subject: How To Develop A Court Reporter Career [print this page] There are several things a person has to consider when they are trying to develop their court reporter career. The most important is how they are going to earn a living and what type of work they are going to be doing. The more thought a person puts into their future, the better the likelihood that they are going to have a long and fulfilling career.
When a person first decides on this career field, they usually think that the only thing they are going to be doing is transcribing all sorts of interesting cases. It is not until they have started working that they realize that there are some various aspects of the career that they failed to consider.
One of the first things a person faces when they get out of school is whether or not they want to work full time. Many courts do hire a full time person to transcribe their cases, but the transcriptions are usually only part of the person's job description. The person is also expected to fulfill other administrative tasks. The type of things the person does usually depends on the structure of the area where you are working.
There are several advantages to working full time. The most obvious ones are that the individual will be getting a steady paycheck and will be eligible for benefits. Another perk is that they will be able to establish a close relationship with the other court employees.
If a person is planning on being employed full time they should plan on taking several business courses along with their degree classes. The classes that they will most want of focus on include office management. It also would not hurt for them to take a couple of legal courses as well.
The other option the person has is to freelance. This means that whenever a court needs help, they give the individual a call. Smaller county courts do not usually need a freelance person, but larger county, state, and federal courts do. There are some advantages and disadvantages to freelancing.
The thing that freelancers most like about their job is that they usually get more interesting trials than they would if they worked as a full time staff person at a smaller county courtroom. They also get to meet lots of interesting people. On the other hand they do not collect a regular paycheck, they have to take care of their own health insurance, and they often get called at the last minute.
Individuals have to carefully consider their personality and family situation when they are trying to develop their court reporter career. They should also talk to other people who are working in the field and ask for their opinions. The good news is that even if the person does not like the choice they made, they can always change their mind and try something different.
