A Masters Degree or Court Reporting?

Many students who have four-year university or college degrees have chosen to enroll at South Coast College in Orange, CA, in the Court Reporting Program rather than to pursue an advanced degree in their respective areas, and the numbers are increasing.  Out of the 14 court reporting candidates from South Coast College who are going to the November 2015 Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR) Examination, 6 of them have at least a four-year degree from a university ,

The reasons for this phenomenon may stem from a variety of factors.

Some students report that they had not been given any career information by their counselors about court reporting when they were in high school.  When asked, several of the candidates indicated that had they known about the career of court reporting, they would have gone directly into the Court Reporting Program.

Some came from families where parents insisted that their children obtain a four-year degree.

Some were employed in jobs right out of college that either were not in the field in which they majored or were low-paying jobs that had little or no chance of advancement.

 Others indicated that they were  given misinformation about the field and told that court reporters were going to be replaced by technology.  Only through research into the field were they able to discover the advances in technology that have turned this career into the in-demand career that it has become.  Watch this video to see how technology is used in the courtroom.

Others simply wanted to be able to apply their knowledge and expertise to this unique field.

Daniel Byun, graduate of Chapman University, indicated that he enjoyed his college experience and was happy to have his B.A. degree in Script Writing.  However, had he known about Court Reporting and the opportunities that it presented both financially and professionally, he would have come directly into the Court Reporting Program.








Jessie Frey, graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, received a B.A. degree in Film Preservation.  She does not regret obtaining a degree.  However, she found that her choices for a career after college were limited.

Leanne Nakanishi, graduate of the University of California at Irvine (UC Irvine), received a B.S. degree in Biology and a B.A. degree in Psychology before enrolling at South Coast College.  She said she definitely would have entered directly into the Court Reporting Program had she known more about the field at that time.

Veronica Parker, is an instructor at a military academy.  She obtained her B.A. and M.A. degrees while in the military.  She chose court reporting because she wants a flexible career where she can be independent.

Kristina Tan, graduate of University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) received a B.A. degree in English.  She indicated that her high school counselors really never encouraged students to do anything other than pursue four-year degrees.  After working as a tutor and doing a variety of jobs that held little or no chance of advancement, she chose to pursue Court Reporting.  She said it was the best decision she could have made.  Kristina has become a Certified Eclipse Software Trainer and has been able to support herself while going to school by part-time teaching.

Jai Wang, graduate of the University of Santa Barbara, was working in an unrelated field to his major and decided to enroll in court reporting because he knew someone in the field and decided to enroll at South Coast College because his roommate, John Pham, also a University of Santa Barbara graduate enrolled at South Coast College to become a court reporter.





If you have a four-year degree and are ready for a change, see how you can use the knowledge that you obtained in your major in this exciting, in-demand field of stenography by visiting southcoastcollege.edu.

Lifehacker Court Reporter Graduate of South Coast College

The Lifehacker Court Reporter article written by Cassandra Caldarella, CSR, a graduate of South Coast College in Orange, CA, has drawn much attention to the relatively unknown career of court reporting.  The article has been reprinted by monster.com and shared by numerous entities.

The Lifehacker article on the career of court reporting has brought such attention to the career of stenography that many people are asking where this person gained her court reporting or stenography knowledge and expertise. Cassandra Caldarella, CSR, graduate of South Coast College, not only graduated from South Coast College but also continues to attend the realtime workshops on the campus of South Coast College in order to prepare for realtime certification.  Cassandra is one of the many existing court and deposition reporters who strive to improve their skills by attending the workshops designed specifically for improving realtime writing ability, and the certifications are well worth seeking.  Most courts provide incentives for realtime certification, and the deposition reporters who have the certification are sought after.

The current Realtime Workshop attendees at South Coast College include State and Federal court reporters, deposition reporters, CART providers, and captioners.  If you have not looked into careers that use stenography, you may be missing out on a way to profit from the knowledge that you have gained from your current career.  Many students, like Cassandra, already had their degrees in various disciplines before venturing into court reporting.  For further information about the South Coast College realtime workshops or about entering the field of stenography, request our Careers in Stenography booklet, visit South Coast College to request your free booklet.