And has the same long term goals as me (both young 20s and want to replace our current work income with passive to travel).I'm looking for advice on the risks of investing it in real estate (currently in stocks and bonds).

That being said my short term goal was to use this as an STR through AirBnB and/or VRBO.

Hi Mark,It's always easiest to me to work backwards from an end goal. 

My first goal is to get into a house hack as soon as possible.

My partner and I have one double unit house with the goal of buying more.

If your goal is to become an investor, a real estate license will not get you there, nor will the material that you learn for licensing in any way teach you about investing.

My goal is to contribute at least once per day to a forum and have quickly found success in that; I have gotten direct messages from fellow BP members who have found commonality from the few forums I have contributed to, so my network is already growing!

It depends on your goals as Joe says its going to take longer for the property to pay itself off but are you adding value so you can refinance and move onto your next deal? 

Is the goal with rental properties to create immediate financial freedom, or is it to provide for retirement as part of a diverse investment strategy.

My goal as an agent is to work in real estate, get involved in the game, help others,  but to ultimately have investment properties of my own as well, plus you have access to the MLS and have a good network surrounding you.Are there complications of being a realtor to the point where its hard to acquire your own investment properties?