Saving Initial Capital

Hi everyone, I am still learning real estate investors' terminology so bear with me. A little bit about me: I am 21 years old and immersing myself in as much knowledge about this field that I can. I will graduate from college this upcoming May and will move back to Kansas City, MO, and will most likely start working for a wealth management firm. Mind you, I'd much rather do this type of investing than that job. However, I know that I will be able to combine the earnings on both and invest in my future wisely. 

I'm in the process of reading many books about real estate investing before I get too ahead of myself as a natural "go-getter." Some of the authors of the books include Brandon Turner, David Greene, Benjamin Graham, and some others. I want to soak in as much knowledge as possible so I can have a grasp on what I'm doing when I start actually investing. 

Just a few questions...

I'm wondering how much I need to save in order to start investing. Like a ballpark number. I know it depends on where I want to invest, so I'm asking for clarity on what number is probably too low and what is just right. The two potential locations I could invest in the real estate market are Tulsa, OK and Kansas City, MO. I am focusing solely on saving at the moment because I still have one more year of college as a finance major and need to be smart before I dive into this venture head first. 

Is saving the only option to get the initial capital to start investing? What about going the direction of a house flip and connecting with a hard money lender and even making a little bit of cash that way to save? How did you first start investing and was it all solely from savings? I know I'm young and I tend to want things faster than they come, but I also want to know if there's any other way that I can be proactive in bringing in more cash for my first investment if possible. 

Once I do get that initial capital saved, which investment method would you recommend for me? House hack? Flipping a house first? This is very subjective, but I want to learn as much as I can!