Court Reporting Open House
Thursday, April 12th from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Oak Forest Center, Room 5190, 16333 S. Kilbourn, Oak Forest, Illinois
The Open House will showcase this profession which offers a wide-open job market and excellent income potential. To RSVP or for more information call (708) 596-2000, ext. 3217 or email LCooke@ssc.edu.
Court reporting is an interesting, challenging profession which offers a wide-open job market, flexible work schedule, and excellent income potential ($64,672 average income). Sophisticated technology has created exciting work in broadcast captioning and stenointerpreting. Broadcast captioners can earn $70,000+ and work out of their homes.
As the silent, “Keeper of the Record,” the life of the court reporter centers around words. The reporter takes testimony from people in all walks of life – engineers, doctors, attorneys, scientists, tradesmen – and every day new terminology is encountered. It is this aspect of reporting that makes it challenging, interesting, and exciting. After a few years of working, the reporter becomes well versed in many different areas of life.
An Associate of Applied Science Degree in the Court Reporting/Verbatim Technology program is designed to present a conflict-free theory and to develop the necessary machine shorthand skills leading to an eventual 225 words per minute writing speed. This will prepare the student to take the Illinois Certified Shorthand Reporter Examination, which is the professional certifying exam for the State of Illinois.
To prepare for this challenge, students are encouraged to improve their literacy. They should read newspapers, books, and magazines. They should even read unusual items such as sewer covers and construction seals on sidewalks because the names of the companies that manufacture those items will come up someday.
A major component of the program is the development of English grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary skills. Legal Terminology, Medical Terminology, and Court Practicum are among the other courses that will prepare the student to function as a professional court reporter.
South Suburban College’s National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) – approved program is the only court reporting program in the south suburban region!
Admission to the Program
Students must be admitted into the Court Reporting Program before registering for any other COR classes. A combination of two-voice, jury, theory and/or literary must be taken. General Education classes must be taken along with machine classes or credit given via transcript. A successful court reporter is a well-rounded individual, thus completion of a variety of academic classes is essential. Summer classes are mandatory.Placement into college-level English on the Placement test is a requirement for COR 100. Students must have a typing speed of 45 wpm. Students must successfully pass COR 100 and OAT 170 before applying for Admission into the Court Reporting Program. To apply, submit a copy of college transcripts, a one-page personal statement of goals and commitment, and a letter of reference from a Certified Shorthand Reporter with business card attached to the Program Coordinator.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Court Reporting/Verbatim Technology Program
The world of the professional court reporter is rapidly changing because of the sophisticated equipment that today’s reporter uses. These are some of the areas in which reporters may work and average salaries:
- Judicial Reporting – $64,672*
- Broadcast Captioning – from $35,000 to $75,000+*
- Stenointerpreting or CART reporters – $35,000 to $65,000*
- Webcasting – $100 – $200 per hour*
* Figures on income were supplied by the National Court Reporters Association in February 2012.
Reporting is a profession which offers independence, flexibility, mobility, excellent income, and challenging, exciting work environments. According to research conducted by Ducker Worldwide, more than 5,500 new court reporting jobs are anticipated across the U.S. by 2018. A recent ruling by the FCC requiring that all television programs be captioned by 2006 is creating a huge demand for broadcast captioners. The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act has created a tremendous need for stenointerpreters on our campuses. The job market for traditional reporters, those who write trials, depositions, village board meetings, etc., remains wide open.
For more information about the profession of court reporting, visit the National Court Reporters Association’s websites at www.ncraonline.com and www.bestfuture.com.