A nice environment to "network" with others and for you to learn "the lay-of-the-land" here in South Florida.You can "Google" David Dweck or Boca Real Estate Investment Club a link for is:  B.R.I.C.   

That sounds strange, but you have nothing holding you back from venturing out of your security...because you have lost that security blanket that was your job.I would venture to say, that most of the success stories in history, started out where you are right now...me included.So, with nothing holding you back, and with plenty of time on your hands (time will always be your greatest asset...since you can never get it back), if you want to get into REI, you need to do the following:1 - Learn,2 - Learn some more,3 - Keep learning.Places to learn (before you say "that costs money"), that don't cost any money are:1 - Online education sites that have free articles written by experts in their fields.2 - Free e-books, that you can get online.3 - Joining your local REIC's to both learn and network.4 - ...and never stop learning...even when you become a success at this (and you will)Also, three very critical actions you MUST follow to be a success:1 - Always think possitive.2 - Train yourself to think of future "obstacles" as temporary problems...and you are the problem solver. 

Since you are at a top business school, I would take advantage of their career center, events, and alumni network (reach out to alumni from your school that work at target firms) to break into the space.

I had the best paying job I’d ever had as a Digital Content Director at a small TV Network and they required I relocate from Brooklyn to work out of their Glendale offices. 

Cash buyers are usually there networking and/or looking for deals. 

I do both sales and property management, so networking with investors who are interested in Raleigh has been a big part of my business.You also can't beat the (FREE) education you will get here!

It is posted in the network tab above.

(Of course that would be contingent upon you becoming an agent at that brokerage and staying there for 6-12 months or something of that nature.)Other good questions to ask them would be what are their commission splits, a breakdown of ALL fees (monthly or annually), what their commission cap is, whether they provide leads for you and if the commission changes if they do, how often they provide training and what the topics of the trainings usually are, do they provide mentoring to help you work through deals, etc.Also, keep in mind that there are fees that the Broker has no control over such as MLS access, ($300/6 mo in PA), Realtor dues if the Broker is a member of the association of Realtors ($600/yr in PA), marketing materials, cost of yard signs, networking associations to network with investors, etc.

They stay educated, they study the market, they network, and are on top of their game in all respects.I can give you real-world numbers from my own market.

@Adam Spencer  There are many BP forums for wide variety of subjects.