I realized that when I looked at the

• Crazy question for this board, but - does anyone wear wigs? SM
  • I do. See msg. - wiggy
    • I'm OP. - SM
  • Not full wigs, but I do have hairpieces for all occasions! - sm
    • I realized that when I looked at the - Raquel Welch wig line...
  • start a fad - wear a wig - nooutstandingwarrants
  • They have hair "attachments" that are similar to - extensions that you may like
  • My mom used to do that (1970s) with a black wig - sm - Laura E.

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System seemed nice at first but quickly turned out it wasn't.  Someone else I know told me hers kept locking up on her.  You don't have access to your Word entries and if you don't have a compatible shortcut expander, you have to start all over again in theirs.  That stinks.

I found my QA to be very, very picky, over the top, ridiculous things.  I don't think they want people to work for them because it seems you can't do anything right and I'm one who has been in this business a LONG time and no one ever complained about my work before. 

I was very disappointed as I had heard good things about MDI-MD.  Just goes to show what is right for one MT is not for another.

didn't make a lot of sense if you are going to be working an independent contractor because they don't take out any taxes at all, so changing dependents has no affect at all on your check.

Basically what the IRS is suggesting is just creative bookkeeping and you might come out better today, but come tax time and you reconcile eveything it will probably hurt you. 

is that part of the problem is that the bar has been raised as far as the skillset employees are expected to have these days. For one, computer skills are a given. It is just expected that every, even entry-level employees are proficient with computers, so the computer knowledge an MT has really isn't specialized. As far as terminology, etc., honestly learning everything I needed to know about the installation and government was harder, or as hard, as learning MT. With all the tools and communications available via computer, we are expected to be diverse and understand not only the intricacies of our own jobs but those of all the organizations that affect our jobs.

I had to learn just as many business & financial related acronyms as I did for MT including those unique to our organization, used in the financial/business industry, government/military, etc. Formatting documents etc. for business/government/military is actually harder than for MT. Learning all the financial, industrial, government, military terms, systems, and hierarchies was also much like learning MT. I started in an entry level job and was expected to pick all this up fairly quickly and pretty much on the job with no formal training because technology gave me access to all this information. This is all for a secretary/administrative support position.

My point is that since the last generation was brought up with computers, communications, and access to information so readily available, it has completely changed what is expected of office workers in larger companies. There are no more simple secretary jobs. I haven't been here two years just yet, and I am lead for an office of 50 people, expected to train 3 other clerks/secretaries under me and know everything about at least 25 different programs internal to my directorate and all the terms, acronyms, hierarchies, formatting, etc., etc., etc., related to it from personnel management to budgeting/financing, industrial production, government entities, private industry, etc.

I work with both government and private industry, as far as I can tell those in lower-level jobs are expected to be extermely diverse and well-rounded to support those in the higher-level jobs.  Those in the higher level jobs in some ways get paid more to be "expert" in their field but don't have to have nearly the skill set of the lower level employees. Most of those in higher-level jobs have been around a while, and the lower-level employees could honestly work circles around them. However, it is obvious, and everyone knows it, that as older workers begin to leave the workforce the younger/newer workers are going to be expected to know and do a lot more in the same positions simply because the base skillset of younger/newer workers is stronger and more diverse.

I don't mean to make light of what it takes to be an MT, but the business world has changed so much in the last 20 years that the bar has been raised in larger companies/industries as far as what is expected of workers. An older worker may have held the same position I am in now for 20 years, and she is not expected to have 1/4 the skillset they expect from a younger worker; yet, we get paid the same. They just expect younger workers to be more proficient in computer skills, technology, and information, and if you are not, you won't last long or go very far.

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.   

a "return to work" site to get people off disability and working.

They want you to sign up with a state worker to help you with vocational rehabilitation and get you back to work?  That's what I read.  And also they want you to work 30 hours a week with the telephone jobs.  That would be almost full-time, persons on permanent disability are not allowed to work that much.