Don't buy a cracker box welder, aka buzz box stick welder. They suck and an amateur will never get good at it. Stick welding isn't easy to pick up then master it unless it's your career and you do it daily.
Just suck it up and buy a small MIG welder with Co/Ar gas mix and a real auto darkening hood (not from Harbor Freight). Then just pick a project like a DIY bumper and have at it. Lots of MIG welders on FB/CL/etc for sale. MIG is easier to pick up and get good at, which in turns boosts your confidence, which makes it easier to tackle larger and larger projects.
A stick welder will just piss you off, then one day you'll toss that SOB in the back of your 4runner, go "wheeling" in the West Mesa. Funny thing is that you'll also be packing your weapons which you'll end up using your Buzz box as a shiny, bright red target for long distance shooting.