Trade Schools
Court reporters have many career opportunities outside of the courtroom.
Their skills are in high demand, especially related to providing a skilled resource or preserving meeting notes that allow classrooms and corporate offices to prosper.
Many court reporters leave the courtroom environment to try alternative careers since they may feel burnt out, want a change of pace and scenery, or have career stagnation with no potential advancement.
Regardless of the reason, it’s important to understand your options.
Keep reading to learn more!
List of Alternative Careers
1. Broadcast Captioner
Court reporters have the skills to work as broadcast captioners on networks for movies and television programs.
Closed captioning requires transcribing the verbal communication of movies or television shows so those with hearing challenges can understand the context of the program.
The most effective court reporters can take “real-time” work, like spontaneous broadcasts or breaking news reports.
The most effective skills gained by being a court reporter include fast and accurate typing, excellent listening and communication skills, and the ability to transcribe in real-time, especially on challenging topics.
There are no additional training or certifications required to become a broadcast captioner, only experience.
Many opt to become broadcast captioners because it is a completely different career path than being in a courtroom.
The content is different, and you would be working with other professionals.
You can also see the fruits of your labor when watching programs at home.
Additionally, there are excellent advancement opportunities, like moving into live captioning, which is challenging but rewarding.
2. Corporate Conference Transcriber
Many corporations hire former court reporters because high-level executives want meeting minutes and conversations recorded during discussion and then transcribed for future use.
This is an especially key role when discussing financial information, mergers, acquisitions, and other major activities.
Since there’s a blurred line between business and law, court reporters are the ideal candidates to work at a large firm.
Transferrable skills include knowing legal lingo, excellent communication and listening skills, and real-time transcription.
Confidentiality, especially with corporate trade secrets, is also an incredibly important transferrable skill.
No additional training is required to enter the corporate world.
However, since you will be managing proprietary information, you will likely be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement, which protects the company by ensuring you don’t share secrets with competitors.
This is a standard part of the hiring paperwork at most large organizations.
Some court reporters are transitioning into the corporate world because of the vast benefits and resources large companies offer.
Also, there are often more career advancement opportunities, and the salaries are often more competitive than working in a courtroom.
3. Legislative Reporter
A legislative reporter is similar to a court reporter, except they record all proceedings of legislative bodies to provide to the public.
These professionals can work at the federal, state, or local government level with the ability to advance within their careers.
This is an excellent position for those who want to be more involved in government and see how laws are enacted.
These reporters can leverage skills like attention to detail and fast and accurate typing from the court reporting position.
No additional educational requirements exist to become a legislative reporter, but they are much harder positions to get than most other careers on this list.
When working for the government, the greatest benefit is job stability.
As a legislative reporter, you also get to be involved in local, state, or federal government, which is working collectively to improve various locations and help citizens.
4. Medical Industry Transcriptionists
The medical industry is an illustrious career path for former court reporters.
This position involves listening to recordings by nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals and transcribing them.
Transcriptions may include final summaries, chart reviews, operations, diagnostic imaging studies, or emergency visit reports.
Some medical transcriptionists work from home.
The transition from court reporter to medical transcriptionist is simple since the skill set is the same.
Active listening and typing are critical to ensuring the proper documentation is captured.
While no training is required to make the jump, earning one of the certifications is helpful.
These include Certified Healthcare Documentation Specialist and Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist.
Working in the healthcare industry provides excellent job stability in a continually growing sector, indirectly helping patients by capturing the proper information and excellent career growth opportunities.
5. Real-Time Translation
Some court reporters transition into classrooms that utilize the CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) system.
CART helps hearing-impaired, hard of hearing, or those who speak another language understand the material being presented without working through an ASL interpreter or having to read lips.
All levels of education can utilize court reporters to help students better comprehend the material, especially if it’s complicated.
Excellent listening and fast and accurate typing are the most important skills that can be transferred from being a court reporter.
Also, the comprehension of challenging subject matter is a critical skill to ensure the correct information is being communicated to students.
No additional training or education is needed to work in this field.
Working within the educational system offers many benefits, like summers off and knowing you are directly helping students with learning challenges.
6. Scopist
A scopist assists court reporters by applying proper punctuation, editing, reading stenotypes, and assisting with the production of transcripts.
While this position is mainly in the courtroom, these skilled editors ensure transcripts are delivered on time to clients and are accurate.
The skills of being a court reporter are easily transferred with the addition of proper editing.
The only additional educational requirement to become a scopist is an excellent handle on the English Language.
It may be beneficial to take a few English classes to brush up on your grammar and punctuation before pursuing this career.
Working for the government ensures you have job security, a pension, paid time off, and many other benefits.
7. Voice Writing
Voice writers are trained professionals who create records of official proceedings.
They can work at major companies, in education, government, and almost any industry that requires sensitive information to be documented.
Voice writers utilize special software to convert spoken words into text, which becomes an accurate record of the discussion.
These professionals follow a highly efficient process, which results in exceptional accuracy.
The same skills required for being a court reporter, like attention to detail, effective communication, and active listening, are required to become a voice writer.
No special training is required to enter this field, although you may need to take a test to ensure you are up to the challenge to accurately transcribe sensitive information.
The benefits of working as a voice writer include the potential to work from home and the ability to help others, depending on your industry.
Tips for Transitioning Careers
1. Consider Freelance Opportunities
Pursuing freelance opportunities is the easiest transition into a new career.
As a freelancer, you can gain the additional skills needed in a specific area, which will make you a more marketable candidate.
It’s also a great option for earning more money while working as a court reporter before you make the career transition.
2. Develop an Action Plan
Before starting the transition process, it’s important to have an action plan that identifies each step you must take to achieve your career goals.
By setting specific goals, you will remain on track with moving to a new career.
3. Leverage Existing Skills
Since court reporting develops so many skills, it’s important to highlight those on a resume and focus on them during the interview.
Many skills, such as fast typing, listening, and effective communication, are transferrable between court reporting and positions in other industries.
4. Network with Other Professionals
Networking is the best way to get your name across the desk of hiring managers.
Attending trade shows and career fairs are great networking opportunities.
Also, joining local professional organizations in your target career path and attending events is an excellent way to meet other professionals.
5. Seek Additional Training
If you don’t hold a Certified Electronic Transcriber designation, then earning this credential is a great option to show the extra effort you have added to your craft.
Also, taking a few courses in your target industry (i.e., finance courses to work at a financial firm), will help you learn the lingo.
6. Tailor Your Resume
When updating your resume to change careers, it’s essential to tailor the verbiage to fit the position and industry in which you are trying to enter.
Utilizing industry keywords throughout your resume will help you appear to be a great fit for the position.
During the interview, it’s crucial to communicate transferrable skills.
There are many career choice options for court reporters who want to leave the courtroom and pursue a different path.
Multiple sectors, ranging from media to education, need transcriptionists with experience to effectively communicate valuable information.
Best of all, moving from one transcription role to another allows you to carry overdeveloped skills, which are invaluable within all industries.
If you’re interested in pursuing other careers while utilizing your current court reporting skills, then the first step is to develop an action plan so you can track all steps to reach your goal.
Investigate the pros and cons of different industries that you are interested in and join professional groups to network and learn more about the career options.
