Could you share a link? I looked there and didn't see what you describe.

• Where to buy headphones, below the chin, small ear pieces - jus me
  • Small ear pieces - jgr
    • Alas. Those MP35's are extinct. SM - Blu
    • Could you share a link? I looked there and didn't see what you describe. - thanks
  • Check out transcriptiongear.com. Large selection, great service. nm - wanderer
    • Bad experience with them here. Looking elsewhere. - x
      • I've used them several times w/o any probs at all. nm - wanderer
        • Yeah, well, satisfaction guaranteed did not mean that with me. nm - I wasn't, too bad.

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nt

Try this

http://www.afmc.wpafb.af.mil/ESC/MM/CAP/keyboards.htm

http://www1.va.gov/directory/guide/home.asp?isFlash=1

Big desk, small desk, filing cabinets, books on shelf, books in drawers?

Organizational tips?

is just as if you had a crystal ball and were describing mine.  I can't see where it's possible at all any more to make a decent living in this profession without working yourself to a frazzle ... and it's only going to get worse. 

I love this type of work, but I can no longer sit by and make little better than minimum wage chained to this computer for hours on end after having paid my dues with over 20 years of experience. 

There's just got to be a better way ...

Did you commit to working xx lines per day or accepting xx minutes of dictation each day? If so, it's not the company's problem if your daily routine changes and you have to work hours that are not convenient to you. A true IC gets the work done in a timely manner, no excuses. Your vent is exactly what gives WAH such a bad rap.

My dream job would be straight transcribing half oncology and half psychiatry on a flexible schedule Monday through Friday as a statutory employee for a reputable company with decent dictators at 11 cents per line (a fair living wage for 17 years' experience), first shift.

In my part of the country: 

The training is 2 years.  You must pass with 95% accuracy these tests:   225 wpm 2-voice testimony, 200 wpm jury charge and 180 wpm literary.  Must do 40 hours of actual writing time during internship and submit 40 pages of transcript and a written narrative to get your degree. 

Also, you must invest in your own stenography equipment, $2,000+ (could go quite a bit higher depending on equipment).

Then you must do 2 years with a legal group. 

Then you can apply for a courthouse job after that (that's how my courthouse in a decently large city does it).

Then after you do 2 years of courthouse experience, the closed captioning company will take your application for consideration of hiring and "transitioning."  

Closed capitioning for live capitioning (news, sports, etc.) I am pretty sure those people can work at home. 

But if you want to do movies, etc., that is done in house.  At least in my neck of the woods this is how they do it and what I was told by someone at the company over the phone. 

I doubt that you can go straight into closed captioning from school--I am pretty sure that they want you to have pretty much courtroom experience and be pretty well versed with the steno machine. 

If you can make it, it seems like a pretty lucrative career.  I looked into it many years ago and went into med transcription instead.  Could kick myself now. 

Have had a couple friends who were court reporters, the machine seems it would take quite a while to master with any efficiency.  You know, it reminds me of the alpha-hand I took many many years ago.  But again, you would have to practice, practice, practice, and really enjoy what you are working towards. 

I just interviewed last week with a court reporting school and then with the local college to check out their court reporting course.  The court reporting school said as long as you get up to the 225 per minute speed, you can finish a little early, about 18 months. But not so with my local college, you must do the entire 2 years and classes only start once a year. 

Interestingly, I was told there is an 80% drop-out rate.  It is pretty tough going. 

I changed my mind about going this route, wasn't interested in the courthouse work, wanted to go straight to closed capitioning, but it sounds as though that is not possible.  I don't have 6 years to spend for school and experience.  

Then I have been reading on the internet that they are starting to get rid of the court reporters in a couple states and replacement them with the audio/video recorders that the courthouses already have in place.  So that doesn't sound to good to me.  Not sure how accurate that method would be for record keeping, but we all know with offshoring has done to the quality/accuracy of medical reports. 

Still thinking of what I should do instead now.   

Good luck to you.  Again, this is in my neck of the woods, could be different where you are.