So as to not seem biased and to be fair one REIA may appeal to you and your needs more then mine so my pick for the last many years may not be your pick. 

Thanks Jason, would be great to pick your brain and see if it's an area for me. whats the best way to reach you? 

What are some careers paths or jobs that allow me to pick up experience that will help in real estate investing while working for someone else? 

From a fellow newbie.I work a 9-5 as well and plan on keeping my hospital job (Luckily, I am only part-time at this job but have the option to pick-up extra shifts or take extra call 📟). 

Much of the federal land out here in the west is used as range land for ranchers, oil and gas extraction, logging, mining, military training, recreation and conservation areas, etc. so it's not like it's not being used.

I had a chance to pick the brain of the auctioneer who runs the auctions for a number of the counties and municipalities in GA.  

Pick your niche and stick to it.

Hey everyone,I’ve been working in real estate for a little bit now, and like many of you, I’ve found that two big challenges keep coming up:Finding distressed or off-market properties before they get picked up by others.The time-consuming process of property analysis—especially when trying to figure out ROI, ARV, or repair costs quickly.I’m curious how you all are dealing with these issues.

Also my calls for foreclosure help have finally been picking up.

I did it for a number of years and typically picked up one property per year.