Hang In There!
From ReporterCentral, Jul 2000

I have been certified as a Court Reporter for 19 years, and have been captioning for 7 years. I also co-founded Cheetah Systems with my husband, Gary, and earned a teaching credential in court reporting.

None of this would have been possible if I had done what every part of me wanted to do 20 years ago -- drop out of court reporting school. I was at a 200 WPM plateau, had been for months, and had been in school for over four years. I began to doubt that it would ever come. I kept saying, "My fingers just won't go that fast!" And I really believed it. Not to mention the fact that I wanted to get a job, start making some money, and move out of my parent's house!!!

Luckily I had an extremely supportive family, including a mother that knew me too well. She said, if you drop out now, you'll never know if you could have done it. You'll always feel like a quitter. She said, just stick with it, give the job a try. If you don't like it you can always go back to school and train for something else.

She was right! I took the state certification test six months later, passed, and after my first deposition I was hooked -- I loved it! And I still do!

When I first started doing realtime, I was dragged into it kicking and screaming. I didn't want to write realtime in front of an audience of deposition firm owners, but my husband needed someone to do a demonstration. Now, I write realtime every day, often on national television! I've come a long way from that girl that wanted to drop out of court reporting school.

We've all heard of the prodigies who zip through court reporting school in a year, or the "natural" writers who win speed contests after only reporting for a couple of years. Well, you don't have to be a prodigy or a record-setter to have a wonderful career in court reporting or captioning. You just have to stick to it.

I hate to think where I'd be if I had listened to my fears. I know I wouldn't be loving the best and most rewarding job I've ever had.