Job Title / Job Description

Scopist

I transcribe steno for court reporters. I love that every word I‘ve ever heard will be used sometime. I love that I work at home - or more often, out on the road, since I can work anywhere.

What are some related career opportunities and job titles in your company or in your career area?

I‘m not sure - I never knew this job existed until I took a correspondence course. I guess proofreaders, medical transcribers, court reporters and captionists.

What new technology will be important?

Even if electronic recording replaces court reporters (which you would think would be imminent, but it isn‘t as close as you‘d think), what they then need is me - someone who can fix phonetically spelled transcripts into English: Is it peek, peak, pique or pallet, palate, or pallette?

What education or training did you have to prepare for this career?

I read voraciously and have a great vocabulary and spelling. I can type 100+ words a minute. Then a correspondence course to learn steno, medical vocabulary (although I taught medical vocabulary in my previous life as a hospital administrator), and transcript preparation. Although not necessary, I have an engineering degree, which makes me valuable on patent cases.

What education or training do you recommend for students today who want to enter this field?

You have to have a great vocabulary; then anyone can do it.

When you were in high school, did you know that you would enter this field?

No... Heck no. Never heard of it.