The final part of my degree involves a capstone project, and a requirement of the capstone project is that it be overseen by an industry mentor.

And finally they want success in real estate investing skipping the necessary years of experience, capital accumulation and mastering  lessons regarding real estate principles, law, and finance, by paying a “mentor” (guru) for a 3 day workshop and continual “mentoring”.  

It's been 6 years and I finally realized, maybe I could be putting this money to better work elsewhere?

Finally, to answer your other comments, I think the exact right answer depends on your future intentions.

I finally have my first property.

You need to pass the IRS "material participation" testand this finally brings as to the myths.

It worked she said she was having a bad day and a replacement to answer the phones while she took a coffee break still hadn't shown up and they were short handed that day and she hadn't even had lunch yet, she answered my questions and finally her replacement showed up.

If you stop growing it wide early (more real estate) and you start growing it deep instead (more equity) you are limited in your final outcome.

As I get closer to finalizing my project, I’m focusing on making the design and overall experience of my short-term rental truly unique.

The final site for the first Gigafactory will be determined in the next few months, once we have full visibility and agreement on the relevant incentives and processes for enabling the Gigafactory to be fully operational to meet the timing for Model 3."