I am trying to dedicate time every day and immerse myself with BP's content.

My initial focus was rental properties so Ive been immersing myself in consant articles, books and podcasts (we know which one).  

@Kortlin M Wheatfall immerse yourself in education.

Immersed in the marketSystems and relationships to immediately find out about opportunitiesSame day offersStraight talkIs a closer...makes deals happenMarket knowledgeRehab knowledgeContractor referralsLender, attorney, inspector, bug man referralsUnderstands rental P&Ls and flips and which properties will workGood communicatorI can't speak to kickbacks, referral perks, and other bad agent behavior...no experience there.

You do not have the time to be immersed in real estate investing with or without a PM.Additionally I would not be concerned with passing a "system" along to kids in 30+ years.

Another investor I know was able to scale very quickly in a midwestern market by immersing himself in it and finding the right contacts over time.

I’ve decided to stop watching from the side lines and just immersed myself in this world.

While I actually enjoy the job (yes, I'm still working there) and there are tremendous advancement opportunities, the thought of working 60+ hour weeks until I'm old enough to retire from my 401k terrified me and motivated me to do something about it.In about August of 2018 I started learning everything I could about REI and immersed my self in self education from reading 15-20 books a month to listening to almost all of the BP podcasts. 

I would say if real estate is really what you want to do...immerse yourself here on Bigger Pockets!

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated, I am really looking forward to becoming immersed in the world of real estate, working hard, and in the process finding financial freedom!