A stenographer is a trained professional who can translate a spoken language into a coded form known as Shorthand. Shorthand is a coded form where long conversations and arguments are recorded and documented. In recent times, there is no modern technology that a stenographer can use to record, and hence they have to transcribe the information using a steno machine.

In order to become a Stenographer, candidates must complete their 12^th board exams from a recognized board with a minimum of 55% marks in any stream. Interested candidates should be aware of shorthand to become eligible for Stenographeraspiring candidates must pursue Certificate or Diploma Typewriting Courses or Writing Courses.  Additionally, a candidate should have a good knowledge of any language and most importantly of shorthand. Read More: How to Become a Typist

The most important thing for becoming a stenographer is to be aware of the shorthand language and also to have a good typing speed of at least 30-40 words per minute. This is the minimum speed that is required as they have to listen to the conversation and then quickly transcribe it into a documented form. There are several job opportunities that can be availed for candidates aspiring to become a Stenographer across various fields in both government and private organizations like in government offices, courtrooms, corporate firms, lawyers firms, and others.

How to Become a Stenographer: Quick Facts

What Does a Stenographer do?

Some of the major lists of activities that a Stenographer is in charge of are listed below for your reference,

• A Stenographer types and takes dictation in shorthand
• They write, transcribe and are also in charge of compiling different types of office documents and presenting them chronologically
• Stenographers transcribe typed documents accurately into common and lucid language
• They arrange meetings and collect information for their supervisors
• They also keep a track of the progress of various cases until they are officially called off or closed

Eligibility to Become a Stenographer

The key eligibility criteria that need to be fulfilled in order to become a Stenographer are listed below for your reference,

• Students aspiring to become a Stenographer must be of minimum 18 years and a maximum of 25 years to be eligible to apply.
• Students must clear a written examination along with other skill tests, to be considered for a job as a Stenographer
• Candidates are examined on various subjects such as General Knowledge, English, Mathematics, Reasoning etc. For Skill tests, candidates are examined on their dictation, transcription and typing skills.

Steps to Become a Stenographer

In order to become a successful Stenographer, one must follow certain steps for a hassle-free journey and experience. Listed below are some of the crucial steps that must be followed in order to become a Stenographer,

• Decision Making: Students should decide from their school and particularly after clearing Class 12th board exams if they want to take up a career in Stenography. Preferably at the 10+2 level, they should pursue the Arts stream, however, other streams can also be taken up in order to become a Stenographer.
• Subject Choice: In order to become a Stenographer, one can pursue Typewriting Courses or Shorthand Courses, for which the most important subject that needs to be pursued is English. Apart from that students can pursue any other subjects of their choice.
• Selecting Top Institutes: Finally, one must be aware of the Top Institutes that offer Stenography Courses. One can research and look for reviews that are usually shared by alumni or ex-students. Also, there are other ratings by NIRF, The Week etc, from where one can get to know about the top institutes offering Stenography courses.

How to Become a Stenographer in India

In India, Stenography is one of the most pursued career choices, because of the multiple job opportunities it offers across various industries and sectors. In order to become a Stenographer in India one should follow the tips discussed below for your reference.

• School Level Preparation: After completing class 10th board exams, students can take up any stream, Science, Commerce or Arts. However, a degree in Arts would be preferred more as compared to other streams if one aspires to take up Stenography

How to Become a Stenographer After 12th

After completing Class 12th board exams, one can follow the steps as discussed below in order to become a Stenographer,

• Diploma Preparation: Students can take up any Diploma in Stenography Course or Typewriting Course for any of the top Institutes offering them.

Stenography Courses

In order to become a Stenographer, one can pursue the following Certificate and Diploma Courses as discussed below for your reference,

• Aspiring candidates can pursue several specialized courses such as MOM (Modern Office Management) that are taught across various Polytechnic Colleges
• Courses that are related to ITI (Indian Technical Institute)
• Apart from these, there are several 1-year courses specializing in Typing / Stenography that can also be pursued as well.

Benefits of Becoming a Stenographer

Every job comes with its own share of pros and cons. Stenography as a career has its benefits associated with it. Discussed below are a few of the benefits of becoming a Stenographer for your reference,

• One gets to learn new writing skills every day
• Stenographers are paid lucrative salaries
• Stenographers have the flexibility to work anywhere across the world
• Stenography is a highly rewarding career and is in huge demand in recent times

Skills Required to Become a Stenographer

Some of the key skills that are essential to become a Stenographer are tabulated below for your reference,

Average Salary of a Stenographer

Being a Stenographer provides a decent job and salary of around INR 25,000 to INR 32,000 per month along with all the other facilities of a government job.

In the private sector, salary depends on the organization and the type of work profile that one has to do but even then the salary is around INR 15,000 to INR 20,000 for a fresher candidate.