Consider a Career in Court Reporting or Captioning

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November marked National Career Development Month, the perfect time for exploring the benefits of stenographic court reporting or captioning as a chosen profession, according to the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the country’s leading organization representing stenographic court reporters, captioners, and legal videographers.

According to NCRA Vice President Kristin M. Anderson, RPR, an official court reporter from San Antonio, Texas, whether you are a high school senior not sure about taking the college path for your future, are interested in learning a new skill, seeking a new career option, or transitioning out of the military or are a military spouse, a career in stenographic court reporting and captioning could be the perfect fit for you, and it doesn’t require a four-year degree or the high tuitions costs that go along with one.

“My dad introduced me to the profession. He was a tax accountant and thought it would be a great career for me. I went and shadowed the experience my senior year of high school with one of my teachers who had a former student that was an official at our country courthouse. A few years later, I started my first job there and was her coworker for three and half years before moving to Kansas City, Kansas, for 10 years and then to San Antonio, for nearly nine years,” said Anderson.

“The most rewarding part about my career is being the impartial guardian of the record in the midst of the pursuit of law, order, and justice on my trustworthy steno machine while providing realtime to my judge. This is something a human stenographer does better than any other means of capturing the record,” she added.

Anderson attributed the networking and membership provided by NCRA that led her to working as an official first in Kansas City, and then as a federal court reporter in San Antonio, and to her current position as an official court reporter in Bexar County and added that one of the most rewarding aspects of her career has also been the many friendships and professional connections she has been blessed with along her journey.

“Court reporting is the best career you have ever heard of. You learn something new every single day, and our unique skill set challenges us each day as well,” Anderson said. “You can caption, work as an official, or you can freelance report. Court reporting is a career that can adapt with you during all your life changes from being single, marriage, having children, the options and opportunities are endless, and there are job openings for you when you complete your education and certification. What more could one ask for in a rewarding profession? Ask me what my superpower is...I am a stenographer!” she added.

Anderson has more than 20 years of experience in the court reporting field and holds the nationally recognized professional certification of Registered Professional Reporter (RPR). She has worked both as a freelance reporter in Kansas and Missouri and as an official court reporter in Illinois and Kansas.

NCRA’s A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program, a free online six-to eight week introductory course lets participants see if a career in court reporting or captioning would be a good choice for them. The program is an introductory course in stenographic theory and provides participants with the opportunity to learn the basics of writing on a steno machine. There is no charge to take the course, but participants are required to have access to a steno machine or an iPad they can use to download an iStenoPad app.

The NCRA A to Z programs are taught by volunteer professionals working in the court reporting and captioning arenas, who also share insights into the many aspects of court reporting and captioning that make it a viable profession, including good salaries, flexibility, interesting venues, and the increasing demand for more reporters and captioners to meet the growing number of employment opportunities available in the field.

If you’re looking for a career that is on the cutting edge of technology, offers the opportunity for work at home or abroad, like to write, enjoy helping others, and are fast with your fingers, then the fields of court reporting and captioning are careers you should explore. To learn more about the A to Z program, please visit www. atozdiscoversteno.org.

Court reporters and captioners rely on the latest in technology to use stenographic machines to capture the spoken word and translate it into written text in real time. These professionals work both in and out of the courtroom recording legal cases and depositions, providing live captioning of events, and assisting members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities with gaining access to information, entertainment, educational opportunities, and more.

To arrange an interview with Kristin Anderson, a working court reporter, or a current court reporting student, or to learn more about the lucrative and flexible court reporting or captioning professions and the many job opportunities currently available, contact pr@ ncra.org.

About NCRA

The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) has been the internationally recognized for promoting excellence among those who capture and convert the spoken word to text for more than 100 years. NCRA is committed to supporting its more than 13,000 members in achieving the highest level of professional expertise with educational opportunities and industry-recognized court reporting, educator, and videographer certification programs. NCRA impacts legislative issues and the global marketplace through its actively involved membership.

Forbes has named court reporting as one of the best career options that do not require a traditional four-year degree. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the court reporting field is expected to be one of the fastest areas of projected employment growth across all occupations. According to 247/WallSt.com, the court reporting profession ranks sixth out of 25 careers with the lowest unemployment rate, just 0.7 percent. Career information about the court reporting profession—one of the leading career options that do not require a traditional fouryear degree—can be found at NCRA DiscoverSteno.org.