Post by tamicam21 on Oct 9, 2013 13:32:52 GMT -8
August 2013 marked 3 years since I began court reporting school. It is without a doubt the hardest road I have ever traveled in my life. Had I known it would be this tough, I never would have enrolled. My goal was to be done by now. That's not happening. And I honestly do not know when it will happen. If you would like to know the educational path of a court reporter, just Google it. You'll see. It's got about an 80% drop out rate because it's so hard.
The program is totally dependent upon personal progress. It's not "you'll be done in 6 months then move on to the next course and that will take 4 months" etc. It depends on how fast you progress through each speed level and how fast your brain develops the muscle memory and your fingers the dexterity they need to write words at 225 wpm (words per minute) on a stenograph machine. (It's not a typewriter; totally different piece of equipment.) It's all about improving yourself. Apparently, practicing 30-40 hrs/wk in school for the past 3 years has not been enough for this now 40-year-old brain to get there.
I'm currently attempting to pass 180 wpm. I don't progress until I pass. A test pass is 98% or higher. Nothing lower is acceptable. It's either 98% or you fail. When I don't pass, I keep trying over and over, week after week. Think of an Olympic athlete trying out for the Olympic trials. They train for 4 years, if they don't make it, it's over or they try again. The psychological strain is brutal.
All this to say, I seriously thought about quitting after 3 years of this nightmare. But I can't because I have too much invested in this, I'm not a quitter, and I'm close to the end. So with the new #Choose180Challenge, I decided to set a goal to be within about 3 tests from graduating within 180 days, 6 months from now, which is April 1, 2014. Should be attainable, right? But then I sat down to map it out.... I have around 15-20 speed tests I have to pass between 180wpm, 200wpm and 225wpm before I can graduate. And then I still have to qualify to take the state test in CA before I become licensed to work. Remember that 98% requirement to pass a test? To be completely honest, I don't know if I can do it in 6 months. The first week of this challenge seemed to be a failure already! UGH!
So I decided to start with a baby step. Just pass the 180wpm level by 12/1/13 and go from there. I tend to set astrologically out-of-reach goals and then beat myself up when I don't attain them. Still learning that I guess. By taking this 6-month goal apart and breaking it up, this will hopefully make things more manageable.
As we start week 2, I'm not feeling as defeated as I was last week. And if I keep up with the weekly blogging here and show my accountability to others, I may just make it. So I accept this #Choose180Challenge along with the rest of you all and encourage you to choose that direction on a daily basis. No, it won't be easy. That's why we have a community here to remind us all we can do it.
The program is totally dependent upon personal progress. It's not "you'll be done in 6 months then move on to the next course and that will take 4 months" etc. It depends on how fast you progress through each speed level and how fast your brain develops the muscle memory and your fingers the dexterity they need to write words at 225 wpm (words per minute) on a stenograph machine. (It's not a typewriter; totally different piece of equipment.) It's all about improving yourself. Apparently, practicing 30-40 hrs/wk in school for the past 3 years has not been enough for this now 40-year-old brain to get there.
I'm currently attempting to pass 180 wpm. I don't progress until I pass. A test pass is 98% or higher. Nothing lower is acceptable. It's either 98% or you fail. When I don't pass, I keep trying over and over, week after week. Think of an Olympic athlete trying out for the Olympic trials. They train for 4 years, if they don't make it, it's over or they try again. The psychological strain is brutal.
All this to say, I seriously thought about quitting after 3 years of this nightmare. But I can't because I have too much invested in this, I'm not a quitter, and I'm close to the end. So with the new #Choose180Challenge, I decided to set a goal to be within about 3 tests from graduating within 180 days, 6 months from now, which is April 1, 2014. Should be attainable, right? But then I sat down to map it out.... I have around 15-20 speed tests I have to pass between 180wpm, 200wpm and 225wpm before I can graduate. And then I still have to qualify to take the state test in CA before I become licensed to work. Remember that 98% requirement to pass a test? To be completely honest, I don't know if I can do it in 6 months. The first week of this challenge seemed to be a failure already! UGH!
So I decided to start with a baby step. Just pass the 180wpm level by 12/1/13 and go from there. I tend to set astrologically out-of-reach goals and then beat myself up when I don't attain them. Still learning that I guess. By taking this 6-month goal apart and breaking it up, this will hopefully make things more manageable.
As we start week 2, I'm not feeling as defeated as I was last week. And if I keep up with the weekly blogging here and show my accountability to others, I may just make it. So I accept this #Choose180Challenge along with the rest of you all and encourage you to choose that direction on a daily basis. No, it won't be easy. That's why we have a community here to remind us all we can do it.