Court reporting is a wonderful and unique job. It is probably the legal position that holds the least amount of recognition, but it demands the highest level of expertise, and can often fetch better pay than that of a trial lawyer. The flexibility of its hours is nearly unmatched in the scope of legal jobs, and even when considering all available jobs, the freedom given regarding its hours compared to its pay cannot easily be beat. With the economy as it is right now, one might wonder just how easy it is to become hired as a court reporter. “Are there enough jobs available for me?” a prospective court reporter might ask. “What is the pay like?” another might wonder. If you happen to fall into this category of hopefuls, you can rest assured that plenty of opportunities available for you.
| Earth’s population is increasing at an alarming rate, for better or for worse, and this fast multiplying aggregation is constantly in need for quicker and more efficient ways of record and data storage, as evidenced even by the extreme growth in computer RAM within the past decade. Court reporters operate at the forefront of record storage, and these “guardians of the record” are therefore needed more and more often. As days go by, more and more court cases are held, and each major case is significant enough to be preserved, for posterity if nothing else. The demand for court reporter jobs is expected to increase by a quarter of its current state by the year 2016. In those coming years, the pay rate will surely rise along with the demand, and if you are lucky and determined enough to become a part of the court reporting community within the near future, you will find yourself a willing part of this massive expansion. | Court reporter jobs abound in America, and are actually one of the most available and open jobs on the job market right now. Nearly every major city in America is desperate for court reporters. In fact, a great many lawyers in the largest metropolitan areas have to contend with poorly talented court reporters or overworked ones, and neither is a welcome option, especially when even the slightest mistake made on a transcript can mean the difference between a “guilty” verdict and a “not guilty” verdict. You may wonder what you are expected to do if you wish to become a court reporter. As you may have heard in many other places, the easiest way to gain employment is by study through a court reporting program accredited by the National Court Reporters Association, and to obtain certification, also usually through the NCRA. The NCRA is the most common name in court reporting, and if you have been doing any large amount of research lately on the topic, you have no doubt heard this name come up frequently. You are probably already aware of the stenography skill required in most court reporter jobs. It is true that the stenotype machine is a mainstay of court reporting, but for the last few years, stenotype operation has been augmented by realtime court reporting software. Realtime court reporting is a method by which the shorthand transcribed on a stenotype machine is translated directly and almost instantaneously to written English, which appears on computer screens located in various places throughout the court room. The concept of having the transcript placed directly in front of concerned parties is a benefit to lawyers, litigants, jurors, and even the hard of hearing and deaf community, who are now able to view court room proceedings in a fuller and more complete manner. Mastery of realtime court reporting involves initially achieving quick stenography speed and then incorporating a software dictionary which is continually updated by you, the court reporter, to include and quickly translate terms and phrases which may appear in court room conversation. This can take up to two years to have perfected. Of course, any job like this will not come easily. The most important determinant of the quality of the life is you and you alone. What you take on and complete yourself will surely bring rewards, and this goes as well for court reporter jobs. |
