Like everyone else, our goal is to generate enough passive income in the next 5-10 years for one or both of us to escape the corporate rate race.  

You are encouraged to timeblock 3 or 4 hours a day to cold-calling and lead generating activities.

Before I answer your question (as best I can), know that I believe you should only buy properties that generate a sustained positive cash flow and are located in an area likely to appreciate over time.

I would assume this is something that can be generated on MLS.

I joined a couple mastermind groups to  learn and see exactly what it is I'm doing wrong, if anything, get ideas, ask questions, and to ramp up my business to generate more deals and income for next year.

My initial angle once I do enter the investment world would be probably along the lines of what @Scott Nipp was referring to with generating seed capital before pursuing other endeavors. 

It does not surprise me that the younger generation is going through a major re-thinking of the owning/renting equation.3.

It's true that you can't depreciation to generate a loss in a given tax year.

Only issue is that if I transition out I need to have a W2 job that will still generate a steady income while I begin the path to real estate investment.

Like @Doug McLeod  mentioned above, my attorney stated LLC's just generate a lot of extra expense and paperwork, and recommended to me just to use an umbrella insurance policy.