UPDATE: Want to be Independent? What About Court Reporting?

How many people have decided on a career by the time that they were 14?  Not many people.  However, Callie Black, a court reporting student at South Coast College who passed the Certified Shorthand Reporter Examination (CSR)  and is  already a working court reporter had decided at that age that she wanted to become a court reporter.

President Jean Gonzalez asked her how she arrived at her decision to become a court reporter.  She said she decided when she was 14 years old that she wanted to be independent.  So she searched the Internet for careers that would allow her to become independent.  She found court reporting.  She then decided to accelerate her high school education to finish a year early.

Before finishing high school, she had already decided to attend South Coast College.  She visited and applied before graduation to enable her to start immediately after she graduated.

She enrolled in the court reporting program and made outstanding progress.  She then discovered that  she had developed carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands.  Not to be deterred by any obstacles, she immediately arranged for surgery on both hands and left school to recover.  As soon as she recovered, she immediately returned to school, completed her 200 wpm skill level, and passed the first qualifying examination to go the Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR) Examination.

Knowing what you want to do is important but sticking to your goal despite obstacles is challenging.  It takes outstanding character to persevere in the face of obstacles.  Calle is an example of someone who will not let obstacles stand in her way of success.  She  passed the English,  Professional, and dictation portions of the July 2014 Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR) Examination on her first attempt and is now a successful deposition reporter.