Joe --
I know just enough to make a mess out of most of it...
Everybody develops their own technique - based on instruction - and tips from others etc - and in the end - they do what works for them. I might feed the fill slightly different than someone else - and when we get done - the beads look about the same.
I - like most of us on here probably - weld all kinds of different stuff and different gauges - and jump around -- so it's always harder to be real proficient like a factory guy that welds the same stuff all day long. And I might not weld anything at all for days at a time, so there's always the rust that sets in. One day I might weld up a neighbors garbage can lid - then days later be making an aluminum bracket. It's all fun.