well i can only offer this advice, the best way to learn is by actualy welding, i started welding when i was about 12 or so and believe me for the first couple months things i welded were not very pretty or good, but after a while i learned to make some realy good welds, alot i learned from reading books about it, and most i just learned from trying it, i will say that it was a long time before i could make a weld upside down or verticaly, for a long time i "cheated" and welded traveling down a verticle joint, thats not the proper way to make a strong weld, but then after practicing on some scrap clamped up verticaly i got alot better at it, i still am not a welding expert by any means, but i can do some decent welds, and have had very very few things break on a weld joint, if you have been following the "dozer root rake" thread you can see some of the welding i did in those pics, almost all the welding on the rake was done in a flat position, but the brackets i welded onto the blade of the dozer had to be done verticaly of course, they came out okay, not a real pretty weld but not a bad weld either, so basicly my best advice is to just practice and practice, a welding course is a great way to start out im sure, i cant realy say cause the only welding training i ever had was a little bit of mig welding in trade school, and by then i knew how to stick weld so mig was real easy, but go to your welding course and try it out, i doubt by the end of a few evening classes you will be making real nice welds, but dont get discouraged, it just takes practice, and when you go to buy a welder try and get an AC/DC machine, i learned to weld on my fathers little AC buzzbox and when i was 14 and bought my lincoln idealarc 500 amp AC/DC machine i found that DC was far better than AC current for almost all jobs,a much easier to strike and control arc and better overhead welding, not please dont let me mislead you and think that i am saying you need a giant welder like mine, a little AC/DC machine is perfect for 99 percent of stuff, only thing is when doing heave fabrication with multiple pass welds like my root rake project a small welder wouldnt have the ability to run continuously since many homeowner welders are only 20 percent duty cycle, but thats more than enough for almost all fabrication, so good luck, and once you learn to weld you will wonder how you ever lived without it