I am new to this industry.

Regardless, of whether you continue or terminate your contract, you should be building your own contacts in the industry. 

I'm young and driven individual who is a professional salesperson in the automotive industry.

You may want to seriously consider reserves, I wish I tried to fight my way through that at the time but I had a whole new life to prep for and put all of my efforts into IT industry rather than banking some more military time.

Split evenly... this doesn't seem doable. but... if seven grad students contribute $140,000 and the professor contributes $140,000 all of a sudden, you're looking at something possible (The students that were in industry before going back to school definitely clear this, Otherwise, it just takes a year or so of saving your stipend to be able to contribute the necessary amount).

I have been fortunate to gain many valuable skills and experiences along the way as well as develop a diverse network across several industries.  

I've picked up some of this from just being around the industry, but I keep learning how much I dont know.If i wanted to do a high end renovation, I wouldnt know what matetials to choose.

It seems like you already have a solid foundation to work from but some recommendations regarding BP:I highly recommend BP's Ultimate Beginner's Guide, it helps to form a general foundation in the industry.

Without decent credit, you're going to be limited to jobs in the industry (not really investments), or cash only purchases or partnerships.  

My goal is to empower and dominate in the Real Estate industry while transforming communities one home at a time.