However, in areas with little appreciation, all investment capital must come from your savings.Summarizing, a city where you can achieve and sustain financial independence must have the following characteristics:Significant and sustained population growth.A pro-business environment with a metro population >1M.Rapid and sustained appreciation.If a city doesn't meet all these requirements, achieving and maintaining financial independence will be difficult.

I've been thinking I want to work for real estate investors in whatever capacity if I can be trained and also learn at the same time, or work somewhere that would still allow me to have an income while I'm learning at the job within the real estate environment.... does this sound like a good idea? 

These are primarily found in cities with a metro population >1M.Pro-business environment: Many cities treat employers as adversaries through restrictive policies.

My suspicion is, in this relatively relaxed lending environment, you will do well to learn for 100-500 hours and then just get started.

Smart idea staying flexible in this environment.

Major cities where STRs have only began rising up and gaining public spotlight with the rise of AirBNB are more likely to have more shifting and less stable regulatory environments since those areas are still in the process of trying to find the balance for STRs within their markets. 

2) I would buy in this environment, but be absolutely more cautious.

Makes sense in this higher rate environment.  

BAM is a conservative operator and understanding of our current economic environment. 

I agree, shorter-term plays are tough in the current environment, and patience paired with a strong strategy often leads to success, unfortunately this is a strategy that a lot of real estate investors don’t really have the experience and the patience to follow.