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

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