Molly Cooper
Molly Cooper Court Reporting
Fullerton, CA USA
"There's always going to be a box that you can choose to fill or not fill. If you have to fill it because that role is something advantageous for you, then find the best way for yourself to do that."
Career Roadmap
Molly's work combines: Education, Law, and Learning / Being Challenged
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Linguistics
University of California, Santa Cruz
Associate's Degree
Court Reporting and Captioning/Court Reporter
South Coast College
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Shorthand Court Reporter:
Bachelor's Degree: Linguistics
Associate's Degree: Court Reporting and Captioning/Court Reporter
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
One of my passions that has largely impacted my life is my love of language and its way of connecting people.
2.
Attended the University of Santa Cruz where I earned my bachelor's degree in linguistics.
3.
Being bilingual was very important to me, so I learned Spanish and moved to Mexico and Guatemala to teach.
4.
After several years of living in both places, I made Thailand my next home and started teaching English.
5.
In 2017, I made the decision to return home and become a student again.
6.
After a year of school, I passed the CSR and RPR, which certified me as a professional stenographer.
7.
I feel that this is my calling. Everything in life lead me to it and it just clicked on Day 1.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I don't know if I can handle this pressure.
How I responded:
The anxiety of knowing that my career depended on two ten-minute dictations was a lot. You decide if you want to succeed and how quickly you do so, which means you decide if you fail too. I focused on positive self-talk. I knew that the CSR and RPR were these big scary monsters, but I also knew I could put on armor and learn how to overcome them. I stared at the mountain I had to summit the entire time. That's how I finished school in one year, passing both exams on the first try.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Switching from teaching languages to being a court reporter was a major lifestyle shift. I had to commit to being in America to be a student again rather than abroad as a teacher. Plus, learning this whole new language was also a challenge.