Reddit mentions of The Science of Influence: How to Get Anyone to Say "Yes" in 8 Minutes or Less!

I think you need to explore why you would want to get in to marketing a bit more. Others here may disagree with me, but as a seasoned Marketing Professional, I see the career path as a duality; You either enjoy working with numbers (Data Analysis / Market Research), or you enjoy strategic planning with an emphasis on Psychology and Human Profiling.

Being a marketing 'Manager' will come when you garner enough experience. You're not going to get a job out of college as a marketing manager; believe me - they'll want 6-10yrs experience with the majority of your time managing at least a small team of people underneath you.

So - that's for qualifications down the road. What qualities exemplify a great marketer? Like I said previously, it depends on which of the two areas you're looking to get in to. I recommend you take a business or general course in statistics with an emphasis on real world application. It should either fascinate you, or make your brain hurt; or maybe a combination of the two. Once you have that under your belt, I'd recommend taking a psychology course and reading a few books in your leisure time like 'The Science of Influence'. Yes, it's a sales book, but it underlines what sales and marketing both have in common; being able to read nuances, and predicting people's behavior.

Depending on which one of those two areas you enjoyed more (if you enjoyed either one of them at all), I would say then you could venture forward with finding a suitable school, taking on debt for a degree, etc. Hope this helps, PM me with any additional questions you have.