Even if you choose the “education-heavy” route (bachelors, masters, advanced degrees), you’ll quickly pass the vast majority of your colleagues who didn’t go to higher education (in science & tech fields).I was similar to you, and fascinated by money and investing.

Wow, fascinating feedback regarding the REIA club experience and $900 course.To answer your initial question, the 2 years was to convince companies to trust our brand, vs using the hotels they currently were using.

@David Pizzi Fascinating thought, isn't it?! 

Of course in real life we want to be selective so that we get a great deal on each side, but overall I think the best avenue for investors who do not need cash flow to survive is to lean to the speculative side.I find that fascinating.

As an electrical engineer, Tesla's have always fascinated me, and I believe that the model 3 is the best $35k-$45k sedan that one can buy.

However (and this is just my opinion), it sounds like you have a fascinating career as an Aerospace Engineer - you are still young. 

Mainly, the systems implemented are fascinating. 

Real estate in general is really fascinating to me, so it's fun to research and put time in to learn about other markets.

The film Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee gives some good insight into how ineffective the Belizean police are at solving crimes (plus it's a fascinating flick): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6...and this article is perhaps a little too heavy on the fear-mongering side but makes some valid points that support what I'm trying to say:https://abc7chicago.com/news/d...  

REI is fascinating, and also most of the time with a lot of risks, sometimes for those experienced, but more for inexperienced with cash to invest, and more often with very limited individuals with cash or credit.