Hello ShawnK, one of the things that comes with experience and time under the hood and all of the other things that go with becoming proficient at any skill is being able to recognize the correct, the incorrect, and possibly the acceptable or unacceptable way to approach anything. When you are fortunate enough to recognize and follow the instruction of any individual who is good at what they do, you will indeed learn. It is also likely that you will need to learn many different skills from a great number of different individuals as you go through your career as most folks are somewhat specialized in their skills. It is really hard when you are first starting out to be able to tell the truth from the B.S., yet as you progress with a career you will certainly develop a sense of when things are right or not, many times you just have to trust your gut.
     You mentioned that you would like to learn in a one on one fashion. This would typically indicate that you may need to locate a smaller mom and pop type shop where you can be "taken under the wing" of an individual who is willing to show you the ropes. This could mean, however that you might also be somewhat limited in your earning potential while this is going on. Although this may not necessarily be the case either.
     Another route you could consider would be going in and applying for an apprenticeship with one of the unions, you would be subjected to a certain amount of schooling that would be a combination of group and one on one instruction and you would also be working with various journeymen, who in a lot of cases, would qualify into the "expert" category that you were speaking of. They also tend to provide a service that many refer to as "earn as you learn", meaning that you will be paid while you are being trained and working with various journeymen.
     There are possibly some of the trade schools, community colleges, and vo-techs that may very well cover the sorts of things that you have mentioned that are important to you. "Interview" the instructors and others who would be the folks that you would be learning from. With all of these examples you should do your homework and investigate what they might have to offer and determine for yourself if one suits you better than another and then take the plunge to truly find out. If you use the "search" function on the forum you will be able to see a host of information on similar questions that others have asked before you. Type " how to get started in a welding career" or other such topics into the search box and see where it takes you. There should be plenty of great reading there to answer many of your questions.There are also many others who frequent this site that can expand a great deal on this topic as well. Best of luck and regards as you go forward, aevald

PS: Welcome to the forum!

ShawnK

Being taught by an expert welder is not always the training you need.  You need to be taught by an expert teacher!  There is a big difference.  If you kept track of the hours of training and the hours of "homework" / "Practice", it might be considered legitimate "education."  Some employers consider "Distance Learning" and private tutoring to be legitimate education. 

Without taking anything away from Alan's and Joe's posts above:

Fabricating is not something you're likely to learn from one person.  You'll learn your own way in your own time.  Now, as far as the basics go, there are all the options aevald gave you.  I can tell you right off that you must have a love for getting dirty and scrapping your way to the top of the heap.  If you already have a solid background in the shops, it'll be a lot easier.  I hated formal schooling; I went to 3 voc techs in 4 years, then joined the Navy and learned to weld all over again.  But welding is only one small part of fabrication; over 20 years I learned how to use various tools and machines to make the metal do what I wanted it to do, keeping all sorts of handwritten notes, sketches, anything I could do to remember how I got something right.  (I really should put all that together on of these days.)  What I'm trying to say is, you'll probably have to go to some sort of school to learn the basics: machinery & tools, math, etc., and then spend the rest of your life learning to fabricate.  Everyone has a different style; this is true of welders as well as fabricators of all types.  There are some nearly-lost arts in sheet metal fabrication, like spinning and the use of bench stakes, seaming, etc.  But even basic rolling and brake work is way past the average high school graduate in this country.  So good luck!  It is hard work, but when you're looking at your completed project it will all be worth it!

depends on what style of fabrication you plan to learn. now days it seams to be broken into different sections. they have people that do only structual fitting, some only piping, some ship yard fitters, and some people do only vessels, tanks and the list goes on. but i would say first thing you should know is how to read the prints. and understand what your reading so that you can get that minds eye as they call it. being able to invision what you are about build. and look into a blank area and see what will be there when you finish. its alot more than just welding it. you have to prep it, cut it, clean it, put it together, and then start a lil welding. and only you can teach yourself how you would be comfortable doing it. you can learn alot of stuff but when you start you will never do exactly what you were taught. you will always find another way that is easier for you, but yet still the right way to do it. so depending on where you live at as to what would be more your area of what you would learn.

If you intend to fabricate pressure vessels, take a look at the article titled "What you should know about ASME VIII Code", that will be published on the next November, 2008 issue of Hydrocarbon Processing magazine. 
The article explains how to deal with ASME VIII. The author is, as Britishmen say "your obedient servant" Giovanni S. Crisi (me).
And excuse me, Gentlemen, for recommending an article of mine authorship.
Giovanni S. Crisi
Sao Paulo - Brazil

Hi ShawnK ,

Fabricating is a rewarding profession. I have been called a welder/Fitter among other things during my career.

Now I've been retired for many years but my book The Welder/Fitters guide is still being used by schools and individuals who need to know the basics of the trade. You need to know blueprints,layout, tack welding and assembling weldments. You need to know how to use the tools and techniques for controlling distortion,You need welding correction techniques. I suggest you look for a job as an apprentice Welder/Fitter or take a course in a technical school.

If you know someone who has a copy of the Welder/Fitter's guide borrow it and you will learn a lot. I still have some in stock as a last resort.

My best advice to you is "take a drafting course", Not only do you learn to make design drawings but you become an expert at reading them.

This is how I got started.

A complete drafting course could take three years of night school but once you complete it you will be miles ahead of the rest when it comes to promotions.

Good Luck in your quest and don't give up, even if it takes three years the time is gioing to pass anyway,right?

  I've been at it for 15 years or so.  I'm currently a lead man in my shop which involves training employees on how to process steel.  I'm currently training a guy who has never picked up a stinger in his life.  I started him out learning how to measure and layout projects with a straightedge and a soap stone.  From there I taught him how to find precise angles that usually aren't give on the prints.  I guess my theory is that if you can't make the parts right or read a tape measure then you shouldn't be welding anything yet.  Welding really is the easy part.  You just set your heat and your speed and make minor adjustments for different circumstances.  Its the fitting that takes most of the brain power.  Nothing angers a foreman more than having to cut a project apart because it was wrong. 
  So when you learn the layout process then you can start building.  A good skill you shouldn't overlook is placing a good tacks when fitting up projects.  Even I get lazy sometimes because I am human.  It's a major bummer to be welding a project and hear a few tacks break after putting heat into the steel.  Sometimes you have to cut the weld and re fit after some grinding which adds unnecessary time to your task. 
  You might be worried about making mistakes in the beginning.  That just comes with this trade.  You are going to have to put time in under the hood to gain the needed confidence to do it the first time, every time.  You just might have to get a few butt chewings from your first jobs but, don't give up.  It will come in time and you will surprise yourself with the results when the mistakes disappear and your pockets get fatter.

  Good luck.