Like the dawn of
each new day brings a fresh start, so too may a court reporting
career be re-created anew. After seven-plus years of self-employed
deposition reporting and a brief stint doing CART work for a college,
accepting a position as an official court reporter in 2019 has once
again invigorated my love for stenography. For example, I’ve
co-facilitated an A to Z intro to machine shorthand class to promote
our profession, and it was successful, so there’s already a second
session scheduled in 2020. Extra dictation practice while preparing
for my RMR certification has improved my speed, and I’ve had the
opportunity to build my dictionary & fine-tune my writing style
since arriving at the courthouse.
I’m aware of the
negative talk in the depo world about big box agencies, page rates,
contracting, etc., and after speaking with a brilliant reporter down
the hall, we agree that there’s a simple solution, and that’s for
veteran freelance reporters to give serious consideration to filling
a vacant officialship. In Wisconsin, where I work, there are
currently at least 13 openings, and putting qualified stenographers
in those offices will go a long way to uphold the value of the skill
set that we possess.
At the risk of this
starting to sound like a persuasive essay, the good pay, health
benefits, vacation time, interesting subject matter, and daily
interaction with amazing coworkers make me wonder why I didn’t take
the leap sooner. It’s still a bit surprising how enjoyable this new
opportunity is, especially considering that as a student and new
reporter, I never thought I'd work in court. Things often happen for a
reason, though, at the exact, right time as we are guided along
our paths in life.
People who have a
meaningful reason to get up each morning often do so cheerfully. I
hope you’ll give yourself the gift of new experiences, having
weekends truly to yourself, and making a fresh start as we uphold this important profession.
