He can spend the next few years-ish getting a finance degree through an online school while working part time, but he just got offered a full time position helping with sales for a local wholesale real estate company. 

One thing I really enjoy about what I do is I actually go out to all my markets spend time there and get to know the local areas etc.. thankfully the deals i did for this guy in SW WI I did as a capital partners so I owned them and did not have to foreclose or go through his probate etc..

If you are able to manage it yourself, I think you will get a lot of very helpful education in real estate by spending a least a year or two doing that.You'll be able to work with property managers a lot better if you've done the work yourself for a bit, and it also helps to get familiar with the various laws and regulations you have to comply with as the owner, even if you do have a property manager in place (e.g., the new RI rental registry and associated lead paint inspections/certificates).It's up to you whether you're able to do it, but I think you'll get a lot out of the experience if you can try it for a year or two.

I'm Tamara, a local agent and investor in the NC area! 

-Local banks were the best.

There are a lot of quirks and oddities in Louisiana law where the current tenant can assert that they have an implied agreement that they can pay late, stay X months without a lease, do whatever action, etc, based on what the current landlord/owner has allowed and told them in the past.

We've worked with local banks and been able to finance the three we own without any issues.I don't necessarily know if it's "beginner" investor friendly but you'll learn everything you need in the bootcamp which is the gold standardWe get loans with 3-7 year balloons and 25 year amortization typically

I put my money where my mouth is and I am also buying properties in localities where I am selling to my investor clients. 

Quote from @Gregory Schwartz: A local agent recently got sued for calling an old client who was on the Do Not Call list.

Property Managers come in all shapes and sizes, I tend to recommend seeking a medium size local company.