A court reporter plays a vital role in the courtroom. This is a job that can be exciting and challenging and is not affected by the economy as there has to be one in a court of law for it to be legal. These jobs are not being replaced by computers and depend on persople to dictate everything said in a courtroom with speed and accuracy.
As a reporter you can choose to work for an official office or for yourself as an independent contractor. Even if you choose to work for an institution you can still work independently in addition to your regular job depending on your time. As you work you will be fulfilling a vital purpose for everyone.
You must be extremely intelligent and sharp to be a court reporting officer. It requires skills that are inbred and are also challenged and honed through training. All of these skills are learned but you must desire this focus for this profession.
Completing a certified program will take you about two or three years to finish and when you do you can get an accreditation. Once you do you will join the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) and be able to start working. Some affiliations will give you further on the job training to hone your skills.
The average typing speed of a reporter will type two hundred and twenty five words per minute. The regular typing is not what a court reporter does. Instead, they use a Qwerty type keyboard that is similar to many cellular phones on the market today. The board then transfers to a stenograph machine that a reporter uses that is typically connected to a computer in a modernized courtroom.
But it is not miniature typing but rather is a whole new language that you will need to learn as you go to school. This language is learned by using the board and where each letter is a sound and then once you learn this language you are able to type a conversation quickly.
If you like excitement then the life of a court reporter can be a fulfilling career. It takes a lot of dedication but it is a great skill and in high demand. Check out schools online that offer this training where you can go learn this skill and some even offer complete online training. Once you complete school you take a four part exam to become an accredited reporter.
There is no doubting the fact that a court reporter plays an essential role in the courtroom. That why we’ve got the inside skinny on the Court Reporter Depot .