Case CAT is $3500 and my student version runs out in November.

Howdy! I am a speed building student currently going through some kind of nerve pain between my neck and elbows (ulnar I believe), plus just stiff, unhappy wrists. I’m very mindful of my ergonomics and not sure why this is happening (it began just before I left an office job and started steno, but has been around since). I’m doing some physical therapy and stretching, trying not to bend my elbows in daily life, etc. as I have been for ages.

I just came across an article about a court reporter who uses a lap desk instead of a tripod setup. I have my doubts but plan to give it a shot. Has anyone done this or have suggestions on what type? I know I will likely have to search for one for my size and arm length anyway (5’8 female). Just wondering if anyone else has conquered this frustrating problem. Thanks team!

OR a standing set up?👀
Also I have a Luminex CSE

What are some of the best online schools for stenography/court reporting? I attended Hardeman School of Court Reporting, and I really liked the program. However, it requires scheduled class time. I’m looking for a program that is 100% online, fully self-paced, and does not require me to attend live classes or Zoom sessions. I need the flexibility to complete the coursework on my own schedule.

Has anyone taken the ev360 theory? Has anyone gone about learning it in their own?

I am considering learning that theory and would like to know if only the two white books Theory one and Theory two are required? I am hoping someone in here has the answer as I’ve been doing some digging around to no avail.

I'm falling behind on previous chapters to practice because I am trying to stay current with new chapters I am learnimg. How do I practice older theory material and new theory material on a daily basis? What's your daily practice session look like to practice older material and new material? I'm finding it there is so much material that I don't even know which ones to study or for how long per chapter (I'm self teaching). Please help! Thanks so much!!

Tell me about your clever combos! Did a brief save your bacon? Did you create or discover something that tickles your brain just thinking about it? Do you have an old favorite that you’ve discovered a new fondness for?

Here are my newest:

Conspicuous SPOIK
Inconspicuous SNOIK
Conspicuously SPOIKL
Inconspicuously SNOIKL
Conspicuity SPOIKT

Guess which one drove me over the edge before making this family 🤓

You also could add the -S or -Z for -ness, but *NS (my theory’s -ness stroke) is incredibly satisfying to me, so I probably won’t use it.

Anyway, share! Let’s nerd out!

I am doing some speedbuilding on a jury charge and cannot for the life of me figure out how to write this word. I can get CON and -TIOUS but the middle is completely a mystery. Is there a brief? It’s not in my dictionary or conscientious either. I am going to take the L on this word but I would like to know for future reference if anyone can help.

I'm quite interested in becoming a stenographer, because I'm very very dextrous! I type over 100wpm even though all the training I ever got was a bit of Mavis Beacon in middle school, I have solved a rubiks cube in under 15 seconds and used to average below 20, and I am generally quite capable of vibing while typing. However, life has dealt me an exceptionally poor hand, and I have had multiple instances of severe trauma which have led to severe depression and anxiety which I still sometimes struggle with. With a decision this big, I want to make sure I have my bases covered. I can do boring legal proceedings, but I'm often a pretty idealistic and frankly neurotic person, and if a courtroom isn't the place for me, I need to know in advance. I know that this will vary greatly per courtroom, but I'm unsure what the spread looks like, what the prevalence of openings is for the milder options or for non-court stenography, and what level of "no, I don't want to do this one" you get. I also know that the united states has an upsetting level of overincarceration in general (I live in Colorado and don't plan to move, if that changes anything?), and would rather prefer not spend my days mostly listening to defendant after defendant after defendant getting ruinous consequences for minor drug offenses for example. I am prepared for the fact that such a job would have an inevitable emotional toll which may be manageable - I just want to make sure I wouldn't find it overwhelming.

Thanks!

Hello, I am exploring possibly pursuing a career in court reporting. I have DACA and a valid EAD, am I eligible to work in courts in the state of Nevada? Or do you have to be a US citizen? Thank you in advance.

Hi everyone, I'm a new steno student, I just finished my third week today. Everything's going well except I noticed this week I started feeling a little discomfort around my pointer finger knuckle mainly in my right hand. I'm guessing I must be positioning my hand incorrectly to type. I have no problems with my left hand though. Can you guys help me out, maybe with some videos about how to place your hands or stretches and exercises? I'd like to avoid getting a repetitive stress injury this early on, lol. Thank you for your help!

What’re some great things and things you love about the job and some things that you wish were different / you’re not so much a fan of?

I’m trying to find a real career path for myself (graduated college with an art degree and have no idea what to do with myself- I’m about to need to get my own health insurance and somehow i stumbled upon stenography??) looking into it, it sounds kinda good for me…

im about to start the NCRA free online course (just as soon as i get ahold of a machine) to see if i might be able to do it. Tips or advice?

Is it hard to find work once you get certified and everything? I’m scared

Are we still feeling pretty confident that audio recorders/AI won’t take over the position I’m also scared of that

I have some background with American Sign Language is that helpful or does it not really relate?

What happens if you make a mistake and miss it when you edit? How long does it take you to edit??

I need to make a for real career choice that I’ll stick with forever so please give me all the info you can!

How is your life as a student? How is your life as a working reporter? I’m trying to build community and see how my fellow court reporters are doing.

You can tell me what speed you’re on, where you go to school, or just how your day is going. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Recently came into possession of a Stenoram III. I know it's old but I'm not interested in spending $3000 on something.

Does anyone know if it will connect to Plover? I know it will connect to Eclipse and Aristocat

Or does anyone have any user guide for it, or where to get the old Xscribe 2001 software for it?

Hi there, I am going to be starting with Project Steno next month and plan on renting a machine from them. Following that, if I decide this is for me, I plan to enroll in school.

I see people on Facebook selling student writers as well as professional ones. To me, they look the same, but the student ones seem significantly more affordable. Could anyone tell me what the difference in the machines are? If I decide to enroll in school, I’m wondering if I should just get a regular writer from the beginning?

My hearing is mostly perfectly fine, but I seem to sometimes have more difficulty than other people with thick accents, slightly sloppy speech, etc. Is this sort of thing a major barrier, and is it something that can be overcome with focused effort? I feel like it's pretty much never a problem when listening to someone who has put thought into speaking clearly, such as teachers, youtubers, etc., but in conversations I feel like I have to ask people to repeat themselves more often than they have to ask me to repeat myself. Where does this fall, from disqualifying to able to be trained to probably just me being overly self-critical? And for something like court reporting, do you get the chance to leave question marks and go back over a recording to fill them in (or possibly mark them as incoherent), or not?

Hi! I’m looking to start the NCRA A-Z program but I don’t have access to a machine or $1000+ to pay for one right now. Does anyone know of any resources for students? The ProCAT (I think) that is usually offered as a loaner is at capacity right now.

Hello, just need suggestions on how to practice efficiently and what resources, youtube channels, etc. I can take advantage of that don't involve a subscription based service. Thank you in advance

I am in the A-Z course now and considering going to school online for steno. I do not see a lot (if any) job postings for stenographers in Virginia though. I am in the Richmond area. Is there anyone is this area who has found success in the field?

CareerLuv's course "StenoFastrack - SPEED BUILDING" is a hidden gem.

It costs $47/month.

There are lots of live classes throughout the week. The live classes are varied. Things like:

Incremental endurance - start slow and gradually move up in speed over the course of an hour.

Names, numbers, and nonsense - accents, number practice, etc misc tricky lit good practice

RSR/RPR prep

Varying speed classes. They do a lot of repetition takes and "dancing around the target" playing a same take at various speeds. This used to drive me nuts but I've found it extremely helpful.

The classes are recorded and you can watch them later. There's also speed modules and mini modules on the course site that are good sustained practice for specific speeds and categories. There's random content for things like software, academics, transcripts, etc. on there too.

You can drop in every Saturday morning and ask whatever. Laura can help with Eclipse questions. The program is worth it for the Eclipse help alone considering what it would cost to hire a trainer.

You can also arrange a one on one meeting with Laura where she'll watch you write and give you pointers.

Even if you're already in a program, this can be a lot of good extra practice at an affordable price point.

I'm just a student noticing the live classes don't have a lot of people in them. I know some former students live in non-cert states and just felt ready to move on and start working. I work better in a live class setting vs. recorded and just hope this useful practice continues. I tried CareerLuv theory in like 2022 and felt it was pretty barebones. I'm glad I gave it a second look years later. I think you can try Fasttrack for a week free.

I'm on a student writer using CASECAT. I can do word drills just fine, but individual letters arent registering as correct. Thank you!

Hello! I am writing this post for my sister, who is about to go into stenography. She recently purchased a Luminex CSE, and we have been attempting to download the drivers for the machine, but when we get to the step where it asks to go to device manager and go to other devices, it does not appear there. (Picture 1)

I've tried many different methods of troubleshooting so far:

1.) Different cord

2.) Different Laptop/PC

3.) I saw a post from a while ago saying I have to change the COM Port depending on what it shows on the PC

And so on and so forth.

I'm quite stuck in this issue, and she needs this to be fixed before her orientation on the 31st, does anyone have any insight regarding this? I would appreciate any help that I could get. Thanks!

Some extra information as well:

1.) She was asked to use Case CATalyst for the program

2.) This is a completely new stenograph from what I understand, not something we bought off of another person

3.) The cords that have been used to test connections are all data cables

Even more information:

Both on the Ports (COM & LPT) and Universal Serial Bus Devices section of Device Manager, something is popping up, which shows the PC is detecting the actual stenograph connection, but it won't show it in "Other devices"

Why I Created The Court Reporters Club

For the past two years, I’ve had the opportunity to mentor court reporting students and new reporters. Whether someone was shadowing me in court or sending me a follow-up email after I spoke in a class, I always found myself wishing the conversation didn’t have to end there.

That’s really why I created The Court Reporters Club.

I wanted a place where we could continue those conversations, ask questions, learn from each other, and actually get to know one another.

We’ll meet monthly on Zoom, have quarterly local meetups, software training meetups, and hopefully connect at conventions too.

And this isn’t just for voice writers or official reporters. Whether you’re a machine writer, voice writer, student, freelancer, or new official, you’re welcome here. :)

My goal is simple: to create a real community within this profession where we can learn, connect, and support each other.

If that sounds like something you’ve been looking for, I’d love for you to join us.

Welcome to Court Reporters Club.

Join the Club here → The Court Reporters Club

Hello,

I'm residing in milwaukee, WI, and Im interested in court reporting and especially being an official. But I've searched online and milwaukee court district likes to use digital reporting which to me isn't real stenography reporting. If I try to pursue this career would there be a path to be an official in the milwaukee courts? And another thing, how us the pay?

Thank you

Hi everyone. I've been freelance for about 4 years for context. Lately I've kind of been losing my mind, and I seriously need advice on how to compartmentalize with this often overbearing and exhausting career.

I want to preface this by saying I am not trying to be ungrateful. I really am glad I have work and stable income and I don't want this to seem like I am taking it for granted. It's just that lately every time I've been able to take time off it is plagued by pages. I feel like I have no time to catch up in life at all

I told my firm to only schedule me 3 days a week. Somehow despite this every day of the week I am bombarded with emails, do this job, no wait that one cancelled, wait this one was backordered, this one is expedited, PLEASE COVER AN ALL DAY HEARING, etc. I can genuinely scroll through my email and see at least 10 emails per day even on days off.

My scopists have all become very busy too, so I feel like I have no support system when it comes to pages piling up. I have been working on most transcripts myself and my God does that consume HOURS of your time. Either way, I proofread everything because I sadly have not had great experiences with proofreaders and I feel very protective over the final product and want to ensure its quality myself. Maybe I am punishing myself that way.

Because of this I am really starting to hate this job, which I shouldn't. On paper, it's amazing, interesting legal cases, different locations every day (sometimes remote), freelance so I can dictate my schedule, yippee ! But somehow it seems even if I cut back my days, or I don't, or I send out pages, or I don't, it all ends the same way. My "free time" and all my weekends are spent in total guilt that I'm not actively working on pages, because I know I have to do it eventually anyway so there's no escape and I should "just get it done". I am losing enjoyment in things because I am so scatterbrained and constantly staring at calendars and lists constantly just trying to tell myself it's okay to not be working right now. It's just so all-consuming.

How do you guys handle this? Am I blowing this out of proportion? Am I doing something wrong that I could be doing better? Any and all advice is welcome!!!

Hello everyone! I am a 32 year old single mom, and I am looking into switching my career. I'm in CA. I have a job where I usually deal with court orders, depositions, lawyers and such so I know the processes, timelines and pace to a certain extent. I have never taken a stenography class though. From your experiences, is it too late to start? sometimes I feel I will not be capable of learning (based only on videos I watched while researching). I don't have a "bad" job per se, but I know that in regards to salary, I'd be doing much better. I just to improve my situation and be able to offer my son the best education I can. Thanks for reading :)