Court reporting is a job that requires court reporters to record word for word, verbatim, all conversations that take place at the events they cover. While in the past court reporters were limited to courtroom proceedings, today's of court reporters have a wide array of jobs that they can take on, including class lectures, TV broadcasts and other events that require detailed documentation and TV closed captions.
Court reporting is one of those jobs that is expected to have a robust growth within the coming years. This is basically because of the need for transcription, which is something that machines have yet to master. If you want to switch careers, you should consider a job as a court reporter.
The good thing about being a courtroom reporter is that you do freelance work instead of being employed, except of course, if you are employed by the justice department. If you do well, you could earn upwards of $50,000 per year or over $4,000 per month, which is something that many Americans can only dream of.
So, what does it take to become a court reporter? Two skills: typing skills and listening skills. By typing skills, we mean typing speeds of over 200 words per minute (the average person is only able to write 70 words at ultra-high speeds. Aside from skills, you need to enroll yourself in court reporting training.
You can get your training at a community college or at a specialty institution that offers only court reporting. Your training could be in brick-and-mortar classroom or a virtual classroom or a combination of both. For us, it does not matter. What matters is that you get training from an institution that is recognized by the United States Court Reporters Association. Once you are enrolled, you will need to get your very own stenograph. Some firms like https://naegeliusa.com/tacoma/ will supply you with one.
Stenographs are not cheap, and the new models can easily cost you $1,000 or more. In any case, you should not think of it as a cost. Think of it as an investment in your future. Besides, you're welcome to buy something second hand. Once you are done with your training, you can then proceed to get certified.
We don't have the details on this process, so we would ask you to get information from the National Court Reporters Association, or even at your state justice department.