WEBCAST CAPTIONER CAREER PATH
With the growing number of virtual meetings and online conferences, the need for skilled webcast captioners is greater than ever. Professionals who choose the webcast captioner career path transcribe spoken audio in real time, enabling attendees across town or around the world to view the same material simultaneously.
WHAT EDUCATION AND TRAINING IS NEEDED FOR WEBCAST CAPTIONER JOBS?
If you want to become a webcast captioner, you may find it frustrating that there are not any standard prerequisites in the U.S. today, nor is there a standardized training program.
However, obtaining an education that is designed to teach you the necessary skills to be an effective webcast captioner can make you more employable and increase the chances of succeeding in this growing field. Court reporting associate degree or certificate programs give aspiring webcast captioners an opportunity to use captioning technology and hone their abilities, including speed and accuracy — both of which are keys to success in this role.
Some employers may prefer licensed court reporters or captioners. Other agencies might accept candidates who have demonstrated their abilities by obtaining advanced certifications such as those offered by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT), and the National Verbatim Reporters Association (NVRA.)
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE WEBCAST CAPTIONER JOB DESCRIPTION?
Webcast captioners can work as freelancers or for private companies, including major national broadcasting corporations. Webcast captioner responsibilities generally include using stenography machines to capture spoken words, gestures and actions and transcribe them into text in real time, ensuring that spoken audio is attributed to the correct speaker.
As the job title implies, webcast captioners typically caption webcasts or other virtual presentations and meetings. In doing so, they allow for greater participation, especially by hearing-impaired participants. Accurately documenting webcast content also creates a written record to which all attendees can refer at a later time.
WHY CONSIDER PURSUING WEBCAST CAPTIONER CAREERS?
Most webcast captioners work in comfortable environments, including offices and convention centers. They may also be able to work remotely, captioning webcasts and meetings from the comfort of their homes. Some people are drawn to this role because they can perform the job on a freelance basis, deciding their schedules to suit their lifestyle.
The median annual pay for court reporting professionals, including webcast captioners, was $60,130, as of May 2019. Webcast captioner salary expectations are typically above this number — between $70,000 and $79,000 — with some exceptionally skilled captioners earning six figures.
A Generations COLLEGE DEGREE CAN PREPARE YOU TO BE A WEBCAST CAPTIONER
Generations College’s court reporting degree program teaches aspiring webcast captioners how to effectively capture and transcribe webcasts, meetings and other proceedings. Graduates enter the workforce with hands-on experience, knowing how to use stenography machines quickly and efficiently. Our skilled instructors have real-world expertise in the subjects they teach and are committed to preparing students to succeed in their chosen careers.
To learn more about this degree — offered both on-campus in Chicago and as a fully-accredited online degree program — contact us. Begin pursuing your future career as a webcast captioner and apply online today!