One year and you make decent money? What is decent money to you?
Posted By: nm on 2007-06-04
In Reply to: Dreamweaver's soapbox - micgroovy
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I am, but not because of pay. I make decent money, more than I would
make in most fields today that don't require a degree or experience. I'm just burned out with the monotony of it. Type, type, type and then type some more because the account is behind and others aren't pulling their weight, so type, type, type, go to bed without spending time with family, exhausted, kitchen not cleaned up, and get up the next day and do the same thing all over again. You have no control over your paycheck because you are paid by production. If you have one of those days where you get the worst dictators or the sound quality is really bad you don't make your lines. If you don't feel well you don't make your lines.
I've done this nearly 20 years, about 19 more than I ever thought I would, but I'm tired, I don't enjoy my job, and I want to do something different. My problem is that I need to be home 5 more years and I don't know what I can do and make the money I need to make.
I make decent money at my
I just feel like a cog in a machine, unappreciated, unnoticed. I work for a hospital. I have also felt this way working for large services. I would like to feel that my time and services are valuable and appreciated, but I just don't seem to feel that way.
I have a flexible schedule, I make decent money, better
than I could make working in an office, even though I haven't had a raise in 5 years and not likely to get one anytime soon. I homeschool my children, we don't have a 9 to 5 lifestyle, DH doesn't have a 9 to 5 job and it allows him a 3 day weekend so we like to travel. I am able to work anywhere I can get internet access so we can pickup and go at a moments notice w/o me having to worry about work.
I hate office politics. I don't have to spend $$ on clothes as I work in jeans or sweats, or can stay in my jammies all day. We only have 1 car and that works for us now, but wouldn't if I worked outside the home.
Life is just less stressful not having to get my kids up at 6:00 a.m. to get ready so they can catch the bus by 7:00. My DC would be getting home at 4:00 or later if they were in school and by the time they did homework and we had dinner it would be time to prepare for bed and we wouldn't have much family time. By homeschooling my DC have been able to explore their passions, have really developed a love of learning and we have developed a wonderful family bond. We spend hours every week talking about world events, relationships, etc. My DC are my #1 reason for working at home. When they have left the nest I may consider working outside the home, or at least exploring other work-at-home options.
Decent money is out there
Most of you know me from this board and I just want to share this with you guys. One of my gals that I met through a nephew's baseball team -- he and her son played together and we go to the same church. She had two terms of medical terminology/some transcription underneath her belt, many years in the law field as a paralegal, etc. She wanted to work at home, make some extra money, etc. I took her in and started her on my psych accounts and the onto some IM accounts. She got the psych accounts quite well but had trouble with the IM. We butted heads several times over scheduling, etc. She did not understand the 24 TAT and so on. But we perservered together. She finally got a job in an attorney's office part-time doing some medical review, etc. and quit me. On good terms. Then last November I helped her land a GYN account that we started off together and I just handed off to her as it was not worth my while to drive 25 miles for what dictation was there. It was my business name and years in experience that landed the job. She took it over and tonight she informed me that she is so glad that I kept at her and perservered with her as she is now making $42 to $45 an hour typing for them. She is like me charges only .12 cpl but because of auto corrects, macro's and shortcuts that I helped her with, she is making good money. If fact in Sept when they add another doctor she is going to quit her legal job completely because she makes more with this account with less hours or if she keeps the legal job she is going to do what I did and mentor and help someone else break into the field. Again these are tape accounts, with pick up and delivery and the little accounts no one else wants but they provide us with a good living. Again, I don't look at the cpl but at my hourly rate and that is what keeps me happpy. She just wanted to thank me for helping her out and I am really happy for her. Yea we spoil our accounts but they reciprocate with decent money. So for those that want your own accounts, keep at it, takes time and patience but you can get there. I had most profitable year ever this year and less hours.
decent money
Better than I would make at a 40 hour week clerical job in my area. Much better. I don't have benefits, but I don't need them because my husband has great benefits with his job. I DO get quarterly bonuses though that are more than my yearly bonus at my previous office job. No, I won't get rich doing this. And yes, I put in a lot of hours. I work hard. I research. I have invested in good reference materials. And I love my job.
What exactly do you consider *decent* money, (sm)
and what part of the country do you live/work in? What's "decent" pay in rural Kentucky or Iowa is food-stamp time in Los Angeles, Portland, San Diego or New York, just to name a few.
They also do not pay mentors decent money
so no one I know would never work for them. Companies like that do not need to be around.
I would be 43 and have no life at this time and wish I was making decent money, but not ;0( ...NM
NM
Decent money won't be there until you've had years of practice. Maybe do
s
I *only* make $40K a year for full time work. Now I find that isn't decent is or fair?
nm
All I want for Christmas is a decent job, a decent job, a decent job.
One that's not 95% ESLs, steady workload, steady accounts, good communication, office staff who aren't rude buckpassers, decent line rate, no offshoring, direct deposit, flexible schedule, not having to do 50+ 30-second reports per day, and a platform conducive to speed. I know it's not possible, but a girl can dream, can't she? This is, after all, my Christmas wish list. I never get what I want for Christmas. Why is that too much to ask for? It doesn't even matter anyways. After Christmas, I QUIT MT!!!! Burger King is just down the street, and they give food discounts.
Make money? I'm not making any money because of my decision. You read my reasoning
You can agree with me or not, but don't make false assumptions please.
You're working to make money, not to spend money.
These people should be ashamed of themselves taking advantage of people this way!
I also blew some money signing up with Quixtar... The only way to make any money is to bug everyone
you know into signing up. I felt like a snake oil huckster. I hated it. I was flushing money down the toilet from the moment I handed over my money.
RUN, do not walk away! I do an entirely different side business now that I really love (in addition to my MTing, which I also love!) Find something you're good at and that you truly love doing. Then make a business out of it. That's the best way to have a side business. Selling discount toilet paper through Amway/Quixtar? Not so much.
How long to make decent $$$??
This may seem like a stupid question to all of you "veterans" out there, but how long until a "newbie" can expect to make a decent wage in this business? I have only been employed for about 5 mos, so I am trying to cut myself some slack, but minimum wage is hard to swallow. I do reports from a pool of doctors so I can't seem to utilize the full benefits of expanders, and on my best day, I can type about 110-125 lph. Again, I know I just started, but I can't keep making this kind of wage forever. Are there tricks I am missing? Any insight would really be appreciated!! Thanks in advance!!
That's the only way to make a decent wage --
How long does it take to make decent line count?
I am considering joining an outsourcing company. Can you tell me how long it took you, as an experienced transcriptionist, to get up to snuff that you were making a decent wage? And what is your average rate per hour when paid by the line of 65 cpl?
Other than it really is broken a lot, you cannot make a decent line count on it.
It is a horrible disorganized program that is not user friendly like some of the other ones i have had. Sound quality has to be the worst of any company there is. Tech support is nonexistant for at least 6 hours to 6 days. Pay is horrible, especially if you get stuck on editing an account (about 4 cpl) Happy bankrupcy
RE: Other than it really is broken a lot, you cannot make a decent line count on it.
Your opinion is not shared by many who work at Transcend. I personally get all the lines I need using BeyondTXT and I think it is a great platform for transcribing or editing, and I do both, and believe me I have never gotten close to starving. Editing compensation is 60% of transcribing line rate by the way and my compensation is not 4 cpl as you so erroneously posted.
I've beat my head against the wall trying to make a decent
the ESLs, I can't get much past 1200 lines daily anymore. Anyone else in the same boat?
I don't know about you, but I've got kids to feed, clothe, and house. I need to make a decent
living. I'm not going to be cheated. It sounds as though you've decided to let yourself be used and abused aby the MTSOs all with a big smile on your face. Whatever! It's MTs like you, not I, that have caused the pay rates to decline. MTs like you who will accept whatever abuse they companies hand out, accept being cheated, and accept losing jobs to India.
You'll be back on here next week or next month posting under a different name, crying about your paycheck and looking for sympathy.
Money, money, money, mmonnneyyy. Singing the Apprentice song.
:+
I think good money is 50K a year.
x
35,500 a year is darn good money to me!!!!!
n/m
The CMT exam is overrated. Don't waste your time & money. Use that money on
paid anymore just because you have it. There are a few CMT cheerleaders that post to people like you but they are pretty well sucked up into that association.
How really do you make money?
I know I'm new but at least I have a job Right???
Anyway editing VR at 3 cents a line and not being quick is frustrating... I have been working for a week and I think I made maybe if I'm lucky 200.00, now I left a job making 500.00 a week after taxes... Boy I am stupid... So much for this great career working at home blah blah... I guess I'm totally frustrated considering no one will hire you new and when you get a job they say here is some chicken feed... I can't live off of this, does anyone have any suggestions... I will there is something to be said for getting paid by the hour
I don't make any money and I am
I am paid an hourly rate based on the number of lines I edit. I'm trying to go back to being an MT. I took a job for this company that pays $12/hr. I am supposed to average 300 lines per hour. I can only get a raise if my average is more than this for 6 months.
I don't know about anybody else, but I don't see that I will ever be able to edit more than 300 lines an hour because it takes time to provide feedback.
You cannot do it well and make money sm
by constantly stopping to work to attend to children, errands, family business. If you want to make money, you have to treat it like what it is, a real job.
i make my money on them.
they are easy and i rarely have to look up words.
you won't make any money
if you cann't understand what they are saying. You will sit twiddling your thumbs, going ARHGGH! 7 cpl is not good either, but at least you could be making something compared to nothing with ESL. Making < $5 an hour typing ESL versus maybe $10 an hour at 7 cpl... Hard choice..
When did you make the most money?
Was your line rate higher when you started, halfway through, or now?
Sickest thing, I made more money my first year as MT as I do now, for working
zz
Needing to make some money.....
I just started a new job and really like it when I have work but the problem is that I do 2 or 3 reports and then it's gone for 20 or 30 minutes. I can't make any money doing a report here and there....I've asked for a backup account but they are saying everything is low right now. What do I do? I don't want to switch companies again when I just started this one, but my bills aren't waiting simply because I don't have any work. I didn't get to work Friday or Monday at all. Yesterday, I finally did my minimum (I want to do a lot more than that) but it took me until 11:00 last night to do it because I had to work here and there all day long..........Just wondering if this is the case for a lot of people. Guess I just needed to vent.
How to make money MTing
I'm an occasional lurker and infrequent poster. I see so many posts regarding inability to make money that I thought I would post some ideas in the hope it might help someone. However, I don't expect my post to ever see the light of day as every time I do post, my post disappears faster than a snowball in the desert.
I believe anyone can still make money doing MT provided:
1. You take the time to thoroughly learn your terminology, not just words, but a thorough understanding. You will never make money if your fingers are flipping through books instead of being on the keyboard. Learning takes time and effort. IMHO learning can't be done with small children underfoot any more than you would take your children to a classroom and expect to learn. Once you are a seasoned MT and know your job the way you know the back of your hand, then, yes, you can work with the children (or a tornado) around you.
If you aren't willing to commit to #1 then there is no use reading on.
2. You MUST work for a company that isn't constantly running out of work. No work, no money, doesn't matter how much knowledge you have or how fast you type. If your company consistently runs out of work, do yourself a favor and move on. I would suggest keeping the old job until you try out the new company lest you find you have jumped from the frying pan into the fire.
3. Nevermind "how I've always done it." Right or wrong, your obligation is to the place that signs your paycheck. If you "can't remember" changes, make a macro that will remind you. Same with verbatim. Forget what you "have always done" and condition yourself, right or wrong, to type exactly what is dictated, no more, no less.
Now to increase your pay:
1. Really work at increasing your typing speed. There is something to be said for learning to type on an old standard Underwood typewriter and doing the exercises "the quick brown fox jumped over the hollow log" and "now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country." It really works.
2. Use your word expander to the max. I first use all the accepted medical abbreviations. I then go to what I can easily remember as my abbreviations. For instance I use ASHD2 to spell out when dicitated. I use the first 2 letters of each word in a 2 word phrase i.e. stco (stable condition). Pay attention to anything a given physician dictates consistently and put it in your word expander. Most people can edit faster than they type.
3. Learn to proof as you go. It can be done. My kids used to laugh at me because they said my mouth was constantly moving when I was typing. Still does. That's because I'm also reading as I'm typing. Train yourself to do this and you won't have to waste time going back and proofing.
4. Learn to be an accurate typist. You will be surprised how much time you spend backing up to correct typing errors. That is what spellcheck is for but that also wastes time. Don't waste time backing up to correct typos, wait for spellcheck and remember that the seconds you spend correcting typos, even with spellcheck, makes a big difference at the end of the day.
5. Take your job seriously. If your fingers aren't on the keyboard, you aren't making money. My routine is that I work as hard as I can until I reach 1/2 of my daily goal, which is twice the minimum that is required. Once I have reached that point I allow myself to do other things. Like I will type 2 or 3 reports, do a load of laundry or whatever. I also DO NOT answer the phone until I have reached the 1/2 mark. That includes visiting this or any other board. I've already reached my 1/2 point today and I'm feeling a little bored, it being Friday and all. Even then, I am mindful that time is money and I limit the time I spend on doing other things.
6. Get over the excuse that you are constantly changing accounts. You're paid to do whatever comes across your screen. Teach yourself to "file" account specifics in your brain so they automatically come up with the account...it can be done. Don't be afraid of new accounts or new dictators. Remember it's all the same WORDS just spoken by different voices.
It doesn't matter how much I make because that doesn't help any of you. Let's just say it's up there with the highest producers who post here and I am also an "old dog". I've been MTing probably about as long as most of you have been on this earth and believe it or not, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. :)
Hope this little bit of info will help someone and I hope it stays up long enough to do so.
Can one make money at etransplus?
Hi,
I am pleased with the benefit package and the line rate for insurance, but I was astounded by style they prefer. It is just so much. Can one make money there?
and, i didn't make THAT much money nm
nm
Most of the men I know in this field make more money than
I think they do less bonding with coworkers and seem to focus better.
I do PT and make tons of money...sm
very easy work. Few ESL in that field and they are very agreeable to working with you. Lots of word Expander phrases, hardly any drugs, no labs. Love it. Make more money in PT with less cpl than any of my other accounts just because I can crank it out.
You make more money doing MT than in journalism?
I have been an MTSO/had my own accounts and made LOTS of money in MT. BUT, my friend who has a degree in journalism is doing so much better than I am. She has a home in Marietta, Georgia that I only WISH were mine. And then she has a second home and the SECOND home was $300,000. That home is just for them to stay in when they go to another state and visit relatives. It is nowhwere near as nice as their home in Atlanta.
Does anybody make money VR editing?
I am considering taking a position doing this and I wonder if you can make a living at it. A poster below said that if you are a fast typist you will lose money, but if you are a 150-200 lph typist can you break even? I would like to hear from anyone who actually does VR editing either full-time or part-time. What's the scoop? 
And what do you consider "a ton of money" ? What do you make weekly? nm
x
That's definitely good money. I wish I could make that much.
I'm making about $1,400 a MONTH working 25-30 hours per week. ESLs, run out of work often, lousy platform. What's the point any more? I definitely need to pick up some local accounts and never work for another national.
Oh man....that is NOT good...how do you make any money?
What else could you do and make this kind of money? sm
If you still make great money in it, at least 50K per year, as I do, then it is still hot. if not, it is not hot.
keep daycare. you can't do everything and make money.
i know...tried it.
Four. And they make very good money.
But I get your point. But you asked!
No, if you cannot produce enough to make the money you need,
It's not the industry's fault some do not have the aptitude to make what they want.
Do Radiology MTs make more money?
New to profession, and wondering if radiology MTs make most of the money ? I heard that they usually do because it is so repetitive.
It is NOT an easy way to make money
and most companies advertising at-home training and promising the moon are out for your money. Medical transcription is a CAREER and not a JOB. Stick with engineering and do some crafting on the side to make "extra money."
Oh, but I make really good money
so I did not understand where this was coming from. You see, I have no children at home, only 2 of us, no bills, I only work part because that is all I want but still bring home about $1500.00 every 2 weeks, so no need to feel sorry. I said I type fast.
The only way to make money now is typing SM
in shorthand, using ShortHand or some other word expander. I don't type anything out unless I have to. Not only long words, but words like "what", "been", "the", (of course). There are websites you can visit or books you can buy on the topic. The above way to make "expansions" are quite cumbersome and not effective.
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