Here is a good place to start: http://briem.ismennt.is/index.htm

You certainly could hire someone to execute your designs. I could use the work for sure, but I’m hardly the most qualified around here. Then again, they’re pretty busy people.

I cannot stress this enough: go to Typecon. I went last year and learned so much that my brain still hasn’t recovered from the swelling.

Aside from that, get the beginner’s triumvirate:
Logo Font and Lettering Bible
Designing Type
Learn Fontlab Fast

I also recommend Exploring Typography. It’s a general typography textbook, but it has a long and thorough chapter about the process of designing type.

Or you can always pay me to digitize your fonts—I need the work!

You could learn by doing. Develop your chops using bezier drawing tools. Buy a copy of a font editor and start hammering away at your design. You’ll find out pretty quick if you have the stamina to do type design. Remember, the first 40 or 50 fonts are the hardest. After that, it goes from being really painful, to only somewhat painful. But the pain never really goes away, it just changes from being your enemy to being your friend.

Jamess is overstating the pain part, it really only hurts when spacing the letters makes your eyes start closing on their own accord.

And how long have you been making type Mr Puckett?