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INCOME POTENTIAL
A survey of members of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) in 1999 indicated that the average annual income for respondents was $61,380; NCRA studies indicate that 25% of reporters earn more than $100,000 per year.
Income depends on location, level of training, the type of certification achieved, areas of specialization, and other factors. Earning potential often is limited only by the amount of time a reporter is willing to devote to the profession.
DEMAND
The 100 Best Jobs for the 1990’s and Beyond, a book by Carol Kleiman, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune syndicated in over 300 newspapers, highlights Court Reporting among the fastest growing segments of the service-providing sector for well into the 21st century. The US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that job opportunities in this field will grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2008.
Because of rising crime rates, bigger government, more regulations, and the increasingly litigious nature of our society, Court Reporting is a career field with continuing strong demand. Adding substantially to this demand are: television and classroom closed captioning and the rapidly growing number of professionals and businesses who receive text via the Internet.
FLEXIBILITY
A great benefit to being a court reporter is the freedom, independence, and flexibility that the career offers. You can almost select the lifestyle you want by becoming one of the following types of reporters:
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Official Court Reporter
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Freelance Reporter
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Cyber-Conferencing (Internet/Intranet) Reporter
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Convention Reporter
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Corporate Reporter
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Real-time Reporter
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Television or Classroom Closed Captionist
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Medical Transcriptionist
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Legal Transcriptionist
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Scopist, Notereader, Proofreader
Once you’ve been nationally certified, you can work anywhere in the U.S.; some states require specific exams, but they use essentially the same standards set by the NCRA (National Court Reporters Association).
PRESTIGE
As a Court Reporter, you are a professional. You will earn respect and be admired by others. Your peers will be lawyers, judges, doctors, and business executives.
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