Investing is not the same as working. If you have a great side gig, awesome. Keep it. When you *invest*, you can invest in anything you want but it's just using that money you made and putting it to work. So if there is a great rental property you want to buy, awesome. Compare your expected returns to what you'd get in other investments, compare the risks, and pull the trigger (or not).
If you want to manage the property yourself, that's a whole different question because now you're talking about a *job* (one which you can hire out to someone else if you want to). If doing it yourself pays better than your side gig (and you like it), then do it. If not, hire it out.
So, separate questions, really.
-W