Because of the high costs of rents and the good appreciation, You don't have to scale to the same degree. 

Once you find the right banks, there will be more flexibility with respect to qualification of the deal and you as the buyer, particularly if you lack a track record.Larger deals will open the door to agency, conduit, and life companies, all of which tend to come with better or more flexible terms, but with a higher degree of buyer experience and park requirements.

So, even though banks/lenders can be a headache because they're so conservative... that conservative stance ends up protecting you to some degree.

My wife finished her Nursing degree, I finished my fire science degree and away we went! 

Determine both the RE market you want to be in, and to what degree. 

Being that I don’t have a degree I’d like to ask my fellow Houstonians for advice or recommendations on how I can further my knowledge of real estate by entering an entry level position or use my experience/work ethic in a career to help achieve that goal.

I do agree a little with @Kyle Keller to the degree that the cash flow from just adding the ADU might not be equivalent to getting another SFR.

For example if it's underwater, on the side of a mountain with a 60 degree grade, if there's 100 55 gal drums of PCBs half buried in the ground, it could cost you a lot. 

I am almost done and will have a CS degree by Feb of 22.

Hello, I am 22 year old recent college graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering.