How did you learn about the
career?
I was in Hagerstown Business School
in the Medical Secretary program when I saw young women carrying small
suitcases to class each day. When I inquired what was in their suitcase,
I was amazed to find out it was a Stenograph machine and at that point learned
all about the profession of Court Reporting. I had never heard of this
career before.
What has been your best work experience so far in your career?
I was asked to travel on a
continuing case about allowing tandem tractor trailers traversing Pennsylvania
highways. That particular case took me all over the United States to
various Department of Transportation offices including Chicago, North and South
Dakota, Colorado, and Canada.
What are you most proud of in your career?
When I was taught the Stenograph
theory 42 years ago, it was taught completely differently than it is now.
I have had to virtually retrain myself to write as students today are
taught. Every day on the job I strive to improve my writing so that it
appears correctly on my computer screen.
What surprised you about your career and why?
I started my career as a court reporter in the
York County Courthouse. After eight years there, I started in the
freelance world of court reporting. What has surprised me most about this
career is that even after 42 years of reporting, I get up every morning looking
forward to going to work. I absolutely love the profession! I learn
something new every day and have the chance to meet new clients, new situations,
and people from all walks in life.
Can you describe what a typical day for you looks like?
Typical? I don't know that
anything about this profession is typical. You can walk into a room of
very pleasant counsel who greet you and bid you a good day and then there are
days where counsel are not so happy with each other and seem to take it out on
the court reporter. But a "day in the life of a court reporter"
can be a one to six-hour deposition, with or without a lunch break, writing
fast and furious for all those hours and then having counsel say, "Oh, we
need that expedited." That's what makes this profession so exciting
and unpredictable!
Can you tell us about a challenge you have overcome?
A personal challenge I have had to
overcome is writing to my computer as I'm sitting in a deposition room filled
with counsel and witnesses. I was scared to death to do that the first
time. Now I can't imagine being without my laptop and seeing my writing
appear on the screen as I'm writing.
