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Thanks to Todd Olivas, CSR, graduate of South Coast College for taking the time to provide us with a second guest blog.

The Secret of Life (and Court Reporting) is Only One Thing

Tip #2 – Make School Your “One Thing”

In the movie “City Slickers”, Billy Crystal’s character Mitch has this profound conversation with Jack Palance, a curmudgeonly old cowboy:Curly:

You know what the secret of life is?
Mitch: No, what?
Curly: This. (holds his finger up)
Mitch: Your finger?
Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don’t mean [anything].
Mitch: That’s great, but what’s the one thing?
Curly: That’s what you’ve got to figure out.Curly never explains what his “one thing” is. 

But that’s not the point of the conversation, or the movie in general.  I believe the “one thing” he is talking about is not any specific, actual thing like – “be kind to others” or “go green” or “wash behind your ears” — but rather that there is only room for one “one thing” in your life. Applying that theory to the microcosm of your court reporting school career, there is only enough space for school to be your one thing. 

Let me back up just a sec.  When I attended South Coast College I crowded lots of things into my life.  These were all good things, I might add, like starting a business, being in a rock band, writing a screenplay, writing for a newspaper column, selling custom T-shirts, wearing Spandex.  And while those activities were important to me,  they competed for my time.  I hate to admit it but practicing on my steno machine or even coming to class suffered due to my diverse interests. 

It wasn’t until I really buckled down, started setting aside my hobbies and distractions and proactively deciding – on a day-by-day basis – to make school my “one thing,”  that I completed the program.

Questions to ask yourself:·         What distractions do you have? 

                                        ·         What hobbies and pet pursuits are encroaching on your main goal of becoming a court reporter?

                                        ·         What some ways you can intentionally make school your “one thing?

”Todd Olivas is a court reporter and agency owner.  He can be reached through http://www.toddolivas.com or San Bernardino Court Reporters.     

Thanks to law instructor, Joe Klein, for hosting a visit from South Coast College and to Grant Henke, an Esperanza student, for inviting us to speak on the topic of court reporting.  Grant is a junior at Esperanza who intends to follow in the footsteps of his mother, Michelle, who attends the court reporting program at South Coast College.   It was also discovered that court reporting students, Lisa Collins and Donna Bowles, have children attending Esperanza High School and that Kyle Miller, CSR, a graduate of South Coast College is a 2003 graduate of Esperanza High School.

The presentation was well received.  Mr. Klein is a dynamic instructor who has an outstanding, highly motivated law class.  Students got to participate in a mock court presentation with Kaitlan Lancaster acting as court reporter.  Kaitlan is a 19-year-old South Coast College student who has reached 200 wpm in 17 months.  Thanks to Kaitlan for preparing handouts for the students and for her lively presentation and to the students who participated in the mock court presentation.

Court reporter, Lupe Hernandez, CSR, took time from her busy schedule to visit one of the theory classes last evening.  Lupe is a deposition reporter who said that she was extremely busy doing depositions during the holidays.  Thank you, Lupe, for thinking about the night students.  Lupe had been a night student and said that she wanted to be sure that night students would have a speaker.

Court reporter, Linda Hernandez, CSR, was in contact with President Jean Gonzalez recently.  She indicated that she is now working in a court in Norwalk.  Linda was a nurse while she was attending South Coast College.  She indicated that she loves working in court.  It was great hearing from you, Linda.