Online court reporting programs, do they work?
Hi Todd, I recently found your blog and it's very informative! I appreciate you taking the time to let us hear more about the life of a court reporter. I was a student in court reporting school and I did not like the school at all. It felt very unprofessional and frankly I think I would just do better with an online program because of how much I work. Also another factor was that it was very expensive. I cant afford something very expensive because I'm paying for school on my own and I was wondering if there were any successful schools that you knew people graduated from that were online and affordable. Thanks so much for your time.
- Former Student in California
Hi there, thanks for writing to me and for your compliments on my blog. I have tried to make it somewhat interesting and informative for students and reporters alike. So it's a pleasure to get emails like yours with some feedback on how I'm doing.
I am very sorry you did not like the school you attended. You didn't mention which one it was, but I can assure you that every school that I've visited in California is AT LEAST professional. They are not all created equal, to be sure, but there are standards set forth by the CRB to meet before even being able to offer reporting classes. So I'm a little disappointed to hear that one of them left you with a negative impression. That being said, I have heard of a lot of former students continuing their education with online courses. So many people have to work day jobs and have families and kids to raise, that it makes sense. And, yes, cost is a contributing factor.
To answer your question -- whether or not I know of any successful online programs with real world graduates -- the answer is no, I do not. That does not mean that they do not exist. I am simply saying that I personally do not know of any working reporters who came up through the ranks via an online curriculum. Please don't be discouraged by that, however. It is most definitely possible to complete the training and sit for the California CSR all by practicing with online classes. It's just that I don't have personal experience or know of anyone currently who has done it that way.
Most importantly, keep up the hard work. Stay focused. Stay connected to other students in the real world, and you can do this!
-Todd
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
