Consider starting small, like with a duplex, to get experience.

Others may have personal experience to share.

From my experience, if I had started in real estate right after school, I would have very little network and little to no funds for the RE exam, CE classes, and networking registrations.

New agents can often compensate for lack of experience with enthusiasm, professionalism, hard work, or even their good looks.

On the other hand, I’m hesitant to simply pay down more of a property, as we don’t need the immediate cash flow.Fortunately, both my wife’s job and mine are recession-proof, which allows us to be a bit more aggressive with our investments.I’d really appreciate advice from investors who have experience with frequent moves or military service.

My experience is those have been in short supply since beginning of time. 

There's a lot of other things to consider here but I'll go through your list and make some suggestions based on 10 years of investing across various asset classes - single family, multifamily, industrial, storage, retail, office, etc. and I've had experience with section 8 housing, BRRRR, flips, etc.Purchasing rental properties?

Also, make sure to start connecting with other investors in your market to build relationships and learn from their experiences

They are going to finance you based on your loan to value, experience, and liquidity. 

anyone have any experience with Walter Wofford and his short term rental education programs?