Mark,
I agree with the train of thought that Mike has for starting out with a good old stick machine and getting the hang of that 7018 rod. It is an any position rod that is alittle fussy to learn, if you never have done it before. If you start out with a 7024 or 7028 rod (drag rods) to learn on, you will get spoiled with it and will have a hard time learning to run the 7018. Stay with the 7018 and practice running some fillet welds and try to maintain a consistant size bead. And like Mike said, "Never accept just good enough". There is so much to learn and anyone who tells you they know all there is about welding, hasn't learned very much about welding.
Lots of good books are out there for reference. AWS has lots in thier store to choose from. Read back through the sections and posts and you'll gain a wealth of knowledge from them. There are alot of knowledgeable people that monitor and comment on various subjects.
To do this for a living you will have to love it, because there are jobs out there where you can go home clean every night. Welding and fabrication is dirty and hot and can be dangerous in certain aspects. But I find it very rewarding building and fabricating, the more complicated it is the better I enjoy it. I've been with our company for 18 years because I enjoy what I do. I've had the jobs where I went home clean, but was not challenging and I got bored with it. If this type of work is for you I say learn all you can about it.
Good Luck in your endevors,
John Wright