Qualifications
Unless you plan on working minimum wage with your laughably-slow sixty-eight words-per-minute, you'll need some learnin' under your belt. Don't stress too much though. Forbes magazine (the people who like money and lists) lists "Stenographer" as the sixth-best career that doesn't require a four-year degree. That means you don't have to go Ivy League to make those dollars, you just have to put the work into improving your phonetic typing and listening skills.
If you want to be taken seriously as a stenographer, your best bet is getting an associate's degree and/or a specialized certification. It will teach you things like the inner workings of the stenotype machine, and how to record things phonetically.
Many certifications can even be earned online, which is great if you're the kind of person who likes getting educated while wearing their PJs. You won't be able to get away with that in court, though, so you should probably consider the "ability to wear pants" another important qualification.
Also, if you plan on working in the public sector, stay on the up-and-up with the law. For some strange reason, the Justice System doesn't like to employ people with criminal records (go figure).