If you are signing up for courses with big flashy words like: RETIRE WITH SECTION 8, HOW TO EARN PASSIVE INCOME OUT OF STATE, GET YOUR FIRST 10 RENTALS IN 1 MONTH -- PLEASE PLEASE do not give these people your time or your moneyThere are plenty of great books out there that will give you solid advice on how to invest, where to invest, and what to invest in for under a $100 bucks!

Ahead of schedule on inventory, short term pain for long term gain.

By the end of the book readers will be able to:Think a Million: Develop the financial literacy and mindset of a millionaire investorBuy a Million: Amass a real estate portfolio with a market value of a million dollars or moreOwn a Million: Turn investments into an asset-based business with ever-increasing net worthReceive a Million: Build an investment empire that provides a million dollars a year in passive income

And once I finish the due diligence, my work is done: it's completely passive.

@Andrew MontgomeryNot sure if you can access some of your 401k and roll it into a self directed IRA to start  investing as a passive investor in someone else's deal, to learn while you earn.You are looking at it linearly.

Equity gained from appreciation is free.  

You'll be one of the wealthiest people you know by the time you are 40.As you gain experience, you may discover you hate dealing with tenants and this is the wrong vehicle for you to build wealth.

Wholesaling is an excellent way to gain experience.Wishing you Good luck!

One idea I have is to "shadow" a real estate investor (although I am not entirely sure how to go about asking for / finding this kind of opportunity), but I am wondering if anyone has insight into other ways to gain a comparable level of experience.If anyone has insight into any or all of these topics, I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

On paper it may not show as much cash flow as some of the lower priced pockets but there's a much higher probability of a safe, reliable resident that will make your return much more consistent and passive over time.