Each day consists of the same process: I administer the oath to the parties, type the transcript, and then begin the editing process. The location is usually in a new location with new people. I like that the witness is always different; you never know what you're going to get.
CAREER
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners
Overview
Salary Median (2020)
$61,660
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)
+8.9% (as fast as the average)
Career
Roadtrip Nation Leaders in This Career
What Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners Do
Use verbatim methods and equipment to capture, store, retrieve, and transcribe pretrial and trial proceedings or other information. Includes stenocaptioners who operate computerized stenographic captioning equipment to provide captions of live or prerecorded broadcasts for hearing-impaired viewers.
Other Job Titles Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners May Have
Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR), Court Monitor, Court Recording Monitor, Court Reporter, Court Stenographer, Deposition Reporter, Digital Court Reporter, Official Court Reporter, Realtime Court Reporter, Stenographer
How Leaders Describe a Typical Day at Work
Tasks & Responsibilities May Include
- Record verbatim proceedings of courts, legislative assemblies, committee meetings, and other proceedings, using computerized recording equipment, electronic stenograph machines, or stenomasks.
- Proofread transcripts for correct spelling of words.
- Ask speakers to clarify inaudible statements.
- Provide transcripts of proceedings upon request of judges, lawyers, or the public.
- Transcribe recorded proceedings in accordance with established formats.
Education
Level of Education Attained by Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners
Most common level of education among people in
this career: Associate's degree (39%)
High school diploma or equivalent
Some college, no degree
Associate's degree
Other*
*All other responses combined for clarity.
Majors Related to Career
Educational Paths Suggested by Leaders
Suggested Path
Bachelor
Linguistics
Associates
Court Reporting and Captioning/Court Reporter
Additional Skills & Experiences That Can Help You Excel
All of my experience traveling solo has enabled me to be excited of going somewhere unknown and the challenges of meeting new people who have unique forms of expressing themselves. Leading classrooms made me comfortable taking charge of people but doing so in a soft way. You have to be accountable for yourself and continuously rise to the challenge because your job depends on understanding the way someone is speaking.
Getting Started
Recommended First Step for:
Everyone
Discover your learning style. School is a great way to find out what you love and what you hate. I knew to follow certain drives and am now comfortable being more settled and less exploratory. But that's because I did so much of that exploring before plunging into a new career. There's always going to be a box that you can choose to fill or not fill. If you have to fill it because that role is something advantageous for you, then find the best way for yourself to do that.
This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
