Mar 5, 2009 7:25 pm US/Mountain
Demand Grows For Court Reporters In Colorado
DENVER (CBS4) ―
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A court reporter's job might be considered "recession proof."
CBS
With thousands of Coloradans applying for unemployment each week, there is a bright spot in what many are calling "recession-proof" careers. Demand is growing for court reporters.
People speak about 200 words per minute, but the average person can only type about 60 words per minute. The use of old fashioned shorthand combined with the latest technology, allows court reporters to keep up the pace.
Student Aaron Spikes is studying at the Denver Academy of Court Reporting. He says "It's kind of like learning a different language that you have to do very quickly."
Campus Director Susan Falzone says a common misconception is that the skill is a thing of the past" ... it's not going away. In fact, it has expanded in the industry into different avenues."
The same skills can be used to translate for the hearing impaired and closed captioning for television.
Falzone says so far, technology hasn't been able to replace the human ear. "It's like being a fly on the wall."
About 71 percent of students at the academy get a job right after graduation.
The Denver Academy of Court Reporting's program takes about 3 years to complete and costs about $21,000.
The average salary for a court reporter is $62,000.
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