Thursday, September 20, 2012

Good News If You're Considering a Career As a Court Reporter

With the tough times of today's economy, many people are considering a career change or a field with plenty of job opportunities and chances for advancements. If this is the case, a career as a court reporting professional may be just the answer you are looking for. Court reporters, or stenographers are in high demand, earn a competitive salary, and have plenty of opportunities to advance with extra training and certification. This makes this career an excellent choice.
If you are interested in obtaining a career as a stenographer, there are several different options you have. But you must first pass the Court Reporting exams. To prepare you for these exams, you will need to take courses at a school or enroll in a program at a community college or major university.
There are different licenses that a court reporter can hold and most states require you to obtain at least one. To obtain your license, you'll have to demonstrate that you can accurately complete the skills you learned in your education and training. The type of license you'll need varies depending on what kind of court reporter you have trained to become. Obtaining your degree as a court reporter will take approximately two to four years. In a court reporting program you will learn many of the skills that you will need to be successful in your career such as typing skills, courtroom language and terms, how to use a stenotype machine to transcribe what is said in the courtroom, and computer skills.
Once you've finished your formal training, there's still quite a bit of on-the-job education you'll need in order to be successful in your career. As much as you might have practiced during your schooling, there's nothing quite like going into a courtroom and trying to keep up with the fast pace of everything that's going on. Because this is such a demanding job, you're bound to make a few mistakes here and there. Learning how to handle these mistakes and improve your accuracy is something that your education can't always prepare you for, but is definitely one of the requirements most desired by prospective employers. When you're learning to be a court reporter, you need to be very observant and see firsthand how things are done in the courtroom. A good way to gain experience is to contact someone at the courthouse and get them to take you inside so that you can watch the proceedings. You could even talk to the reporter on the case and ask for tips on how to do the job more efficiently. This will also be beneficial when you are finished with your program because you will have established contacts that may help you in obtaining a job.
Becoming a stenographer requires a lot of skill, dedication, and education, in order to be successful. Good candidates must have strong typing skills, good grammar, and an interest in the legal system. If you're interested in becoming a court reporter, you might find it helpful to shadow someone in the field before beginning your training program.