Attorneys trust us. Judges depend on us. No one who uses the court's record in their work wants tapes, tape operators, stand-alone video systems, etc. Legal and judicial professionals greatly desire fellow professionals in the deposition suite and in the courtroom taking the record. We are well compensated.
Most court reporters make a good living.
There are exceptions, but reporters who work diligently are paid in the upper tiers of our economy. We find the work fascinating. Every day is not Court TV, but court reporters see things that few in society are able to witness. We have choices. We can become a television captioner, a medical transcriptionist, a needed help to hearing-impaired individuals in schools, meetings and more.