If your Talk ing about stripping the car you get into even more money. If it hasn't been painted before then, go over the original! If it has and it doesn't have problems, go over that. I can generally dissassemble a car to paint on 4-5 hours. I plan on a day to a day and a half after I paint one to assemble and some of the detail work. It's like anything else, if you take your time and pay attention to the details you will come out with a nice job. If it's just a daily driver that you don't plan on keeping then either don't do anything with it and drive it or Maaco it.
It would be best for you to drive what you have and find a projaect car to do. This way you could do all the work your self, learn what to do and what not to do in the process. I don't know what shape the rest of you car is in, but a blue book value of your car probably isn't much more than what you would pay for a good paint job. I'm not trying to down grade your car, but if you do not have any attachment to this particular car, than keep driving it and go buy something that you have always wanted and put money into that. The actual painting of a car takes about 4 hours. Thats once the car is ready and in the paint both. I tell you this to show that it's all in the prep work.
When I was younger I would do all of my own body work and someone else would do the paint ( My Dad ) I would always get so mad when people would ask who painted you car. It wasn't my Dad that spent the last month or two of hard work to make it look good, but it took that final wisdom to make all of my efforts worth while.
You could also try for one of the vocational schools to do the work. They come out ok and it would provide a way for some high schooler's to learn a little bit.
Good luck
Oh and Get Nick I would be glad to do your paint work, but I think the drive wouldn't make it worth it.