What job(s) will help me break into Real Estate?

[Jeff Lundeen]

I'm currently learning about sales with a solar company. I had taken a 2 year sabbatical from my career to travel the world (google Tim Ferriss mini retirement). In my travels, I met a few people who were very successful with real estate investing. I've now shifted my focus to REI and am wondering what kind of job/career might put me in the best situation to network and further increase my chances of success with real estate. Things I've been considering are mortgage broker/lender, real estate agent (less interested in this one), and working for a property management company. What else can I add to this list of attractive opportunities? And if my prior career was earning 6 figures of W2 income, would it be best to return to that so that I can aggressively save and also qualify for financing?

Thanks,
Jeff