Are you a student trying to decide what to do when you finish high school? Or maybe you have recently lost your job and are thinking about a new career. Court reporting might be worth considering as court reporter salaries continue to increase.

Being a court reporter involves taking words spoken and transcribing them into written words. In court settings, they are usually at the front of the courtroom, and you can see them rapidly typing everything spoken. Their job is vital for the court records to be accurate.

Court reporters have two means of recording the spoken words. They may do steno typing or voice writing. When steno typing is used, a particular machine is used that has different symbols for sounds and words. With voice writing, the recorder speaks into a special mask and records the testimony. The mask is sound proof, so that no one else can hear her words. Both can either be transcribed later, or if properly equipped, can be transcribed in real time.

Stringent training is necessary to become a certified court reporter. Different levels and certifications are available. The more certifications received, the better qualified you will before more jobs with higher pay. Usually, training takes around two and a half years at least. There is a level of training available at around six months, but it will limit both your job opportunities and pay. Learning continues even after certification. Most recorders have to take a certain number of continuing education classes in order to remain certified.

Although we commonly think of court reporters working only in a courtroom setting, this is not always the case. Some work for a fixed salary while others prefer to work on a freelance basis. Freelancers do things like take statements for lawyers, take minutes of meeting, and record important functions at various conventions. A very rapidly growing job for court reporters is doing closed captioning for television. While some prefer to work for the government on a salary with benefits, others prefer freelancing. Some choose to do a little of both.

An entry level court reporter can usually expect to make between 40,000 to 50,000 dollars per year. A more experienced reporter might make between 75,000 to 90,000 a year. Some even go well above the 100,000 dollar mark. Of course, not everyone can expect to make this much. Where you live, and the type of recording you do can make a big difference on salary. No matter what your salary level, there are some skills that all in this profession need. Speed and precision in recording is a must. You must have extremely good listening ability. Good computer knowledge and the ability to meet deadlines in a timely manner are also critical. Unless you are working on salary for 8-9 hours per day, you will also need to have flexible working hours and days.

Although a difficult job, court reporting is a very important occupation. With more and more reporters needed each year, court reporter salaries will continue to grow with the demand.

So just what is a court stenographer? Learn more about a career as a court reporter from: http://www.courtreportersalarydata.com