I work as a teacher in Plainfield, NJ - so I am looking for my first house to be somewhat close to my job (30 mins or less.)If you have any advice on getting my first deal secured please respond.

@Carla Harris despite claims of REI teachers this business is NOT easy.

Smile at everyone, but seek out the ones who have some answers for you.As a teacher I hate this expression but there is some truth to it- Those who can, do.  

I was thinking about doing ads on craigslist but since I am a math teacher I prefer the law of averages presented in direct mail. 

There are legit teachers out there that help people pass licensing exams or set up their business, but any time you're looking at someone that has a resume that makes no sense for what they are doing...scroll past. 

I am currently exploring the option of getting my RE agent/broker license in order to help me break into investing (I'm currently a public school teacher), but I had someone recently suggest that I should become a certified CFP instead.

Hello,I'm a teacher/coach in the Peoria area.  

I was a teacher for 20 years so I'm pretty familiar with school systems.  

I'm a senior and I spend my days wasting my time in classes I don't care about and spend my nights reading and learning as much as I can about REI.I wouldn't care if the teacher made millions off of me, because that is a free education I am getting and that would be me light years ahead of people who took normal courses in high school and then got a degree in some unrelated topic in college and had to start from scratch.I don't understand your reasons.

(I'm an online teacher in my day job and have always learned well online.)