This will 10x you into alot of pain...Sorry .....

I am closing in on finishing my associates degree in business administration and most likely going to go for my Bachelors degree, but I want to start building my portfolio as soon as possible. 

Whatever you lose in paying the GC is worth the pain and headaches and costs you will have along the way until you learn the ropes.

Well, mine is a pain. 

I’ve thought about maybe going to get my associates degree in business management/ administration, or should I become a real estate agent in order to better serve my family?

Removing that gravel will be a pain. 

We do have an administrator who files the annual compliance paperwork and is our "go to" for questions.

While it was a cash cow, it was also a pain in the a$$. 

I'm in a super rural area, and through pains with general contractors have realized I will more than likely need to learn to handle rehabs myself.The one house I'm looking at is a 1440-sqft 2br, 1ba.

@Jesse BlaineYep, plumbing can be a pain if you have to pull pipes horizontally or run them awhile before finding the tap.