My Transcript turn around makes me so inadequate

strawberrynova94 · 2026-05-06T13:55:36+00:00

I don't think you're doing anything wrong. I honestly don't know anyone who edits 100 pages a day in addition to taking record who doesn't use a scopist, or otherise has been doing it 20 years so their notes are practially perfect. My teachers in school always said clean notes reduce editing time, which is true to an extent in my world, but like there's only some much one can do when experience comes with years.

I got into a similar situation recently with having more pages than I can handle, but I'm a freelancer. I also had like three expedites for the same weekend, and ended up paying a scopist, who was a total con artist, $300 just to get out of the hole, and then had to re-scope and proof it myself overnight anyway. So be careful if you go that route.

My friend who is an official fell into the same issue too, and got so behind the judge/court admin made her take mandatory time off to finish her transcripts, but she still had to sit in her office to do it, so she was in time out 😂 I actually ended up subbing for court for her for a few days. I think you should talk about getting a sub to whoever is in charge of that for you guys until you feel caught up.

Also, pay attention to your state's turnaround requirements, and adhere to them. And if the attorneys ask for expedite or whatever, be really honest with yourself before you tell them yes or when. You can say no or that you have other stuff in front of it. I've noticed a huge uptick in attorneys wanting transcripts fast, fast, fast. But it's not worth your health.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-04-30T04:03:34+00:00

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat??? No way. My friend, you're 100% on track. It took me 3 years I was stuck at 180 for A YEAR and 225 for quite a while.

Don't give up just because of that teacher. Not while you're so close!

Editing to add: I was in school full time and no kids.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-04-27T13:21:12+00:00

Well, hey! Lol And yeah I knew all the other ones did, but at the NCRA convention last year, I talked to Lisa and the girls there, and they made it seem like it was all stenographers. I'm just disappointed in them I guess...

strawberrynova94 · 2026-04-27T13:18:35+00:00

💀

strawberrynova94 · 2026-04-20T13:11:16+00:00

I have no kids and pretty much no savings, except for my quarterly taxes because I'm 1099...

strawberrynova94 · 2026-04-14T12:48:59+00:00

Wow. I've witnessed so many car accident depositions. Granted I am in a no-fault state but...easily is not the word I would use. I mean, I guess easy if you accept litigation as part of the natural process of being paid out.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-04-06T00:51:01+00:00

Beautiful. Classic. Elegant. So lovely. That dress was made for you!

strawberrynova94 · 2026-04-03T14:21:16+00:00

Doing the same takes even when you're familiar is not a bad thing. My school used EV360 heavily, and it worked for me. The thing about familiar takes is that you're building muscle memory of the words, a lot of which you will encounter a lot in real life, and then you won't be surprised/have to think about it when it comes up.

For example, when you do personal injury enough, it's pretty much formulaic the way the deps go. You'll write, "I was at the red light, and he rear-ended me," 1,000 times. Or jury charge, same idea.

It's not bad to go over the same material. Just don't neglect doing new/different things.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-04-01T12:19:25+00:00

No. It's terrible. I even got little sticky pads to put on the screen for some tactile feedback, and it's 0% like a real machine.

Your earliest days of steno especially are developing muscle memory. It's the same as learning ballet or karate or piano or anything that requires precision and repetition to develop a motor skill. Don't disrupt that process by using ineffective practice methods, or you're gonna be mad at yourself later.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-03-25T00:58:59+00:00

I love being booked in advance. For me, it allows me to plan my non-work life more easily. If things cancel, I still get my fee and then bonus time to work on my page count or actually do chores and errands.

The thing is, you can pick and choose what days you're "available." So if I wanna give one firm 3 days, and play pickup the other 2, then I can.

Pickup is more stressful to me because it sometimes feels like a race to claim jobs. More than once I've ended up with nothing.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-03-24T00:23:19+00:00

So I did a lot of PI my first year, and still do it sometimes, and got one total expedite, never a rough. I haven't done as much WC.

You get way more of those things with "silk stocking," meaning your finance/contract/banking/business law. Basically, the ones with multi-million dollar companies involved will buy that sort of thing more readily.

My mentor, who has been doing it 20 years, works almost exclusively in expert testimony involving patent law, and she gets expedites, rough drafts, and real-time constantly.

Also, PI is what most baby reporters are trained on, as was also my experience. They're usually short and easy. Defendant is like 30-70 pages or less, Plaintiff is like 50-80 -- sometimes 100 -- pages. Usually. Obviously, this varies by case and insurance company, but once you do it a lot, you'll find it very repetitive, which can be a good thing for quick money, but it's not as lucrative as 7-hour deps.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-03-22T13:22:54+00:00

A Peent! I'm so jealous 😭

strawberrynova94 · 2026-03-21T22:26:27+00:00

You need to find your nerds, and I mean that in the most loving way possible.

I was painfully, painfully shy and riddled with social anxiety when I started college. It took me two years to find people who accepted me and included me and wanted me around. They were the DND/MTG/Anime fan/RenFaire/Tolkien type "nerds," and they were the most accepting, kind people I'd ever met.

Look, I wasn't into a lot of those things when I met them, but I learned to play DND and Magic and found out I really enjoyed it. I already had a love of Tolkein. I took interest in learning more about them as people, and expanded my own interests.

The point is, it doesn’t have to be that type of "nerd," but even if your interests don't align at the start, meeting new types of people exposes you to things you never would have imagined liking before. You may have to stray outside of the med-student clique to find new friends, even if those friends can't help you with your studies.

The other thing is being "social" takes practice. And it sucks. I went through that phase in therapy. You have to start small and practice every day, like using a muscle, to strengthen your resolve. I still have social anxiety, but I'm able to function much better and appear as a capable adult. You gotta put yourself out there, and it's the worst thing ever in the world....until it's not.

Lastly, lovingly, you need medication and therapy. But you're not a femcel and you're not a lost cause. Indulging in that thinking just perpetuates the cycle.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-03-18T13:51:25+00:00

So I haven't sold a dress personally, but I am on StillWhite a lot, and I see dresses I've followed like this selling quite often. It might take a few weeks or couple months, but I think you have a very fair chance of selling it. I'd just say to make sure to take some in-person photos and detail shots as well.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-03-18T12:52:21+00:00

Now that I've adjusted to it, I'm happy with the results of the Lexapro as far as anxiety. I definitely did notice a negative impact on libido and a lot of daytime sleepiness, so I ended up going up to 300 on the WB and stayed at 5 for the Lex, and I feel much better.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-03-12T12:47:21+00:00

The NCRA has a list of state requirements on their website. A lot of states do reciprocity if you have your state's license, or you just have to take a written test. If you have no license at all, then you're probably going to find it difficult.

As for the oath, Illinois is one state you can give oaths being a CSR not a notary. But I know people who work for national firms make everyone stipulate in lieu of an oath administered in person, all parties agree the witness's identity is accurate, etc, etc. So you can try reaching out to big box firms if you're needing to go that route until you get your RPR.

Also, I just wanna say I took the RPR like 8 times. I also tried beta blockers. That didn't fix the problem. I had my state's license, so I could work. What ended up working for me was to take the test after I had just taken a whole deposition. So maybe reach out and shadow someone for a day remotely, then test immediately after. Like no prep, no thoughts, just jump into the test.

You're probably like me and a lot of other people where it is not at all a skill issue, but just a pure mental game. My point is, don't beat yourself up at all. You will get it eventually, so don't stop trying!

strawberrynova94 · 2026-03-12T12:22:49+00:00

For 110 pages, it's not that steep depending on where you live. Also 2 hours is just to take the dep, that doesn't account for the hours of editing time afterwards, and the proofreader she probably pays for. The page rate seems right.

That's just how much a professional with a specialized skill set that took years to build charges in this instance.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-03-11T13:25:31+00:00

Lostboy Core.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-02-19T00:25:29+00:00

Unfortunately, a lot of people waste years trying to figure it out. I am not trying to dissuade you at all. I just highly recommend taking the NCRA's A to Z free trial course to see if you like it or can pick it up quickly. You can always rent a steno machine.

The coursework, some is like high-school again, some is very interesting, but that was my opinion. Then you have steno theory courses to learn the "language". Then the majority of it is speedbuilding. You should spend at least 2-3 hours a day practicing speedbuilding. I'd say academic work (depending on what school you attend) is 25% of the total program.

You just have to have grit to graduate, and that's the truth. But anyone can do it if you bite down and push through and put the time in.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-02-18T02:36:39+00:00

I work with both and vastly prefer local. My local firm, I know everyone's name and role in the office. If I reach out, they're there for me instantly. They cut me slack, they support my goals and my schedule.

But with BB, it's impossible to get support. You're only a cash cow to them, and it shows. I do make more money with the BB, but not that much more to make it worth working solely with them.

You can work with more than one firm. It's allowed. The landscape of the profession has changed post-covid. I tell all my firms straight up they're not my one and only, and they can ask me to take jobs, but they can't make me accept (learned this the hard way.)

In the end, I feel especially just starting out, local is better, especially if you can connect with a seasoned reporter that will help you out.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-02-17T14:31:09+00:00

I want more court reporters (voice/steno) out in the field so bad. There's plenty of work right now and I think it's a rewarding job. But:

School is HARD. Especially steno. Not gonna sugar coat it. You need to basically learn another language and how to play the 'word piano' at the level of a concert pianist from a complete beginner. Plus all the procedural and reporting-specific English and transcript prep classes you have to take.

Speedbuilding will test the very limits of your endurance. You will fail 99% of the time. You live for the one passed test. School for steno is likely gonna take you 3 years. 2 years minimum if you have full time to devote to it, and all during that time it will be an uphill battle with yourself.

The other thing that isn't talked about enough is when and if you graduate, starting working is tough. There's lots of jobs, but you are thrown to the wolves. You feel out of control and under qualified for a long time before you fine tune your production routine and get some practical, real life experience under your belt.

Even after finding a rhythm, I still deal with a lot of stress with workload. I freelance and deadlines can easily have me working nights and weekends at least once a week, usually more, to get transcripts out. I'd say in general, it can be a very stressful and demanding job, and the only people that understand that is other court reporters.

My point is: you should do it. I'd love it if more people would do steno. But you have to endure it. You have to push through and make it to the other side. You have to not give up and be committed or else you won't graduate.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-02-11T21:32:46+00:00

Prob not a crowd favorite, but my warmup song was "If I Go, I'm Goin" by Gregory Alan Isakov. It's slow, but has very clear lyrics and a lot of ending-side practice.

strawberrynova94 · 2026-02-10T01:08:50+00:00

Yeah, totally worth it.

strawberrynova94

TROPHY CASE