I am making it a priority to attend at least one a month to grow my network and learn. 

I'd recommend attending investor meet ups.

Did you attend educational courses to enhance your real estate knowledge?

I attend seminars, and real estate meet ups, as well as work with my local housing authority to keep up with the local tenant landlord laws. 3) We did all of our own maintenance.

You have come to the right place to begin your investing journey.Have you looked into attending local meetings and joining Facebook groups?

My professional background is data science / analytics, which means analyzing cash flows will probably come more naturally than building relationships, which apparently, is how one finds deals worth making.Are there meetups in these areas I should attend (digitally at first, presumably)? 

I also recommend that you attend some local real estate investment meetup groups.

I completed an internship in commercial real estate, and I also attended a couple of local REIA meetings/networking events before moving to Northern VA.I was able to narrow down potential strategies, and I figured both BRRR as well as wholesaling don't seem to be the best strategies for me.

@Jason Baker I attended the University of North Texas in Denton, Tx shortly after high school.

Attend local real estate meetups or REIAs to find other investors who’ve done BRRRR in Chicagoland.