Now, use your job income to pay off the HELOC over three years ($90K plus interest).

I hold a w-2 job currently and considering transitioning to holding some properties.

Sure, I could look for a higher paying job, but I was wondering if anyone has any creative short-term methods to improve my ratio.

You are working a demanding corporate job but also want to build rentals on the side.

You definitely want to use a thorough screening method like rentprep.com that gets their income, credit, background check, and call at least 3 references (make sure to verify them by address/job and then their name).  

I only have a single rental (at the moment) and a simple W2 job.

Do you hate your job or hate your employer?

Long answer: Let your tenants do their job, which is paying off your mortgage. 

Great reason for not pulling deductions forward.I have been retired from a W2 job for some time and my income is at an all time high and will just keep going up with more RE investments. 

Those in themselves are great education.Degrees won’t help you much unless you are trying to get a job at a large fund.