I'm a complete newbie, I hope to expand my real estate education by reading books and connecting with successful investors and of course using Biggerpockets!

I think a mentor will show up in your expanding circle of friends and acquaintances over time.

Their concept can be duplicate but you start small, a real estate licence, one renovation at the time, and eventually expanding into construction if that is what you want you can start where you are. 

I am currently a Realtor in Flowery Branch/Hall County Georgia and came to BiggerPockets to begin and learn to expand my REI portfolio!  

@Jeff Piscioniere Most of my clients use either Schlage or Kaba - the link below will take to a few different styles - they like them because the code can easily be changed remotely (severl live on the West Coast and their properties are here on Maui).AlohaKeyless entry

While this guy is held to a higher standard of conduct, wholesalers can easily fit in the same shoes.

Can you easily get up in the attic to make sure there isn't hidden mold growth or unknown issues?

I have a full time job working at an engineering firm and intend on keeping this full time job while expanding my knowledge about real estate investing in my spare time.

Right now, given the general improvement of Real Estate in the last 5 years, you could easily have someone with years of experience, a track record of success, but zero clue how to handle a down turn in the economy and no exit plan if things turn south.

The great thing about the podcasts and the book is they generally suggests other reading material to help expand your knowledge on the subject.Lastly, I would suggests setting up "wholesaling" as a keyword alert notification.