What they didn't teach you in court reporting school...

source

Remember this poster/book? All I really need to know, I learned in kindergarten. I wish it worked like that for CR school. Everyone knows that no two court reporting schools are alike, and I'm sure there are schools out there that really do fully prepare you to transition into the working world after getting out of school, but the majority of them teach theory, speed, and then you're basically on your own.

Sure, the internship process does help teach you some job-specific skills, but until you're actually in the driver's seat and getting paid to produce professional quality transcripts, you just have no clue what's really involved. The beginning of your career is when having a mentor really comes in handy. He or she could be someone you networked with at a convention; other reporters at your firm or courthouse; or the helpful crowd on twitter, Facebook, and other social networks.

Graduation and Transition

source
I know I've been neglecting my blog lately, but it's all been for a good cause, I promise. The good news: I finally passed my last 225s and graduated from steno school! The bad news: My quest has come to an end of sorts.

Did I say that? Well, you can't get rid of me that easily, I'm afraid. I always wondered why my favorite steno student bloggers stopped updating their blogs once they started working, and now I know why. You have to write about what you know and live day-to-day. But court reporting-, captioning-, and CART professionals are always learning, reading, practicing, and upgrading/maintaining their skill set, so I see this blog not ending, but transitioning.

I welcome any ideas for posts, so feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail if there's something you'd like to read more about.