How to Land the Best Criminal Justice Careers

If you're looking for a career field that's always in demand, full of diversity, offers a range of growth opportunities, presents challenges on a daily basis, and allows you to make a difference in your community, you should really consider pursuing one of the many criminal justice careers out there. When you work in criminal justice, you can feel good about yourself knowing your making the world a better place.

You should know that many criminal justice careers are very challenging. From solving cases as a police detective to working with troubled individuals as a parole officer, you'll be challenged on a daily basis, and you'll have to work hard to deliver the best work possible. But in the end, the jobs are personally and financially rewarding.

So, how do you land a good career in criminal justice? Keep reading to find out.

If you're serious about joining the rapidly growing field of criminal justice, the first thing you need to understand is that education is required for getting the job you want. Even if you already have a criminal justice career and you want to advance with a promotion, you'll likely require continuing education to acquire the skills necessary for moving forward.

Likewise, for those with no experience in criminal justice, you'll need to attend school to get a degree in criminal justice. There are many different types of criminal justice degrees, so you'll need to do some planning to determine which degree and career path you're most interested in pursuing. If you need help and guidance, you should be able to speak with a guidance counselor at the criminal justice degree school you choose.

Speaking of criminal justice schools, you have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to where you're going to get your education. How can you make sure you choose the school that will best prepare you for the criminal justice careers of your dreams?

You should know that many reputable online colleges are now offering criminal justice courses so you can obtain your degree from the comfort of your home. Attending online to get your degree offers numerous advantages.

First, you can get your training done on your own time, whenever you choose. This is ideal for someone who has a job and can't afford to take time off to go to school. Online classes allow you to work around your busy schedule so you can take the steps to further your career without giving up your job just yet.

Another benefit of taking online classes is that you get access to classes and instructors that you might not be able to enjoy locally. It's very possible that you don't have a local college in your area that offers a good criminal justice program, but with online education, you can get your criminal justice degree no matter where you live.

And with so many online schools and curriculums available to you, you're sure to be able to find training for all different types of careers in criminal justice. So, no matter what career path you decide to take, you can get the training you need from the comfort of your home. Whether you're already an employee in the criminal justice field looking to enhance your skills for a promotion or you're looking for a career switch from another industry, online education offers solutions just for you.

Get the training you need to land the career of your dreams. Take a look at all the different criminal justice careers available today!

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Top 10 Criminal Justice Careers

There are different sources that have different ways of determining what the top 10 criminal justice degrees are.  Some people say the top 10 criminal justice degrees are the ones for careers that have the best growth potential, while others say the top careers are those that are most in demand.  Many experts agree, however, that the highest paying criminal justice careers are the most important careers to look into.  Anyone who wants to get a degree and pursue a professional future in this field would definitely want to know which careers pay the highest salaries.

There are literally hundreds of thrilling positions in the law enforcement field that you can go into after achieving a criminal justice degree.  The following are the top 10 criminal justice careers based on average salary:  

1.    Detective - ,354
2.    Criminal Investigator - ,012
3.    FBI Agent - ,648
4.    Police Officer - ,464
5.    Secret Service Agent - ,288
6.    Police Detective - ,518
7.    Private Investigator - ,400
8.    Substance Abuse Counselor - ,850
9.    Insurance and Fraud Investigator - ,449
10.    Legal Secretary - ,000

Some of these criminal justice careers are more difficult to get into than others, and the salaries may also vary based on which part of the country you reside in.  A career as a police detective, for example, will probably require quite a bit of time on the job and a great deal of experience to get into and begin achieving a high salary.  It won’t happen the day you graduate from criminal justice school.  FBI agents and secret service agents also often come from backgrounds in the military or very advanced government jobs.

There are many other high paying criminal justice careers in the police force, the court systems and for private companies.  These jobs listed above, however, are the top 10 criminal justice degrees in terms of average salaries.  While it’s clear that these jobs may require advanced college degrees, others may require certain levels of experience and number of promotions.  There are countless jobs in this field that are highly in demand and will continue to be so as long as we require a criminal justice system to keep our society safe and sound.

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Court Reporter Careers Reporting High Incomes and New Technology

Court reporters have held respected careers in courtrooms for decades. Technology and communication is rapidly expanding to create new transcription experiences and opportunities inside the courtroom and beyond. If you can listen, read and write – a career as a court reporter could be the lucrative career for you.

Court reporter training is no longer limited to pounding the keys of the classic stenomachine at the lightening speed of 200 words per minute. Today, a court reporter is just as likely to be responsible for taping a court proceeding, or creating a verbatim audio record of the proceeding. And these techniques aren’t limited to the court room either.

Court reporters have traditionally been used for court hearings, arbitration hearings, and depositions that require a verbatim transcription of the oral proceeding. Court reporters are also used in business meetings where conversations need to be officially recorded and transcribed, speeches, sales meetings, press conferences, product introductions, and even for translation and closed-captioning for the hard of hearing for classes, broadcasting and web services. In all these instances, an official verbatim transcription of conversations is required or desired.

To create these records a stenotype machine, analog or digital recording devices, or voice writing may be used. A stenomachine is different than a typewriter because it allows for stenotypist to type words, and even sounds and phrases, rather than letters. A stenomachine is usually used with Computer Aided Transcription (CAT). This connects the stenomachine to a computer which translates the input to be printed out almost instantaneously. CATs can also translate a transcription into a different language. Bilingual court reporters are always in high demand. Courses in stenography teach stenotyping skills, and on the job practice perfects the skill. The more years of experience a stenographer has, the faster and more accurate they are likely to be.

An analog or digital recording device is a “tape recorder.” The court reporter is responsible for not only taping the conversations, but for keeping a record of whom is speaking during the proceedings, and ensuring the recording for audibility. Recording a proceeding through a digital recorder is different than Voice Writing. In voice writing, the court reporter will repeat every word of the proceeding from everyone into a microphone. A special mask keeps the court reporter from being heard and interfering with the official proceeding. The court reporter than transcribes the voice recording through a computer aided program, or simply by manually typing the conversation. In addition to transcribing the event, the court reporter is also responsible for editing and ensuring accuracy. They are also responsible for record keeping and producing copies of the transcripts to the requested parties.

A court reporter must have intense listening skills, and excellent grammar and editing skills, as well as organizational skills and a very professional demeanor. Three years of court reporter education will teach you a comprehensive selection of skills and enhance your employability. Courses will include not only technical courses, but also grammar and legalese. Some courses even include anatomy and social behavior. However, three years is not necessary, a court reporter can specialize and get an education in only a year or two. Many states require licensing in addition to education, and may also require a court reporter to be a notary public (which is a fast easy process).

Court reporter careers have expanded to the business world and the entertainment industry thanks to technology. But no matter where the transcription is being made, or how it’s being made, attentiveness and accuracy is a must. If you can concentrate, listen, read and write, a court reporter career could have you start reporting some high salary returns.

Court reporting Careers: Certification as a court/verbatim reporter

A verbatim reporter is also known as a court reporter, usually specialized in shorthand writing, and transcripts the spoken work in a courtroom and during other official proceedings and such. This transcription is done by hand or through the use of using a stenotype machine or computer aided transcription.

Online court reporting schools regularly train professionals who wish to enter into the field of court reporting and transcription throughout the year and prepare candidates to take required assessment tests. Upon qualification, court reporters are ready to enter into the judicial system, work for legal offices and lawyers, in media and broadcasting companies (captioning) and real-time reporting on the internet, all of which can be full professions or lucrative freelance opportunities to augment income.

Certification:

After the conclusion of basic training (associates or bachelors degree in court reporting or similar level), court reporters need to gain certification in order to officially be designated as certified court reporters-CCRs (while in most states in the US they must also gain certification as a notary public). There are several accredited degree programs offered both traditionally by many institutions and on the internet by online court reporting schools.

In the US, certification is provided by one of the two national associations, the NCRA and the NVRA. Professionals join these associations to take a test and gain the offered certification, and must also periodically undertake continued education in order to maintain their practice licenses. The differences for both these associations are in the court reporting technique and methodology used. Prospective professionals can chose the association they wish to receive accreditation from in accordance with their own preferences as to the reporting technique they wish to adopt/ apply.

Certifying authorities and the certifications offered:

NCRA (National Court Reporters Association)

The NCRA requires applicants for the RPR certification (Registered Professional Reporter) to complete a four part examination. Applicants can easily receive comprehensive training to attempt the certification through online court reporting schools and traditional universities which offer courses for preparation. This examination evaluates;

1. The knowledge of the applicant through a 90 minute written test
1(a). This is a 100+ question test which evaluates the applicant's knowledge of court reporting technique as well as transcript production and practices. The pass percentage is a minimum of 70%.

2. The speed typing skills of the applicant through the speed skills test which evaluates the typing speed of the applicant in typical work situations including the transcription of testimonies and cross examinations etc. The applicant must complete 180 to 225 words per minute (for different situations). The applicant must display at least 95% accuracy to pass.

Upon passing this evaluation, the NCRA awards applicants the RPR certification, which is maintained through membership of the NCRA and the undertaking of continued education.

After the RPR qualification, reporters may opt to take the second highest certification offered by the NVRA which is the RMR certification (Registered Merit Reporter).

1. The written test is exactly as before with the same pass percentage.

2. The speed skills test differs in the way that applicants are required to produce transcripts at 200-260 words per minute (varying for different sections of the test) required, again, at 95% accuracy.

This certification is also maintained through membership and continued education.

The highest qualification on offer by the NCRA is the RDR certification (Registered Diplomate Reporter). This qualification can only be attempted by RMR certified reporters. This certification is gained after taking a written test to evaluate the applicant's knowledge.

1. The written test is a comprehensive 105 minute test to evaluate the applicants knowledge on reporting practices, transcript production, management, marketing, education etc. the pass percentage is again at 70.

NVRA (National Verbatim Reporters Association)

The NVRA follows a similar pattern for the award of a certification. The transcription techniques required to take the examination are taught both at online court reporting programs and on traditional college/ university campuses, both of which train applicants well enough to pass easily;

1. The knowledge test is along the same lines as the NVRA's test and is attempted for 90 minutes.
1(a). This test is also a 100+ question test with a pass percentage of 70%.

2. The Speed Skills test is also similar, however due to the difference in reporting techniques used, the NVRA requires applicants to complete the test sections at a rate of 200-250 words a minute (differing for the three parts of this test).

Upon the completion of this evaluation, the NVRA awards the CVR (Certified Verbatim Reporter) certification. This is also maintained through continued education and membership with the NVRA.

References:

NVRA[dot]org
Wikipedia[dot]org
Prospects[dot]ac[dot]uk
WorldWideLearn[dot]com

Resource Area

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

Copyright 2009 - All rights reserved by Media Positive Communications, Inc.

Notice: Publishers are free to use this article on an ezine or website provided the article is reprinted in its entirety, including copyright and disclaimer, and ALL links remain intact and active.

Court reporting: Alternative careers for trained court reporters

Court reporting training takes anywhere from between two to three years to complete. This training usually includes courses on language and terminology in addition to the basic skills training for transcription which includes the use of transcription tools and techniques- like shorthand writing, the stenograph and CAT (computer aided transcription). The expert use of these tools is a necessity to any court reporter whether they wish to work in the judicial system of not. Court reporting schools online or on-campus conduct comprehensive training for prospective reporters who can then opt to take a test for certification in order to improve their employment prospects (as most employers, whether from the judicial line of not, require these certifications as proof of competency). Certification testing usually requires a knowledge test be taken and a display of typing skills (225 to 250 or more works per minute). Initial certifications are awarded by the national associations the NVRA and NCRA (certification from either one depends upon the reporting / transcription techniques preferred by the reporter). Work for court reporters and trained transcribers/steno-typists outside of the judicial system is often referred to as captioning work.

Careers in Captioning & CART

Captioning is the process, through a variety of techniques to, to display the spoken word on screen or in a video, as text delivered in real time. Additional information and non-speech elements are also part of this process so that viewers may access this information. Captioning is also used to aid the hearing impaired understand what is being spoken; according to VisWiki; 'Captions' aim to describe all significant audio content - spoken dialogue and non-speech information such as the identity of speakers and, occasionally, their manner of speaking - along with music or sound effects using words or symbols'. Captioning is also called 'subtitles for the hard or hearing'. CART is the abbreviation used for the process of 'Communication Access Real-time Transcription' or 'Computer Aided Real-time Transcription'.

Captioning techniques are regularly taught at traditional court reporting campuses as well as in online court reporting training and court reporting courses that offer bachelor's and associate degrees in transcription.

Careers

A trained court reporter can take up a job in captioning for a variety of industries related to audio-visual media. These careers may include real-time transcription for public events (concerts, declamation or political speeches etc), webcasts and religious or educational services. The following are some of the work areas that require transcription services of high quality and are options for a lucrative career or freelance work in order to increase income;

Tele-visual and video:

Television and Video soundtrack including speech are transcribed using stenotypes and translated to appear on screen in real-time. This is common with live broadcasts (sports, public addresses etc).

Webcasts and Video streaming:

Live webcasts are captioned and subtitles used in streamed videos. This is also known as web commentary in text of a live event in real time.

DVD and movies:

Subtitles for DVD documentaries and movies and other video clips.

Videogames:

Likewise, in-game audio is also transcribed and displayed in text.

Theater:

Text-display in live theater is relatively new and often requires live transcription

Media monitoring services:

Media monitoring services capture and transcribe the speech in news casts and from other public affairs programs so that the text is made available for searching.

Reference:

Wikipedia
www[dot]viswiki[dot]com/en/Closed_captioning
www[dot]ezinearticles[dot]com/?Court-Reporting-Schools-Provide-Rewarding-Career-Opportunities&id=286102
www[dot]worldwidelearn[dot]com/online-education-guide/criminal-justice/court-reporting-major.htm

Resource Area:

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

Copyright 2009 - All rights reserved by Media Positive Communications, Inc.

Notice: Publishers are free to use this article on an ezine or website provided the article is reprinted in its entirety, including copyright and disclaimer, and ALL links remain intact and active.