This is a horrendous idea for a young person who knows nothing about landlording and pre-supposes you can get a property first.Spend the last time in college learning and going to local meetups.

I would be most worried about finding good lead sources, learning how handle the leads you get, and figuring out how to properly comp / analyze properties . 

My goal is to start learning and hope to buy my second (we own our current home) property within the year to start my real estate investment journeyI got interested in Real Estate investing because I want to be able to have a large family and give them everything they need (college tuition, family trips, emergency fund) and want to grow a portfolio with constant cash flow to allow for these things. 

I've been sucked in lately, and been learning all I can; I'm 21 currently, with a goal to own 5 cash-flowing rentals by the time I'm 30. 

You sound (I could be wrong, but probably not) like you want to use your background to eliminate some of the guesswork, but real estate investing is learned by being at properties, talking with other investors, going to meetups, etc.Predictive data for investors is wholly flawed because it can't see inside of the houses.

I'm learning a lot so far.

I learned more on that one than any other.  

It’s a bit of a learning curve, but can be worth it for the potential benefits.As always, chat with a tax professional to make sure you’re on the right track and taking full advantage of the benefits.

Where did you learn this?

I called it “hell house” and it took me 7 yrs to finally get rid of it after losing lots of money and time, but I did learn by my mistakes.