Testimonials

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A COURT REPORTER?

I was actually originally sitting in jury duty, and I was fascinated by the court reporter. I have always enjoyed doing things where I use my fingers – I like playing piano and I can type pretty fast – so I was like maybe that is something that I can look into.

WHAT ARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS AFTER YOU GRADUATE?

I want to work for Cook County. I would like to be an official court reporter and work in the Daley Center. When I first came to school, I knew nothing about court reporting. I didn’t know about freelance work or that you can work as an official, but I think I would definitely enjoy working 9am-5pm in the Daley Center and just having that stability.

WHY GENERATIONS COLLEGE?

I chose Generations mostly for the location. It is literally down the street from the courthouse. As I already have a job, I didn’t want to go too far. I am really enjoying the education that I am getting here.

HOW IS GENERATIONS HELPING YOU TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS?

What Generations is really doing is giving me a sense of direction. It is giving me a sense of purpose, and it is giving me a sense of responsibility. I wake up in the morning, and now besides just having to go to work, I have homework, I have to go to school, and it is preparing me for when I graduate. That is how it is going to be in the real world. I have to get up and there are things that I have to do in the morning and attend to. I need to make sure that I hold myself responsible, and it is also me making me more conscientious about deadlines and things that I need to get done on a daily basis.

HOW HAS YOUR BACKGROUND HELPED YOU WITH COURT REPORTING?

The machine is a code. We are learning a code. It is like learning a whole new language. It is learning to read based on sounds, rather than spelling. I have a lot of hobbies that involve using my fingers, so I think being a musician and knowing how to type already gives me a little bit of the dexterity needed to use the machine as well.

IS THERE ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR THAT YOU ARE ENJOYING ABOUT














THE PROGRAM SO FAR?

The court reporting professors are very, very knowledgeable not only about the actual skill on the machine but the behind-the- scenes aspects of the job as well. They are giving us a very well-rounded education for what we are going to need once we are done with school.

WHAT ARE YOU ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR CLASSES?

I do like the small class size; it’s more personable. You can go to the professors with any mistakes and they know who you are by name. If you are sitting in a large lecture and you have to email a professor about a question, they give a very vague answer because they are trying to help so many other kids with different problems. As everybody learns differently, it is very hard to learn in a setting with that many people, unlike with small class sizes.