Student Pilot and Newbie from Columbus, MS

[Ben Volk]

Hello from paradise! 

I've recently escaped from an engineering school in Florida to the warm embrace of the real south to pursue a career in "not crashing million dollar government owned aircraft." Recently, a good friend introduced me to the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series and long story short, I inhaled it. I was already considering real estate investing on a small scale, similar to what a lot of Air Force type characters do, by living in a house and renting the remaining rooms. 

However, my strategy shifted significantly after being exposed to both the Rich Dad series and this website. I absolutely love free education and have not surprisingly spent about 60 hours in the last two weeks on this site and other investing sites in an attempt to get a grip on this challenging game as quickly as possible. 

As of right now, my previously mentioned friend and I have entered into a blood pact / partnership / cosa nostra type agreement that we will combine our meager government sponsored resources and intelligence into a REI venture. This will, of course, be in writing when it counts. We are actively seeking any way to gain knowledge, contacts, and mentors (this is not a request, just a statement) but we are marginally intelligent and understand that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Our long term goals are to be financially independent by our late forties / early fifties. As far as the road to get there, that's still under construction.

We'd love to connect with anyone in the area, even if just to talk, since our social circle is limited mostly to the base at this point. That being said, a huge thank you to everyone that contributes to this awesome resource!