Administrative Assistant. Salary: $30,000
You just got your certification, and now you're out in the wide world of stenography. What do you do? Get yourself a job working for someone who already does it, of course. Think of yourself as Plato, grinding away while Socrates just kind of hangs out asking you questions that you just know he already knows the answers to.

First Stenography Job. Salary: $40,000
You're flying solo, using those refined transcription skills to do important, necessary, and often incredibly boring work recording meetings at city hall or for a small business owner you met through LinkedIn.

Stenographer. Salary: $50,000
You're quickly becoming a courtroom whiz and you're actually making a decent living just typing down what people say. Score. Never mind the occasional nightmarish flashbacks where you show up to the courtroom pants-less. Why did you read an Internet guide all those years back that seeded that idea within you?

Seasoned Stenographer. Salary: $70,000
You've got them lining up for your talents. The steady work is there if you want it, but you're free to take on a little side work here and there. You're getting offers for work in the private sector, recording meetings and business notes for a Fortune 500 company.

Long-term court reporter. Salary $90,000
What's going on at the courthouse today? Chances are, you know, because you're the one writing all of it down. All. Of. It. Every judge, every lawyer, every civic employee knows you by reputation, because you've worked your little tail off for this job. They're also placing bets on when your fingers will finally fall off.