Is this the correct process to get started as a developer?

[John Smith]

I was speaking with this young and hugely successful developer in my city the other night at this networking event and he told me that the best way to get started in development is to get a property under contract and partner with someone who knows what they're doing to work on the deal.  My understanding was that I should essentially be wholesaling but rather than flipping the property for a quick buck, flipping it to someone more experienced than me so I can learn the process.

Since I know several highly successful developers through work, my plan was to start emailing them on Monday asking if they wanted to meet up for coffee.  Then when I see them, I would tell them that I want to be a part of their next deal, that I will do everything in my power to bring a deal to them and in exchange, I just want to work with them on the project and learn their process, I don't care about equity. If they agree to this, I will make sure that they are willing to back me financially in the event that I find them a deal and I will find out exactly the types of deals that they are looking for so I can hone my search specifically for what they are looking for.

I'm very new to this but very eager to start learning the process so that I will have the experience and knowledge necessary to start doing this on my own.  Is my plan reasonable or is it foolish? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.