Good court reporters also are fast. To be licensed by the state as a registered professional reporter, they must pass a rigorous certification test that includes being able to record 200 words per minute. A college degree or at least two years of school and a degree from an accredited court-reporting program is required. The tests are hard and the dropout rate in school is tremendously high. Those who earn certification won't be finished with classrooms forever.
Reporters have to be up on changing legal terminology, as well as terms from other disciplines.
You're constantly building a dictionary, and you need to understand those words. It's a constant challenge to make a perfect record. But the hard work can pay off. And of course, there are the perks of being on the front lines of the legal process . But interesting or not, you get paid the same.