Many people would argue that typing skills are the foundation for becoming a succesful transcriptionist. I would disagree.
I am a career transcriptionist, earning a competitive full-time income, and I am a very, very poor typist.
- No matter how many times I try, I can't seem to get the hang of keeping my fingers on the proper home keys and using the proper fingers to
- I hunt and peck, constantly making errors and having to backspace along the way.
- On typing tests, I can sometimes hit 75 WPM, if – and only if – I concentrate and use text expanders. However, in reality, I probably type closer to 55-60 WPM. I can't even imagine how slow I was when I first started!
So how have I made this my career if I haven't mastered one of the most basic skillsets? To put it simply, I've compensated.
- I use AutoCorrect for my common typing errors, such as jsut instead of just and Iv'e instead of I've.
- More importantly, I have thousands of text expanders in my ShortKeys list, saving me hundreds of key strokes
- Although my typing is still far from perfect, I've stuck with it and made definite improvements over time.
Don't believe me? Watch this...
2 Comments:
You weren't kidding! LOL! I can't stress the importance of auto-correct and text expanders - I didn't even KNOW about them until three years ago. When I think of all files I typed without them. . . oy.
I didn't realize you were still posting here, Mandi. I've missed you and I send everyone I know here who may be interested in transcription. It's a very valuable resource you have here, my friend!
xoxo
Hey Margi! We just decided to start posting again but to limit ourselves to one post a week each so we don't get overwhelmed by it again! Glad to have you back as a commenter!!! :P
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