You might be able to find a lot of this info online, on YouTube, here, etc and piece it together however as a busy professional I didn't have the time personally to try and fail - nothing wrong about choosing that path however I knew I didn't have time and I was in peace with hiring a coach to help me through my first deal, 8k is affordable in comparison with the 30,40,50k programs out there.

Are you choosing to work in this market, or are you randomly making low offers on Zillow properties that are high days on market? 

Therefore, choosing the right investment city is the most critical decision you'll make.Critical factors for an investment city that will enable financial freedom:Cities with a population >1M: Start with cities with a metro population greater than 1M**.** Small towns may rely too much on a single business or market segment.

I think I understand why wholesalers choose to work alone instead of working with JV deals and trying to help another fellow wholesaler.  

He hustles off market listings and brings it right to me and then I get an exclusive property to show. 

This turned out to be a great decision for us and our investors, because a few months after the buyout was complete we sold the property for a massive gain, and our investors received profits that would otherwise have been allocated to the institutional LP had they still been in the deal.For these reasons but not only these reasons we choose to raise capital from our base of HNW investors. 

If not, how did you choose that market? 

To "soften" or reach a compromised we agreed to ONLY have $30K of the $60K in funds be considered "OPTION CONSIDERATION" funds (giving us the EXCLUSIVE RIGHT to buy the property at the $300K Purchase price) and the OTHER $30K of funds would be STILL be given to them but we informed them that it likely will be consider TAXABLE INCOME to them.

With inventory up an impressive 90.1%, buyers have plenty to choose from—making it a terrific time to shop around, consider multiple options, and find the right match without feeling pressured.Sellers, in a competitive market like this, a little patience and an eye-catching presentation are essential.

College isin't so bad - you might even be able to negogiate going part-time so you can focus your other time on working / building connections.If you are focused on real estate, maybe choose a career that you feel will advance you in your real estate career.You mention wanting to give your parents money to show your appreciation.