34 THE QUEENS COURIER • APRIL 26, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
SPONSORED BY
PLAZA COLLEGE
info@plazacollege.edu
On February 8, 2018,
Queens-native Daniel Joseph
took his final stenotype
exam, demonstrating his
ability to type at a speed of at
least 225 words per minute
on a stenotype machine.
The next day, Mr. Joseph
began his career as a Court
Reporter at American
Stenographic.
A court reporter, also
known as a stenographer,
transcribes the spoken word
at 225 words per minute.
Stenographers provide
verbatim transcripts and realtime
Queens native takes final exam, begins career next day
captioning from
exciting venues like
courtrooms, schools, sports
stadiums, and even home. Some
stenographers even get the
opportunity to do so on international
contracts.
Mr. Joseph first learned about the
profession through a friend. After
completing the admissions process
and registering for classes, he
attended the program orientation and
“fell in love with it.”
The program combines liberal arts
courses like English, mathematics,
and professional development with
stenotype classes.
Students begin with a course on
stenotype theory and advance
through four additional courses,
meeting speed milestones as they
progress. In their final stenotype
course, students must type at least
225 words per minute.
Of his experience at Plaza
College, Mr. Joseph noted the
“amount of patience and dedication
the faculty showed” him as playing a
significant role in his success in the
program.
He continued, if he had to do it all
over again, he would still choose
Plaza College because “the faculty is
one of a kind and they care about the
student’s overall outcome.”
Further, he said “My
internship was a great
experience that showed me the
ins and outs of working in the
legal offices, especially when
it comes to planning and
procedures.”
Mr. Joseph completed his
internship with American
Stenographic and took
advantage of the opportunity
to perfect his skills. “I sat in
with American Stenographic
after completing my court
hours and was very inquisitive
about how my transcript
should look and took to any
criticisms that were made.”
After meeting his 225
speed, he sought a permanent
position with the agency and
began working immediately.
“It’s great working with
American Steno.”
Because it is a lucrative career*
with many paths that allow you to
choose where and how often you’d
like to work, court reporting is the
perfect career for our diverse
community. That doesn’t mean it
comes easily, though. Mr. Joseph
would like anyone considering
enrolling in a court reporting
program to know that, “sacrifice is
the necessary component to your
success.”
When asked if he would
recommend court reporting to his
friends and family, Mr. Joseph
responded simply:
“Absolutely!”
Learn more about Plaza College’s Court Reporting program
by visiting plazacollege.edu
Photo by Christopher Zipf/Plaza College.
*According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual mean wage for Court Reporters in New York in 2017 was $89,140. Additional information can
be found at Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Court Reporters, on the Internet
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/legal/court-reporters.htm.
link
/court-reporters.htm
