Depending on how much cash you have on hand, skills, networking abilities, long term goals, ability to take risk, your path might be different!

I'm sure your math skills will be very hand, most of investing is all about the numbers.  

Byron, you seem like a good guy with a solid set of business skills.  

Maybe post some of your past experience here so that people who may be interested know what skills you possess. 

So when @Kenneth Reimer argues for Finance, I say Economics you'll learn that with even more skills. 

You may also want to include a letter about yourself to showcase any skills and abilities you have in real estate investing, landlording, finance, remodeling, etc.

Don't fret though, raising capital is a skill that everyone that wants to invest should make part of their arsenal of tools.

I would suggest starting with wholesaling since it requires no money down (other than marketing costs) and can generate cash you'll need for future down payments, it will also give you the skills to find motivated sellers and under-priced houses.There are countless articles on BP and other places to find ways to find motivated sellers so I won't bore you with them here and definitely check out the book, The Wholesaling Bible by Than Merrill to get started.Dallas MF have been great for me and it seems like they just keep going up and up.  

Risk is baked into pricing of RE assets, so your skill as a REI is what makes the difference.

Research, networking, rejection, and negotiation skills are just some of the traits you must possess.