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"Wow, 75 words per minute? Theres a job for you somewhere!"
skaDoosh
Registered User new member
Registered User new member
A few years ago, I took some placement tests and one of them was for typing. I've been using computers since I was very young so I am familiar with them to say the least. When I finished the typing test, I had around 75 wpm with 99% accuracy. The woman reviewing my scores was impressed and claimed it would be very easy for me to find a job.
Cut to 2 years later, and I'm in need of a job. A friend of mine mentioned a typing test the other day and it made me remember what that woman said. I took a typing test a little while ago and I averaged 85 wpm. Any idea what sort of jobs I could potentially get based on how fast I type?
Cut to 2 years later, and I'm in need of a job. A friend of mine mentioned a typing test the other day and it made me remember what that woman said. I took a typing test a little while ago and I averaged 85 wpm. Any idea what sort of jobs I could potentially get based on how fast I type?
skaDoosh on
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Or a secretarial job.
but they're listening to every word I say
EDIT: hehe, typing tests.
http://www.keybr.com/
I'm Jacob Wilson. | facebook | thegreat2nd | [url="aim:goim?screenname=TheGreatSecond&message=Hello+from+the+Penny+Arcade+Forums!"]aim[/url]
Those are called Stenographers, and they use a special keyboard and require special training. Not just something you can pick up.
Transcriptionist stuff is pretty good work if you can get it, though. Be wary of any company that wants you to pay them for training. Those are scams.
Your best bet might be to start with a temping/staffing agency. Connecting people like you to jobs like that is their bread and butter.
What counts is your grammer and spelling abilities in conjunction with your typing speed and your ability to transpose and type at the same time, rather than just type out your thoughts. There is a significant speed difference there for some people.
But yes, you can probably score some sort of data entry position. Secratarial work requires other skills in the customer service/clerical realm that aren't necessarily intrinsic to someone who just happens to type quickly.
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
Dispatch is a fun job. I worked it for a while and loved it, plus the pay and benefits were nice. Unfortunately some of my co-workers were horrible making me miserable and having to quit.
It does not pay well though (but no worse than data entry), and at least where he does it, the hours are long, but depending on the locale, it's basically a slacker job.
You just need to able to tolerate panicy people and occasionally the sound of some maimed human gurgling his last words over the phone to you. This shit does happen.
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
Eh, I agree 85 WPM isn't "epic" but it's definitely above average. Among people I know (early 20s, so yeah, heavy internet/word processing users this past decade) I'd say 55-65 WPM is average.
Personally, I do 100 ;-)
Person called in with a completely calm voice
caller "I'd like to report a dead person."
Me "ok where is he at"
caller "address"
Me "how did he die"
caller "gun shot to the head"
me "when did occur"
caller "now" *gun shot* followed by dead air.
I'm Jacob Wilson. | facebook | thegreat2nd | [url="aim:goim?screenname=TheGreatSecond&message=Hello+from+the+Penny+Arcade+Forums!"]aim[/url]
The worst was the parents screaming for their toddler to wake up who had eaten a rivet. Some of those calls get to you if you have a soul. Luckily I've been told multiple times I don't.
I don't know how that works, but I did that for like 10 minutes straight with no end in sight.
49 WPM with 1 error, and that's after 3 double white russians! WOO!
I was in a similar situation many years ago and thought I'd apply for a data entry position for which there was a keyboarding test. I failed miserably because I didn't realize that "data entry" means that you have to put numbers in by using a special key layout, like a telephone. If you want to go for data entry, make sure you read up on it and see how it works. In that case, my 60-65 WPM didn't mean jack because it was more about tabbing between fields on a form and putting in addresses and phone numbers with the phone-style layout than about typing entire paragraphs of text.
110 WPM with 130 WPM high! After 10 minutes
But, no 3 white russians
I'm Jacob Wilson. | facebook | thegreat2nd | [url="aim:goim?screenname=TheGreatSecond&message=Hello+from+the+Penny+Arcade+Forums!"]aim[/url]
I was thinking "hey, I could probably do this part time in school for extra money!" and now I have totally changed my mind.
Stenographers have to maintain around 300wpm, no errors.
Data entry is a good bet. Have you also tried applying at a temp agency? Not one of the ones that like, interviews you over the phone and then calls looks for jobs for you. One where you apply, then show up and take jobs that come in.
Holy shit
Bionic fingers?
No, they use a stenotype machine. Then they get to spend hours and hours going through the generated transcript and cleaning it up. If you've ever watched a deposition taken with LiveNote or similar software, it's really fascinating.
There's more than one type of dispatching out there that don't involve shit like this. A towing company for instance.
Being a typist or secretary pays MUCH better than data entry. A lot of data entry jobs pay per key depression, and in interviews horrendously overstate how you fast you can type (remember this is over a whole day, not a 5-minute test).
The best typist jobs either assume some other knowledge (legal typist, scientific etc) - I did various of these because I have a comedy huge vocabulary, but your English skills need to be very good.
Or you can do something that pays better because it's traumatic. The best-paying typist job I ever had was typing for social services - mostly typing up social worker's reports of domestic abuse for court cases. Very good pay, but typing up the specifics of child abuse is not for the faint of heart.
So: Typist and find a speciality. 75 wpm is getting more normal nowadays.