Following in his father’s steno footsteps

When longtime member and NCRF Trustee Rich Germosen, FAPR, RDR, CRR, introduced his son Vic to the NCRA A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program, he opened the door to a shared journey rooted in support, legacy, and a love for the profession.

For Vic Germosen, a conversation with his dad – and a borrowed steno machine – kicked off his venture into court reporting. Rich, a freelance agency owner from North Brunswick, N.J., encouraged his son to check out the NCRA A to Z program as he thought it might be a good fit for him. His hunch proved correct, and Vic completed the program earlier this year. He is now studying theory. With a background in music and a knack for patterns, Vic found the rhythm of the machine surprisingly intuitive. As Vic continues his training, the Germosens are learning about what happens when they walk the same professional path – albeit from opposite ends of experience – one steno key at a time.

The JCR caught up with both Rich and Vic to find out more about their experience and about what’s next for Vic.

RICH GERMOSEN:

A man wearing a dark blue blazer over a black collared shirt smiles at the camera while standing in front of a solid orange-red background. He is bald with a neatly trimmed beard and goatee, presenting a polished and professional appearance. — Rich Germosen

JCR | Rich, your son is on his way to joining your ranks. What does it mean to you for him to be joining the profession?

RG | I’m happy that he’s decided to attempt to do this. He’s very early in his court reporting journey. Vic finished the NCRA A to Z program a few weeks ago and has started theory.

JCR | As a parent and a professional in this field, what were your hopes for him going into the program?

RG | I think it is great to have the program available to potential steno students these days. Obviously, we didn’t have it back in the 90s when I decided to go to court reporting school. I was hopeful that Vic would complete the program and decide to go forward. I told him that he will know by the end of the program if this is something he’d like to pursue. He got to the end of the course and decided to go forward with steno school.

JCR | How did you support him during A to Z?

RG | I sent Vic the link to the NCRA website and told him to go through the steps to get started. I loaned one of my backup writers to him. I showed him how to set up the writer and how to keep his hands low to the writer.

JCR | What advice would you give to other parents whose children might be considering following in their footsteps?

RG | My advice would be to sign up for the course and complete it. You have absolutely nothing to lose and you have a wonderful profession to gain out of the NCRA A to Z program.

JCR | Looking ahead, what are your hopes or goals for the future, both for Vic’s journey and for your shared connection to the profession?

RG | I’m hopeful that Vic continues and finishes his court reporting schooling and is able to get out into the field and start reporting in a handful of years while enjoying writing on the writer as much as I do. I can imagine sharing briefs and sharing how to write different words or phrases with him.

VIC GERMOSEN

JCR | What sparked your interest in exploring court reporting or captioning?

VG | My father mentioned the NCRA A to Z program to me and that he thought it would be a good fit for me. So I decided to sign up. I like that you have freedom to make your own schedule and that you’re able to make a good living. I’ve observed my father being a court reporter, as well as my older cousin Kenny, who has been a court reporter for the last three or four years. My father took me to “take your kid to work day” when I was younger. We went to New York City for the day. It was a great experience.

JCR | What was your favorite part of the NCRA A to Z experience?

VG | I liked that it was self-paced. Learning the language of steno was definitely interesting – how to write each letter out and how an H and an R make an L. Having studied music, I’ve used a lot of mnemonic devices as a way of learning. So I was trying to apply that to memorizing the steno keys and how to write out letters that had combinations.

JCR | Was there anything that surprised you or that you found especially challenging?

VG | Throughout the videos the instructor would mention that writing words on the machine is like hitting chords on the piano. I played the piano for several years, and this made a lot of sense to me.

JCR | What are you most looking forward to as you continue your training?

RG | I’m looking forward to learning the entire keyboard and to start gaining speed. I’m looking forward to improving each day, getting out into the field, and taking down testimony.

JCR | Any advice for someone who might be thinking about taking the NCRA A to Z course but isn’t sure?

VG | Definitely do it. I did the asynchronous NCRA A to Z course as opposed to the live classes. You need to be as disciplined to do the asynchronous course as you are on your own and it’s self-paced. My advice is to sign up and complete the course to see if it’s a good fit. Good luck to all that decide to pursue it.

The NCRA A to Z Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program is a free six-week course to learn the basics of steno writing to discover if a career in captioning or court reporting is the right career for you. Learn more.