Court reporting or captioning???

[Angelia Bell]

I'm already enrolled at Huntington Jr College but I'm still researching other schools & what I'm noticing is that alot of them have a certain curriculum for court reporting or one for CART/captioning. You have to choose. And I'm not sure which one I'm more interested in! I think I'd like to try both. Working as an official court reporter seems very prestigious & important. I feel like I would really be contributing to the legal process. But then being a captioner sounds interesting & exciting to me because I'm a news/trivia/celebrity gossip junkie! And the prospect of working from home would allow for some flexibility in taking care of my family, etc. Ho-hum......I need to do more research on this. Any professionals out there in CSRnation, feel free to give me some insight!! I'm all ears!! =)

[Glen Warner]

Heh ...! Yes, I hear they're pretty comfy ... in fact, in one of the photo albums I saw of the recent convention in DC, Jill was wearing her bunny slippers!

[Angelia Bell]

LOL! I like the "required footwear" Glen! For those loong hours with my feet tucked under my legs..... =)

[Glen Warner]

Angelia --

Since you're going into captioning, don't forget that required footwear ....!

Oh, and you might want to check out Jill Driscoll's article when you get a chance, if you haven't already.

Good luck!

[Anna Marie DeLeo]

No, Angelia, I am no longer an official. The hours just got too long as I got older. I retired. I have a few of my own clients now and love it. I wish I was young enough to learn captioning. I now the money is good. Just think, you are at home and doing what you like. Perfect job. Good luck.

[Angelia Bell]

I'm not 100% certain but I think here in Texas reporters are assigned to one judge. Ugh...long hours, no break huh? Not very glamorous or prestigious. Well I decided to go with captioning. I spoke with the school advisor & she's helped me pick out a curriculum. I'm really excited! Are you still working as an official, Anna Marie?

[Anna Marie DeLeo]

Hi Angelia, go for the captioning. There is nothing prestigiious or important about being an official court reporter, unless you are talking about the Federal courts. I was an official for almost 20 years for the State of Illinois. You work very long hours, sometimes without a break. In the State of Illinois we are not assigned to one judge. We rotate. Perhaps it is different in your state.

[Glen Warner]

Hope it helps!

[Angelia Bell]

Very good point, Glen!! Didnt think of that. You are awesome! Thanks so much for that tip! ;-)

[Glen Warner]

Hi, Angelia.

I would check with schools in your area and see if they offer both curriculums ... and then ask them how quickly graduates of the captioning/CART curriculum start working as opposed to those in the regular court reporting curriculum.

If the court reporter-folk are getting work more quickly, I would recommend taking that curriculum ... and THEN going for the captioning/CART curriculum.

Of course, if it's the other way around, you know what to do ...!

--gdw
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"For a Good (steno) Time ...."
http://www.cheapandsleazy.net

[Janet]

Ditto to what Monica said. If you become a highly-skilled realtime writer, you then can choose what is best for you. I know there is CART training available and boot camps for captioning. It's great to be able to try them all. I've been an official, provided CART, and worked as a freelance court reporter. I actually enjoyed the time I spent in each. The only thing I haven't tried is captioning. For me, I'm happiest freelancing. I love the freedom and flexibility and the income.

Why are you considering changing schools?

Janet