My First Depo
From ReporterCentral, Jul 2000

My first job, days after receiving my state Certified Shorthand Reporter certification, was a deposition. It was quite uneventful -- which was just fine with me. Going into the deposition, I set my determination that no one would know it was my first job as a Court Reporter. I did my job quietly, professionally, and with a lot more confidence than I felt. I swore in the witness, marked exhibits, read back, and thought, "Wow, I made it!" It was relatively short, just a couple of hours, which was also just fine with me.

A couple of years later, I got to chatting with this same attorney at an office party, and I mentioned the particular case to him and asked if he remembered it. He said, oh, yes. I said it was my first depo ever. His response was, "Wow, I can't believe it." He said that he had no idea. I said that had been my intention -- if you act like you know exactly what you're doing, most people will believe you!