My appraiser was a trainee. 

There are ways and legal contract agreements to accomplish this form of super leverage, I have done these deals over the crazy 40 years as an investor trainee (still learning).

I know I've seen that the first step is a trainee, but do I just look for someone to train me or are there positions that have me as a trainee so I can earn while I build up my hours?

It would require the trainee license which is an investment.

how much did it cost in total in terms  of dollars to become a appraiser trainee what is the learning curve like for studying and who or how did you fund the cost to become a appraiser trainee

That being said, $500k is above the price range for most trainees. 

But then, trainee appraisers need to get 1000 hours of actual work experience from an existing appraiser.

@Nathan SmithIf you are at all mechanically inclined, I’d try to find a paid internship/apprenticeship program in the trades, such as electrician, plumbing, HVAC.This would expose you to renovation work while making a good salary and without taking on debt.Personally, I went straight to a pretty good public university and got a mostly useless liberal arts degree because that’s what everyone told me was the right thing to do.After ski bumming for years, I got hired as a nuclear reactor trainee by GE.

If there would be somebody willing to help a motivated REI trainee, I would greatly appreciate it and will do all I can to make the relationship mutually beneficial!

They're offering entry level trainee jobs in their REI company for 25k/m Does this sound too good to be true?