If you are looking to start a career or looking to change careers, Del Mar College has a program for you: court reporting.
There is a growing shortage of court reporters, not only in Texas, but across the nation and if you're looking to make more than $80,000 a year, it could be for you.
“It is just that court reporting, people were not aware of it, and that is why we have such a shortage," said Del Mar College Instructor of Court Reporting Suzette Weis. "So we are trying to get the word out there to let people know that this is such a great career, and there is so much you can do with it,”
Del Mar College is working with organizations such as U.S. Legal, and Project Steno, to provide skills and training that lead to jobs. And it doesn't require a four-year degree.
“So if the students can get through one semester through a speed at 160 or above, U.S. Legal will give them given $1,000," said Weis. "Project Steno has stepped in where they can give assistance to these students. They give them a 6-week course before school even starts to let them get used to a machine and used to the terminology, and it gives them a step up, so when they start school, they will progress faster. And Project Steno will then supply them, per month, so much assistance with the tuition and that helps the new incoming students,”
The job of a court reporter has expanded over the years; they just don’t work in the courtroom.
“So if we can get students out in two-to-three years, they would have a job; Austin, Houston, Corpus Christi,” said Weis. "They could do freelance, which means they go somewhere different every day with the attorneys, or they can work in court, or the closed-captioning for the news. There is so much opportunity out there that we just can’t get the students in here. We don’t have enough people to fill slots."
Weis said as long as students put in the work, the payoff will be rewarding for them later.
According to https://www.universities.com/find/texas/best/court-reporting-court-reporter-degrees, Del Mar College is ranked number 3 when it comes to best court reporting/court reporter colleges in the state of Texas.
For more information visit:https://www.delmar.edu/degrees/court-reporting/index.html
