Court Reporting: An Under-Marketed Profession, Part 2

By Brittany Davies

In a previous blog I covered the fact that the profession of court reporting is an under-marketed profession and one that is in high demand.  You know the basics. Let’s hear from reporters why they love the job!

“I can say I always love the flexibility of my job, seeing new people, hearing new stories. It’s never boring!  This month marks my 38th year as a court reporter and I still love it!”

Jackie Jarboe, RPR

“I’ve been a reporter for nine years.  Court reporting is a career in which people constantly ask me, ‘When will you be replaced by a recording device?’  My response is always the same: They’ve tried that method over and over again. There really isn’t anything as accurate as having a live and in-person body taking down everything verbatim. I think that that is a pretty awesome skill, to be able to take down, with little error, words that are sometimes spoken at 235+ words per minute.

Another reason why I would recommend a career in reporting is because there is so much variety. Personally, I am in a different location each day, hearing different cases and meeting different people. Speaking of variety, if you have the drive and ambition to be a reporter, there are many avenues to pursue with that skill: Freelance reporting, officialships, closed captioning or even one-on-one with a hard-of-hearing individual. Last, but not least, with court reporting requiring generally a two-year degree, the earning potential is huge. If you’re a hard worker and motivated, you will definitely have a lucrative career.”

Stephanie Marks, RPR-CRR

“I have been reporting for 41 years and in May of 2016 it will be 42 years. The things I love about my profession are:

• Meeting new people almost on a daily basis from my area and from all over the country.
• Providing realtime to clients and seeing how much they appreciate the service and the value it provides them. Realtime also challenges my skill set and keeps me on my toes!
• Every workday, I learn something new.  What I have learned throughout my career really comes in handy when I’m at a gathering striking up conversations!”

Dianna Kilgalen

“I was in university in 2004, but I had no end goal career in sight.  My friends and family knew I was looking for something else, but I didn’t know what.  My boyfriend’s mother suggested I should try that thing that her daughter’s husband’s sister does.  I called my boyfriend’s sister’s husband’s sister and asked her about her job and what it entailed.  It sounded as if somebody had taken the (very) few things I was naturally gifted at and made a job out of it!  I called up the only court reporting school in Canada at that time and transferred over as quickly as possible.

Being a court reporter has many things that make it unusual.  Every single person you meet has no idea what it is, but they are always interested.  People love to look at the steno machine and press the buttons.

Every day is something a little different with new people and new challenges.  You never know what people are going to say. You have to be prepared for anything because anything really gets said sometimes, like the time the Ph.D. economist witness started discussing “heteroscedasticity” in a hearing, while the lawyers at the back of the hearing room giggled after seeing the confused expression on my face.

Traveling was always my dream and was a major reason why I chose this profession.  Now I get to live and work throughout Asia doing depositions and arbitrations, experiencing different cultures while doing a job I love.  There is even a word for us in Japanese:  “sokki-sha” or 速記者 meaning “shorthand person.”  Just be careful how you pronounce it.  I once had some Japanese people convinced I was an executioner!”

Mary Allred, RPR, Planet Depos International Court Reporter

If you or someone you know would be interested in becoming a court reporter, check out NCRA’s Take Note campaign to learn more about the career! If you are currently a court reporter and are interested in joining the Planet Depos team, view our opportunities here.