How to choose an investment strategy?

[Sean DeRue]

Hi all!

I am student at Purdue University beyond eager for Real Estate investing, trying to enable my girlfriend and I to live a financially free life as soon as possible since we are all about family. 

I know that asking "what investment method should I pursue" is a haughty question, but while I am researching, I would like to know how to focus my limited (due to work) time to a specific niche/strategy should I explore that fits my needs. So the question becomes: What factors should I consider when determining my investing niche/strategy? 

For anybody curious as to what I would expect to be the biggest factors of mine are: 

• I am developing an organic mentorship with my realtor neighbor who has educated me on the basics of realty, what his job looks like, and how I can get started. This week I am meeting with him so he can prepare me for a meeting with the manager of his brokerage next week.
• I am enrolled in a 90-Hour pre-licensing brokerage course 
• I am financially blessed to have a full-ride at Purdue and spent my first year exploring careers (from PT to Primary Education), and am deliberating switching majors (again...) to secondary education with a focus on business teaching, or switch to a business program
• I have ~$1500 to my name, but have parental support on rent
• (I'm sure there are other pertinent factors, but really if you have taken the time to consider what I've laid out, you're already too generous with your time, and I reckon those should give you a gist of my endeavors)

Thank you so much for any edification you can give to me, I am in full-blown sponge brain mode right now, and the drive is there, so I know "thank you" is read the same by anyone who writes it, but mine encapsulates a lot of gratitude. Thank you.