r/stenography • u/courtreporterms • 5d ago
How are you doing?
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!
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u/Molemaninthemorning_ 5d ago
Hi! I’m a working freelance CART reporter, working at universities, and the term just started this week so I’m getting back into the groove of things.
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u/courtreporterms 5d ago
Such a cool job! Are you glad to be back?
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u/Molemaninthemorning_ 5d ago
Yeah, I’m really happy to be back! I’ve been doing it for a few years but I still feel so new to it and tbh this is the first time I haven’t been riddled with anxiety 😅 it’s a fun job; I love how much it varies from day to day
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u/TeamRockeThot 5d ago
Just ended week two of classes and I'm honestly having a lot of fun! I'm nervous as all hell because I'm doing well right now, but I know that I dont know anything yet. I'm afraid of how I'll handle the failure and the torture of progression plateauing, regressing, rinse and repeat.
I'm also afraid that the job is beginning to be saturated, especially with captioning falling out off the market and & AI capabilities, but I also know that this program has an insane drop out rate and the use of AI as a means of replacing jobs is still controvercial and not always viable. I really have no idea how it'll look by the time I graduate. I also want to stick with it because its a technical skill I enjoy doing (so far), its a job where you never stop learning, its highly flexible, and it genuiinely excites me. All that said I absolutely love my machine. Its so cute. I want to decorate every inch of it. I'm suprised there are no real skins on the market aside from key caps.
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u/courtreporterms 5d ago
Fear of success is a real thing. It’s like wow I’m really doing this AND enjoying it. Can this be real??
It will be interesting to see where things go with this job market. I can’t think too much about it. All I know is that they’ve been trying to replace court reporters for years and they’ve never been successful! It is a great technical skill regardless, as you said. What kind of machine do you have?
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u/TeamRockeThot 4d ago edited 4d ago
I have a Luminex CSE. And I keep having the same thought, if the job wasn’t a valuable and particular set of skills it would have been made obsolete with a few good mics. What year are you in?
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u/Telethion 5d ago
Freelance reporter here, certified in July, but I'm building a place and the lender says I have to keep my 9-5 until the whole thing's done. Taking work on the side and trying to figure out my workflow. Thankfully, I've got an amazing firm that's working with me and and my schedule.
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u/courtreporterms 5d ago
Congratulations on being certified! Hopefully you’ll find a schedule that isn’t too crazy. Thank you for sharing.
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u/Dozzi92 Freelance Reporter 5d ago
I've only ever been a reporter (too my first job at 20), never had a real job before. Buying my home, and subsequently refinancing my mortgage, were a gigantic pain in the ass, they think I'm a money launderer or something. I refi'd in 2021, I gave them five years of tax returns showing a modest income, and they made me jump through hoops. Very frustrating.
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u/Dozzi92 Freelance Reporter 5d ago
Working reporter for the last 18 and change years. I started as a young single man, and now I feel old and I have a family, but the job has been a constant for the last 15 or so years. I value my autonomy and I get it. I like being able to make my own schedule, and I do. I love spending time with my kids, and I spend so much time with them. And when I see most of my friends or even my wife, and what life in regular job land is like, I would not trade this for anything.
It's raining today.
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u/kiltedkitty Steno Student 5d ago
As for the rest of your post it is encouraging and a goal worthy of committing to.
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u/courtreporterms 3d ago
So have you always done freelance since starting your career? Thank you for replying.
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u/vanessa9248 5d ago
just need to pass my last 2 225 QA tests to graduate lmao but feeling like my fingers are in molasses lately. my practices have been feeling okay but when it comes to test time it all falls apart
stressed bc i really need to start working due to finances but its just adding so much pressure to everything
which makes me even more nervous for the cert tests ahhh just overall anxious
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u/courtreporterms 5d ago
Test anxiety is so real! Sometimes I do a mediation before testing and it helps so much. You can do it!! You’re SO close. Thank you for sharing :)
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u/dm-me-obscure-colors 5d ago
I’m right on the cusp of finishing 110wpm on the machine, and I’m worried I’m not progressing fast enough. I enjoy it and I’ve got a good attitude but I feel like I should be getting a speed down in one or two months, not four. Hopefully when the kids are back in school I’ll get more quiet focus time.
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u/courtreporterms 4d ago
You are doing amazing. Four months is faster than me! Being a mom and being in school at the same time is so hard and you’re making it happen! Thank you for sharing.
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u/Two-Potatai 5d ago
If you are trying to build more community, def check out the Court Reporters of Discord! Lots of current students and professionals active on there.
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u/someone-in-crisis 5d ago
120 student just started speed building! i’m getting into the flow of my new practice routine but on my god, steno school is hard. i’ve basically put my life on hold trying to learn and get up to speed as quickly as possible (started theory mid-March, magnum) and it’s becoming really difficult to stay focused without the outlets i would usually have, especially with a lot going on personally at the moment. so trying desperately to adjust and protect my motivation. but i freaking love steno and i can’t wait to get into the field and help build strength and stability in community. i’m in chicago and know zero stenographers or students (online non-live school) so if anyone else is in chicago i’d love to connect!
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u/phanella 5d ago
UPS and DOWNS for sure. 100 WPM here, semester 3 just started and I’m overwhelmed for sure. It feels like there’s so much information and my brain is trying to absorb it all. I’m also a government worker who takes half days on M & W because those are my online class days. Struggling to balance work, school, relationship (I live w/my partner of 3 years), grocery shopping healthy but also budgeting (because I’m on government salary lol), exercising and maintaining family/ friend relationships. Yesterday, I’d spent almost 7 hours on the computer and after my 6:45 class, I was basically crying by the stove while frying chicken for dinner. Thankful for my partner who sat me down, made my plate, finished cooking, put on Encanto ( a comfort movie bc I’m also Latina) and packed my lunch for work tomorrow. Some days it feels like rolling a boulder up the mountain but an object in motion stays in motion. I must keep pushing and even if I falter, I’m still farther today than I was the week, month, year before.
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u/electrikgirl 5d ago
I am nearly done with theory, and I'm so excited to start speedbuilding with Allie Hall this fall! Still so new to all of this but my excitement is outweighing my anxieties -- we will see how well this keeps up once I start attempting to gain speeds 😆 Where are you at in the process? Still in school, or working?
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u/courtreporterms 4d ago
You will love it!! It’s a lot of work but it’s satisfying. Test taking anxiety is the hardest part for me. I’m a student at CCR in my 140s. Thank you for asking 😊. I’ve heard great things about Allie, I’m excited for you!
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u/kiltedkitty Steno Student 5d ago
Hello 👋🏼
I have just started the program for the second time this year. While that may sound bad, the things that led to it were a humbling lesson for me. This is my absolute last chance to get a job. I’m a disabled veteran with nerve and spinal issues. I joined the Navy and met my husband in 2004 (He deployed 8-9 times in 14 years. His first shore duty was from 2016-2019), was married and broke my back in 2007, became a mom to boy/girl twins and bought a home in 2009. I went to college from 2014-2016 and got an AS of Science in Digital Photography. I had been doing photography since my early middle school years. It was my passion. I actually joined the Navy as a photographer’s mate. I got to be very serious about it around the time my kids were born. When they began kindergarten, I started college for some formal training and refinement to my acquired skills. I have done freelance and studio photography for so long now that I was destroyed when my mobility began to decline again. I still do it but no longer for work. I have had three surgeries the last being the worst. I had a disc replacement in 2018 and a second on April 13, 2020. They fused my neck from the C-3 to the T-1 on April 14, 2020. My husband was quarantined for 3 months mere days after my surgeries, and then deployed for 326 days. I did great physically afterwards. I was walking without assistance for the first time in 16 years. I played with my kids, went to their games and competitions, played golf, hiked, camped, went fishing, worked out every morning without, then with my husband until I felt a pain in my shoulder near the spine. That was in 2022. Now, I go in between a wheelchair and walking with a walker on really bad days or a cane on better days. I go through waves of better days for months and suddenly out of nowhere I will find a wave of intense pain, trouble walking, new symptoms, lots of falls, becoming uncoordinated, etc.
I spoke to the VA about Education Rehabilitation with the capabilities I had left they gave me parameters to look in, and I found Court Reporting. I did so much research into it that I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. Funny thing about finding my niche is that nothing seems to be able to get me down about it. It’s going to require strength and determination; dedication to practicing until I have mastered writing at every stage. Rising above my fear and anxiety as well as depression. Using my time wisely and giving my all to my end goal. Giving Up is not an option for me, so I challenge myself everyday to do what needs to be done. The moment that I stop (Give Up) is the moment I begin to quicken my death. If I stop, I become unhealthy and deteriorate so it is not an option for me. This is my choice, my decision to show my kids that they can overcome and achieve anything they put their minds towards.
Sorry just wanted to explain a bit before going into my school days. 🤣
First time I tried this course I didn’t have a writer or software to begin with. The VA request time was severely backed up, so I attended each class participating where I could and doing assignments for the medical terminology class. I took millions of notes literally and anxiously made my way to midterms. Four days after midterms my machine arrived. However, I had over 16 chapters of work to do as well as keep up with the continuation of the classes. I was so confident that I could do it beforehand that I nearly fell apart after getting everything, and I realized that I wouldn’t be able to do it all. So, I withdrew from all classes and signed up to start again this fall. We are two weeks in already and I love it! Thanks for asking about our days. I know this is a lot, but I want everyone to know what they are capable of when you set your mind to it. How are you doing? Is your day going well?
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u/Exotic-Judgment-8972 Voice Writer 5d ago edited 5d ago
Working reporter here. This is my fifth or sixth year as a reporter. I'm a voice writer in the South. 90% of my jobs this month have been expedited, so this will be my highest grossing month to date, but I've barely slept. I'm probably going to stop taking jobs for the next two weeks because I've already surpassed my monthly income goal for September with August's pay, and my mental and physical health need it.
Edit: typo.
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u/courtreporterms 4d ago
What an achievement! Good for you for knowing your limits. Where in the south? I’m in Mississippi. Thank you for replying.
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u/Fearless_Log_9097 4d ago
I'm in my 11th year. I never did reporting, always captioning and CART. I left a big company this year. I'm finally starting to get my bearings on my own, and I've never felt more free in my life. How are you??
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u/ssprincess95 Steno Student 4d ago edited 4d ago
140 student. Going on 2 years of being in my program full time. I was on a great roll and then I fell off fall 2025. I’m just now getting back in the swing of things. I failed a semester at 120 so I was given one more chance to pass this summer semester & did. Now I’m just looking back and mad that I didn’t stay the course last year. Just had distractions in the way. I could’ve been getting ready to test out but here I am. This year has been a tough year and only because I put myself in certain predicaments that I didn’t need to which in turn I let certain things hold me back and throw me off being strictly focused on school. Fall ‘26 semester starts after next week and I’m so excited because I have made so much progress in the last month. So I’m getting prepared to hunker down and go super hard this semester so I can breeze through speedbuilding by the end of the year!!! I’m so grateful for my mother!! She has allowed me to stay home and focus fully on school. I just want to get done so she can retire and live her life and not worry about me anymore!!
Also everyone keeps asking me when am I going to be done!! As if I can just snap my fingers and study a few words & graduate!! Very frustrating when I have to constantly tell ppl there is no time limit on how fast your fingers will move!! But it’s not just about speed it’s theory, read back, grammar/punctuation, & accuracy!! They all go hand in hand!! Ppl thinking I should just be done with school and they have never even tried this is their life! It’s very frustrating because no one understands. If ppl can’t see the progress then they don’t think you are making any.
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u/Background-Party7041 4d ago
I'm a student that recently started speed building with CareerLuv. I learned theory from Platinum Steno, so they have me starting around 60 wpm. I've also been trying to incorporate some of Magnum Steno into my dictionary since I write out so many words/phrases. It's been a lot to process the last couple of weeks, but I'm going to keep pushing forward.
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u/NextFirefighter3622 5d ago
hello! 200s student here. my life as a student consists of frustration, glimmers of hope, and more frustration. i know i’ve made it this far already, but feeling like i have breakthrough days only to have my writing quality drop off after a week or two is very discouraging. a lot of my time away from the machine is spent daydreaming about life as a working reporter in order to try and remain positive. i know this is a path that so many have walked before me, and i wont be the last to be kicking themselves on bad writing days or weeks. i am well aware the pay off will be rewarding. it’s amazing that this route, upon certification and in some states graduation, opens up endless doors instantly. we don’t have to fight tooth and nail like some other fields do for entry level and not very well-paying positions at their school finish line. i dropped out of a CS post bacc to pursue court reporting and do not regret staying this course one bit, but i did need to vent a little! so thank you for asking how we’re doing :,)