King8 I wouldn't necessarily give up on investing in stocks. I have done it and made some good money, not enough to live on as a full time job (yet), but it is much more rewarding than just letting your money park in a savings account where your interest barely (if it does at all) keep up with the rate of inflation. You might want to look into a large cap value mutual fund as a way to get more out of the money you currently have while you learn about stocks. If you are serious about investing, whether it be shares of a corporation or real estate, you'll have some learning to do. I find it interesting though. I recommend the book The Millionaire Next Door and that you subscribe to either the Wall Street Journal or Barron's, or both.
Real estate is sort of in a slump right now. In a way that is good if you are thinking about getting into it, since you can buy things for cheap. You might also want to look into REIT (real estate investment trust) funds, which minimizes the risk (you don't actually buy and maintain the property yourself; you just help front the money and get some of the reward). Find REITs that are legit, like ones attached to a reputable investment bank or fund (Fidelity, JP Morgan, American Century, and so on).