When the JCR Weekly asked readers in May about their workloads, we were intrigued by the responses. We reached out to some of the members who participated to learn a little more about what their work lives look like today.
The responses revealed some small — and somewhat surprising — trends. While the replies are entirely anecdotal and should not be viewed as statistically representative of the profession, they offer a fascinating snapshot of where some NCRA members are in their careers right now.
One commonality was that most of the people who responded said that their areas had a lot of work available — with California, Illinois, New York, and Wisconsin being mentioned by name. Several people mentioned that there was still a shortage of reporters in their areas and that they sensed that they were just a few retirements away from being overwhelmed.
Looking at the responses as a whole, nearly half of the replies came from official court reporters. Our current estimate is that officials make up about 25-30 percent of the stenographic professions (officials, freelancing, and broadcast or CART captioning).
In addition, many of the people who wrote back mentioned that they have more than 25 years in the profession already. One almost-retired person said: “I am very close to retirement (going on 43 years total freelance and official) and this is the best profession ever!”
Remote work continues to be one of the services many reporters offer — even in courthouses. While only a handful of captioners responded, the captioners said that they split their time between remote and in-person work, as did many freelancers. The officials who responded mentioned that they were mostly working in-person, but that they were occasionally doing remote work, even if it was just on an as-needed basis.
You’re either growing or you’re dying. Choose to grow!
Several of the people who responded are working part-time by choice and said they had as much work as they wanted. A different near-retired person explained her circumstances as follows: “I proofread mostly for my daughter now who is a newer court reporter because she’s chasing that dollar and is a workhorse! I proof for others in emergencies and when time allows me to do so, and I get a huge variation in the kinds of jobs I proof.”
Many people volunteered that they have earned student certifications in their state, many citing state, national, and — most specifically — realtime certifications. Several listed the credentials they held through NCRA! One of the officials mentioned that, although she doesn’t have a realtime certification yet, her judge is hard of hearing, so providing realtime helps him when he’s struggling to hear.
Prompted for advice on finding more work, we gathered these suggestions:
- You’re either growing or you’re dying. Choose to grow! Growth doesn’t happen in the places you’re comfortable – and you never know what you’re capable of until you try.
- Be willing to go to in-person jobs.
- Be personable, get to know the needs of the area, don’t be afraid to ask questions, figureout what the attorneys in your area actually want (everyone wants realtime, other areas everyone wants rough drafts), and literally always carry business cards on you.
- Network, hone all of your skills, be willing to step out of your comfort zone.
- Become certified. Attorneys and judges respect those certifications!
- Try going remote. If your state is not busy, try getting certified for a busier state like California and/or New York.
- If you can cover in court to give officials a break, that would be helpful. Some counties and states will not pay for per diem reporters, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. Some official reporters will use scopists or proofreaders, so reaching out to offer your services in that regard is also a possibility.
- Don’t work for just one agency. Make yourself available to any and all, and the work will come your way. There’s plenty of it out there.
The responses suggest that experience, flexibility, and professional development continue to play important roles in building and sustaining successful career.
We hope you enjoy this glimpse into their experiences. As you read, we’d love to hear: How closely does this snapshot match your own situation?
The JCR Weekly Question of the Week is an informal, self-selecting reader poll and is not intended to produce statistically valid results. We continue to ask these questions because readers enjoy participating and because the responses often spark useful and interesting conversations. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts.
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