After reading the usajobs posting for realty specialist with the Dept. of the Navy, I should be able to come in as a GS9 simply based on education.A last concern I have is practicing real estate sales in my off time and whether that is a conflict of interest.

Simple thing is to just take the required education, which sounds like you have done, and then to find practice tests and just work till you consistently get a 90 percent on them or better.

Networking is always a great practice and you never know who you might meet there and what good information they have to share.

My family and I are relocating to a different state and I was recently denied a loan for a primary residence because my DTI was too high.  

Same as practicing medicine is required.

They tel you how to do analysis, but Dont stress the practice needed.So many new investors want that first deal so bad that they ignore or skew the analysis an it cost you nothing to look at deal and practice

Great practical book with actionable steps.Enjoy!

I think if you're referring other people as commercial tenants, however, you definitely need a real estate license because you're brokering tenancies in a property you don't own.I can really only answer question 2 here, and under question 2, I think that is for sure practicing real estate without a license. 

Get a copy of the foreclosures prior and maybe go see a couple of the properties (as much as you can see within legal limits) and then run some numbers as practice to how much rehab and ARV would be.

I am similarly convinced this has nothing to do with good investment practices, but rather with making sure they don't put themselves in the crosshairs of building regulatory organizations for promoting shoddy DIYing.