Some, if not most, are only happy to talk to you about their job/experiences, and may even give you their business card if you ask for it, and have further questions.

Also, find out what association's in your state, i.e. New York State Court Reporters Association. Every state has one. Either call, Email or visit their message board and post that you're a student and would like some insight. Someone's bound to respond. : )

There are more opportunities now than when I started. Close- captioning is now the law, and accredited schools are training. Great for anyone who wants to work from home.

All the best to you. Any questions, please feel free to Email me.

Source(s):

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/stenotype
www.ncraonline.org

Retired judicial worker.