Now, they give me class training, field training, software access (monthly fees) and access to mentors.

Maybe I'm just a gullible newbie to the field, but I do truly believe there are some good companies out there that will be helpful and want the best for people.

DSTs and TICs are real estate products so you have to enter the marketing field as a competitor with other real estate products on the retail end - and that's a big field.It's a tough nut.  

Many members are experts in their respective fields related to real estate investing, whether that is real estate brokerage, wholesaling, flipping, buy and hold, lending, self-directed IRA and Solo 401k investing, or tax and legal guidance.There are some pretty cool discounts on various products and services offered as Perks to BP members that you might want to check out: https://www.biggerpockets.com/perks/proThere are a few self-contained guides that you can access here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides

Luckily I’ve had and continue to have some prominent clients in the fields of advertising, toys, video games, etc. that have made me pretty successful in that world.

Secondly, having little experience in the field I plan to pass the underlying numbers on to someone more experienced to look over. 

I am a realtor® in the Metro Atlanta area, and my 2 fields of expertise are Relocations and First Time Home Buyers.

Getting started as an agent I have zero contacts and zero experience, considering, I'm willing to exploit unconventional methods of finding clients as a way to enter this career field.

I would say the majority of people who try to invest when they do not have a degree in a Financial field will do two things.... 1) look at the book and get very sleepy and 2) Tell themselves that they don't need these "complicated" calculations.The reality is that when you speak with the highly trained Pros, they ONLY speak about the IRR and other derivatives of it.It doesn't matter what you invest, the professionals who Invest need to know it.In some cases, heavy calculus is used for trading, such as in the Quant professions.This book gives you all the math you need which probably goes only the the extent of intermediate school.... say, 7th Grade, but many adults are very intimidated.

I have found that some local universities offer similar short courses in those fields which I will consider taking.