All that being said I have come in contact with someone here on BP who claims that I can learn all the secrets to smart RE investing through a paid program.  

I have completed the Allied School CA RE course and I am very happy with them and how their program prepared me for the license.

You will want your contractors to fill out Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification, and keep them on file so you can file the 1099s each year.  

My day job is System Engineer/Administrator and I'm very knowledgeable in IT matters, I also am currently in an mba program.

If you went to school a little while back and your rates are really low, maybe there's a little less urgency there.More importantly, if you're in public service, I pretty sure there's something called the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

To be an FHA direct lender you need to meet the following requirments: 1)Certified original audited financial statement with adjusted net worth of at least $250,000 that has been prepared within the last year.2)A senior corporate official showing at least 3 years of experience handling FHA affairs (loan origination and servicing background) 3)Multiple credit and background checks to verify legitimacy of the heads of the institution.4)$1 million warehouse line of credit or equivalent funding program to show liquidity and lending power.5)Business plans, quality control plans, E&O insurance policy, sanction letters, fidelity bonds and other formalities to provide security.As you peel the onion it makes more and more sense why some lenders offer certain services & products and why others simply don't qualify to do so.

I recently made contact with Phil Pustejovsky's 'FreedomMentors' real estate mentoring program.

One is a CA tax proposition, the other is a federally funded housing program administered by local housing authorities.

Speak to the folks who run the culinary arts programs in your area.

Rockwell has a good program.