Stage management is something that you don't necessarily need formal training for. While I think some kind of training (via school or internship/apprenticeship) can be incredibly helpful/beneficial, there are a lot of SMs that learn these skills on the job. 90% of what I've learned has been from working with other people.
From your profile, it looks like you're still in college, so are there opportunities at your school to shadow or work with other stage managers? Have you considered doing an internship?
Regarding blocking notation: I know that there are some "standard" systems, but most of the SMs that I have worked with have developed their own shorthand that works for them. As long as it's legible, it works. It's helpful to put a "key" in the front that explains your shorthand, so that someone else can decipher it if needed. (It happens).
Poke around the site a little. There are a LOT of helpful threads that might answer your questions. For instance, if you look in the
Uploaded Forms section, there are preproduction forms that have info about questions to ask the director. If you do a search (in the upper right-hand corner of the page) for "questions director" some great threads will come up.
For info about getting gigs, check out the
Employment board. There's info there about resumes, finding jobs, etc.
And, if you can't find a thread that answers your question, post a new thread! Welcome to the site- there are a lot of great stage managers with all kinds of experience on here, so chances are good that someone can answer your questions. Best,
Maribeth