What does it mean to be a typist?

Back in my sophomore year in high school I had my first year of typing, which actually we had to take as a graduation requirement. We learned on manual typewriters just like the one in the image. Well, exactly like the image. Before I get too far what made me think of writing this essay was the fact I just finished kind of a funny video on msn.com when I first turned on my computer. The video was from the 1950's and the secretary was a clerk typist that used an IBM Electric typewriter that by no way looked like the one that I had in my senior year course in typing on an IBM Selectric typewriter.

Watching that video was funny for right down to how the classroom looked and how the teacher taught the course was not the way that my teacher taught this skill known as typing, and now keyboarding for the skills learned in typing is the same except the typist does not have to load paper into the computer and does not have to learn about the platen, carriage return or learn any other typewriter mechanics. Even though even on the computer one still has to have the proper posture, fingers on the home row, etc.

In the video the class was mainly women with only a few men, but that has changed since the advent of the computer, and one needs to know the basics of typewriting. It was still funny to watch for the women in dresses and skirts and the men in suits, but I guess since it was a business school course for adults that was why the professional appearance for each of the students. The teacher did go around the room noticing what the students were doing from the position of textbook (copy) to correct body posture and finger placement.

For some reason it seemed to be a good idea to watch this old, but humorous video on typing on a electric typewriter for I got my first assignment for an online text-to-text transcriptionist. Oh, I just remembered something on video for there were subtitles where a transcriptionist was typing what the secretary was saying and there were a few mistakes made especially with a person's name, as the visitor to the class, who was a championship typist at 140 WPM.

Now, I might not be a fast typist, but I am a very accurate one. What made me apply to my new online job was the site which I just found out wanted and needed someone that would be able to read handwritten materials of all kinds. Being able to read cursive handwriting is starting to pay off. The site said they had to turn down jobs for they had no one to do this kind of typing. This was a skill I learned in my first year in typing class for there were drills as well as practice letters and memorandums and manuscripts in the textbook that we used to learn all the necessary skills of becoming a proficient typist. This site also is waiting to hear from some museums about having someone type some historical documents for them. It is also site that would like someone to transcribe old books, diaries and journals too.

Typewriting on a manual or an electric or electronic now the computer for me is still a fun thing to do. Learning touch typing was the way to go and the star secretary was right typing on an electric typewriter is easier that o a manual, but now on a computer is now even easier yet. On a computer one does not have to correct mistakes with eraser tape or white out or using a typing eraser for one only needs to backspace to rid the mistake. One doesn't have to insert a new piece of paper to start a new page along with a few other skills that are slightly modified in typewriting.