Typing words per minute?

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I have noticed that some people put a lot into counting how fast you type, words per minute and such. I have especially noticed that it seems that in the US there are a lot of job openings for typists and secretaries etc, that requires a certain wpm speed. In Sweden, where I live, this is not very often discussed at all. Mainly, I think this is because the cost of hiring a person i so expensive here that all companies tries its best to have as small staff as possible, why hiring someone for typing is just not economic. All jobs normally includes a bit of typing, of course, but it is the knowledge and experience in the subject you are working with that is essential. Since I am not used to this terminology I have never measured my typing speed. I am a pretty fast typer, I know that, and I never look at the keyboard when typing, so I guess that is a plus. On the other hand I sometimes type so fast there are many errors, throwing letters around etc. I think it would be fun to try to measure my wpm, just to see how I keep up with those ads for jobs and just in general. Does anyone know a site where one can do this? What is your wpm? You people who live in the US, how important is this wpm, is it something you always put in your resume, do you have typing classes in school to learn typing properly and fast? Let me know!