Seeing this a decade ago, he had the foresight to devote his skills to developing hardware(chips) that are particularly suited to the massive amount of computing power that will be demanded by this new wave of technology.

Moreover, the discipline required to save for a large down payment often reflects better financial management skills.

These skills are often honed over time, much like an athlete's development.Moreover, context is key.

Lastly ,  Based on my experience . if you are hitting up 100 pips and maybe contacting 50 or 30 , maybe the approach and sales skills might need to be tune out..     

This is something I have done on my free time to demonstrate to employers my knowledge and skills with applications like Tableau and SQL coding.

I do believe it's probably a question of 'when', not 'if', but at the moment, I don't see how that prototype saves any money, considering running wiring & plumbing with solid concrete walls (you'd likely furr over them with conventional stud framing, and would be building 2 walls instead of 1), meeting energy codes in different climates, envelope tightness, and satisfying aesthetic preferences. 

I highly recommend you read The House Hacking Strategy by Craig Curelop to prime your skills in that area. 

Did some minor aesthetic improvements on all 3 units and living in one while looking to rent out the rest.

Some first time home buyer will overestimate their DIY skills and underestimate the scope of work and cost.While equity is a percentage (ideally 25%) rehab cost is a dollar amount that does not go down with lower priced properties.

It's easier to enter a real estate office and learn the terminology there then switch when you can show you have skills to offer.A mortgage lender is going to pay $11000 for every loan you start no matter if it's denied or they shop rates.