Real estate I know a little bit about, but I am by no means an expert. First you will need to have some type of job while you get started; no banker is going to lend money to somebody who doesnt have the collateral to back it up. It's also probably a good idea to start in an area where real estate isnt hideously expensive. In chester county PA where I'm currently living, its too expensive I think unless you are starting with a large sum of money.
Or, what you could look into that has to do with real estate but is a little slower is tax liens. I would do some reading, book stores are loaded with books about real estate investing. Basically, you pay the county the amount that a resident is past due on taxes, and you get a lien which you recieve interest on until the resident pays up. There are 2 types, I'm not sure which type PA is, but if the resident doesnt pay you're either first in line to collect when the property is sold, OR you get the deed to the property. There are alot of details to those I am not sure of, but those are the basics of it.
There are many ways to invest in real estate, you just need to figure out which is right for you, and make a plan for doing so. Are you going to hold the properties and rent for monthly income? Single family homes, condos, mobile homes, apartments? The fastest way to make money on real estate is to find a good deal, and put it back on the market after you buy it.
Another way is to write up a contract for a no money down deal. Basically you write something up stating that you get X amount of days/weeks to look over the property before the downpayment, and upon completion of inspection you make your downpayment. The idea however is to find a buyer BEFORE you make a downpayment, and basically sell the contract to another buyer. In other words, you make money for finding the deal.
Hope this helps, Good Luck.