The court reporter has one of the most demanding jobs in the courtroom, as she or he must capture every word uttered throughout a hearing without making mistakes. A court reporter will either record the proceedings is shorthand using a stenotype machine, or a laptop with stenographic software installed, or even use software which translates the spoken word to text. There are several directions in which a career in court reporting can take you outside of the courtroom, however. Court reporters often work in the field of webcasting, keeping transcripts of business meetings and press conferences, and providing closed-captioning for the hearing impaired for any number of television broadcasts. Many court reporters are even self-employed.

The likelihood of finding employment after gaining certification is very good, and the field of court reporting and all its related careers continues to grow. The demand for live television captioning and multilingual captioning accounts for much of the high employment ate among certified court reporters. A court reporter generally needs no more than an associates degree, which can be earned in two years-sometimes less. However, becoming adept at quickly and accurately transcribing the spoken word takes time and practice. The potential salary of a court reporter is on average about $45,000/year, with about $25,000/year being the bottom of the potential earnings bracket and close to $90,000/year being the top. Court reporters also generally charge a per-page fee that is not reflected in salary.

Court reporting is a career path you can customize according to your desire. Once you become comfortable in one area, you can get yourself a promotion by earning additional certifications to work press conferences, to conduct legal video transcriptions, and to caption live broadcasts.

Although much of your work will require you to remain seated, sometimes for long hours, the excitement of working an important case can make up for it. You will get a front row seat to some fast-paced courtroom drama. However, repetitive stress injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome are common among court reporters, as is back and neck pain from remaining in a seated position for long periods of time. This work can also be rough on the eyes, so make friends with your optometrist and try to be aware if you have to squint to read and write.

Training programs can be found online, at community colleges and universities, and learn-from home programs. Expect to spend no less than eighteen months taking classes, no matter which program you choose, and two years is more common. You may be interested in attaining any number of post-graduate certifications. These can vary in time and expense, but will only help you find work, and you can usually work on your certification while you are working in the field.

It will further improve your chances of employment if you keep abreast of state, local, and national politics, as these events are often at the heart of your job. Hone your speaking skills as well: you will more than likely be rigorously interviewed before every event you are asked to document, and your ability to communicate clearly indicates your ability to quickly and accurately process the spoken word.

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Author Bio: Check out www.CookandWiley.com Central Virginia\’s leading court reporter and provider video and support services to law firms.

Category: Career
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