For stenographer jobs, employers prefer to hire high school graduates, and seldom have a preference among the many different shorthand methods. Although requirements vary in private firms, applicants with the best speed and accuracy usually receive first consideration in hiring. To qualify for jobs in the Federal Government, stenographers must be able to take dictation at a minimum of 80 words per minute and type at least 40 words per minute. Workers must achieve higher rates to advance to more responsible positions. Stenographers can advance to more responsible secretarial positions, especially if they develop their interpersonal and communication skills.
Some stenographers complete the necessary education to become court reporters.
Job Outlook Overall employment of court reporters, medical transcriptionists, and stenographers is projected to grow more slowly than the average for all occupations. Employment growth among medical transcriptionists should be offset by the decline among stenographers, and the number of court reporters should remain fairly stable. Demand for medical transcriptionists is expected to increase with growth in the need for health care and the industries that provide it. Growing numbers of medical transcriptionists will be needed to amend patients' records, edit for grammar, and discover discrepancies in medical records. Those who earn an associate's degree or American Association for Medical Transcription certification, should have favorable job prospects.