In recognition of National Court Reporting & Captioning Week, Planet Depos salutes all court reporters, past and present, around the globe. Here we spotlight three of our own, as well as a student soon to join the ranks of professional court reporters. Allow us to introduce Paul Smakula, three years in the field; Rebecca Stonestreet, 19 years; Alda Mandel, a 36-year veteran; and Laci Tang, who is currently a student working at the 180 wpm speed level. We asked them a few questions about their careers and wish to share their insightful responses with you here.
Planet Depos: What inspired you to become a court reporter?
Laci: I was taking classes at my local community college and a woman came in and spoke to my class about careers with the deaf and hard of hearing. She mentioned court reporting, more specifically CART providers. I was very intrigued. I went home and did some research that evening and enrolled in school a few weeks later.
Paul: A desire to do something vastly different than the typical 9-5 day I previously had.
Rebecca: I was temping as a receptionist at a law firm during college, and the lady who came to replace me had been a receptionist at a court reporting agency. I was aimless in college, didn’t really know what I wanted to do, and she went on and on about the flexible schedules the reporters had, how much money they made, so I went to an open house at the court reporting school in Austin, got excited about it, and started school two weeks after I got my college degree.
Alda: Unhappiness in my prior job spurred me on to looking for a new career. My sister had suggested that I might make a good reporter, as I had taken six years of piano lessons and was “good with my hands.” I wanted a job that gave me flexibility in terms of the amount of hours I worked (when I wanted children), that afforded me the opportunity to live almost anywhere in the U.S., and financial security.
Planet Depos: Laci, what do you find to be the most challenging part of your program?
Laci: The most challenging part of my program is speed building. I struggle with committing myself to high speed practice and not just practicing what I feel comfortable with. I start to get frustrated when I feel like it’s physically impossible for my fingers to move any faster, although I know it is. When this happens, I tend to listen to slower dictation so I can say I have put in the hours of practice. I hope to soon overcome the 180 hump and join the working world!
Planet Depos: What do you know now as a working court reporter that you wish you would have known as a student?
Paul: I wasn’t quite prepared for just how hectic things can be as far as running from job to job and being ready to leave for a job at any moment of the day.
Planet Depos: What do you find to be the most challenging part of your job?
Paul: I would have to say accents and/or trying to make sense of broken English and incomplete sentences.
Rebecca: Having to sit for long periods of time.
Alda: Writing when people speak 300 words per minute, mumble, and/or interrupt each other. After years in this business, I am not afraid to speak up when conditions are insane, but find it very frustrating that people usually don’t alter their way of speaking. Their unresponsiveness translates into a feeling of lack of respect and understanding for what I am being hired to do.
Planet Depos: What do you enjoy most about your reporting program?
Laci: I enjoy the interning portion of my program immensely. It is fascinating to see reporters work and be able to catch a glimpse of what this career holds for me. Every reporter that I have gone out with has been very kind and very helpful. I can’t wait to one day pay it back to a student reporter.
Planet Depos: What is the most enjoyable part of your job?
Paul: I never stop learning! Whether it’s familiarizing myself with the medications a doctor was prescribing, or learning a new brief for a word or phrase I’ve been struggling with, I am always learning something.
Rebecca: Doing something different every day. While the technical aspects of the job are fairly consistent, I go somewhere different, meet different people, and hear about different things – usually learning at least one thing I didn’t know before – every day.
Alda: I love the variety, the lack of routine, going to different places every day, handling all kinds of cases, learning new things, meeting new people, working long days, working short days, being able to take days off when I want. While the job is mostly skill-related, I am a people person and love the interaction with people from all walks of life on a daily basis.
Planet Depos: What advice do you have for those considering entering a court reporting program?
Laci: Do your research! Make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. So many schools tell you that this program takes two years. It takes most people longer. Many schools will tell you what machines to buy and software to purchase. I really wish someone would have told me that there was more than one option for those things when I started. Attend conferences, join state and national associations, and network. Chances are someone else has had the same question or felt the same way. There are so many willing to help if you just ask.
Planet Depos: What advice do you have for students and those just breaking into the field?
Paul: Don’t think that you’re done practicing because you passed all your tests! Even doing 20-30 minutes every morning will do wonders for your writing. Don’t lose your confidence. You’ll have jobs that will be tougher than others, but you can’t get down on yourself. Start writing down your own answers to these questions! It’s a lot harder to think of some later on if you haven’t!
Planet Depos: How has realtime affected your career?
Alda: Doing realtime for myself has improved my writing tremendously and considerably lessened the amount of time I spend doing “homework,” editing transcripts. I have not marketed realtime to attorneys, although I have passed the CRR exam.
Rebecca: Putting aside the extra income doing realtime brings in, both in court and in the freelance world, I believe it has put a spotlight on the true value of a live court reporter as opposed to electronic recording. The reporter is kind of a silent “observer” to some extent in a deposition, and especially in a court setting, at most interjecting every now and again (hopefully not!) or marking exhibits, et cetera. Realtime brings the proceedings to life right in front of the participants’ eyes, showing the real benefit of having an experienced and knowledgeable person taking down what they’re saying. I believe the future of court reporting depends on reporters providing realtime.
Planet Depos: What are the most valuable investments, financial or otherwise, a court reporter can make to enhance his or her career?
Rebecca: Spending time to perfect your skills. Even after almost 20 years of reporting, every day I come up with a shorter way to write a word or phrase so that I won’t get tripped up, thus making a cleaner realtime output, and cutting down on the time it takes to produce a final transcript. The most valuable investment is your personal time, staying on top of technology and keeping your skills honed. It saves time in the long run, and hopefully it will extend your court reporting career.
Alda: Time. Time to practice, time to review/revise my writing, time to support the NCRA and related activities that keep court reporting alive and well. And maybe time to meditate to better face my realtime fears and form new positive, fearless pathways in my brain!
Planet Depos: What do you most look forward to in working as a court reporter?
Laci: I can’t wait for the flexibility and the many different opportunities this career field offers. I look forward to the possibility of traveling all over the world, perhaps working in Congress, or from home in my pajamas!
