Why Court Reporting?

I know what you are thinking. You want me to become a "WHAT"? WHY?

Well, let me give you three reasons why you might want to consider this career. First, court reporters earn an average of $67,000 per year. Second, there are not nearly enough court reporters to fill the growing demand. (It also doesn’t hurt that the job cannot be outsourced to India or China). And third, most court reporters work for themselves. They don’t have bosses. They are the bosses. NICE!

So, why haven’t you ever seen one? Well, you probably have. We have all seen them at one point or another. In the movie "Alex and Emma", Kate Hudson was a stenographer (check out her machine) working for Luke Wilson. On court TV, the reporter sits near the judge taking down testimony using a steno writer, and though you can’t see them, who do think creates those captions that fly across the bottom of the television screen at your grandmother’s house or at the gym? That’s right, a court reporter.

Now you are probably thinking that it sounds boring. WRONG! Boring is doing the same thing day after day. For court reporters doing depositions, every day is different: new case, new lawyer, new location. For television captioners working breaking news stories or live action sporting events, every minute is different. Many even compete in contests to see who is faster and more accurate. One reporter just set a record for the Guinness’ Book Of Records by writing 360 words in one minute. Yeah, try that one at home!

Are you a good candidate? Do you play a musical instrument or ever wanted to? That helps because we write words the way they sound, using more than one finger at a time, just like playing notes and chords on a piano. Oh, and you don’t have to be a great typist. You do need to have great focus skills, a positive attitude, a solid foundation in grammar, punctuation and vocabulary, and a desire to work in a profession. Most of all, you must be a motivated to practice every day on your own to perfect your skill.

So, what does it take to become a professional court reporter? Many students can complete their studies in two years or less. You should look for a program that offers a real time theory of writing, a comprehensive program to build speed up to certification standards, computer and software training for real time writing, grammar and punctuation, legal and medical terminology, and internship requirements to prepare you for the real world.

If you are really curious, speak to a court reporter. You’ll be hard pressed to find one who doesn’t love what they do.

Editorial provided by Jonathan Freeman, New England Court Reporting Institute.