Now that I have begun researching real estate investing, my interest in home rehabbing has only grown and I could say Im willing to leave the safety of my welding job in order to gain the skills and knowledge of the contractor field.  

Should I have worked on finding the deal myself and developed those skills?

With oil drilling ticking up, the skilled construction worker type will be choosing whether to work in the oil fields or rebuilding Houston. 

Upwork is definitely worth looking into: We've grabbed a number of contract workers from there over the years.Also take a look at Fiverr.com, particularly as a resource for seeing what types of gigs you could perform with your skills and background.

Its a skill developed by the investor.  

I teach P.E. and Reading and Study Skills and have been investing in RE since 2011.I love this stuff!!

This is where getting creative can help.At any rate, this is where knowing the market, knowing your skills, and what you can do with a building makes the difference.

I don't sell you anything but help you obtain property sellers and walk you through from evaluating the type of deal it can turn into all the way to close and beyond.Together we work on deals and learn the negotiating skills and the CF opportunities.

Isn't the point of TK where you're paying for someone to do the work for you because you don't have the time or skill to do it yourself.

Education that allows you to expand upon current skill sets and bring more revenue/profits to a business can potentially be deductible.It generally does not matter how you hold your real estate (inside a retirement plan or not).