Help Please!!!

[Michael Alston]

First, I would like to start off by saying that I am very motivated to start investing in real estate. For the past year I've really become more and more intrigued with the idea of starting a career in real estate. Not only does the thought of having financial security apease me but the life style as well. I've been in the military for almost 7 years now and joined for various reason and one was because I didn't know what I wanted to do in life. I am 100% sure now that being my own boss is what I want to do. I know that real estate requires a lot of knowledge as well as motivation and knowledge is the only thing I'm lacking. I say all this to say, I have been scratching my head non-stop for the past few months with getting started. My first issue is? Not knowing which niche is best for beginner's (I'm stationed in Japan and there aren't too many that I can pursue). Second issue...what is a smart move in making the first purchase? (I don't have the funds to place 20% down on a home but if I did I don't feel like that is neccesarily smart. I would rather use that money to either invest in more properties or increase the value of my first property through renovations). Lastly, I absolutely do not want to wait 3-4 years until I have the ideal profile (funds, knowledge, etc.) to start. Maybe I sound bad for saying this but regardless what you do in life there will always be hurdles so waiting and prolonging the process I think will hinder me more than help me. Could you please offer a direction into where I should start? Sorry, I know this post is back and forth and has no direction in a sense but that is exactly my point, these are all the thoughts and the process that goes through my head.

Thanks!