The term "Newbie" was used several times throughout the thread...I just find it a tad deameaning. Like referring the person to a child. It's also used in video gaming. It's not used as a term of endearment so maybe I'm just sensitive to it.
Perhaps that's it ... because as I said earlier it's not meant as a derogatory term in common scuba usage ... it simply is an easy word to signify that the person is an inexperienced diver. No one I know uses the term in a demeaning way. You can choose to take it that way if you like ... but don't expect people to stop using it simply to please you. If you're going to become a scuba professional, it's best if you start learning the language the way others in your field use it.
For the record, I want to be a SAFE and KNOWLEDGEABLE instructor so I made the decision to get some dives under my belt before going further in certification. Presently I'm rescue dive certified but by hanging out with some experiened divers I realized that my PADI training did not give me the skills I want or need to move further at this point since they were only interested in taking my money and not teaching me anything. So now I'm taking the time to learn and practice my skills and get stronger so when I take the DM training I can do my 800m swim.
The physical skills are only part of it ... and to my concern, the easiest part to master. If you want to be a good DM, stop being sensitive to words ... focus on concepts. Think about what it takes to become that safe and knowledgeable instructor you want to be ... it begins by asking a lot of questions that begin with the word "why". Every scuba instructor wants to be safe and knowledgeable ... what sets those who are apart from those who merely want to be? My answer is that the truly safe and knowledgeable instructors will never ask you to do anything without being able to explain to you in simple, understandable language why it matters. Knowing something and understanding it are two different things ... a truly safe and knowledgeable instructor understands diving ... understands the reasoning behind every rule they teach someone ... understands how every skill they teach affects a diver, and how they interact together to achieve a desired goal. These are not things you'll learn by taking a class, or passing an exam ... they're things you learn by doing, by asking questions, by keeping an open mind ... and by being willing to accept answers that may not be what you want to hear.
I think you've got good motives, and diving with more experienced divers will certainly take you a long way ... if you don't allow your mindset to get stuck in a single track and ignore other perspectives that may not be a complete match with the direction you've chosen for yourself. There are many approaches to diving ... many to teaching ... and many to planning and preparation. None of them are "right" in every circumstance.
When I was working toward my DM, my course director gave me this piece of advice ... take at least a year, work with as many instructors as you possibly can, work with instructors in different agencies if you can. Each has a set of tools that they use. Learn how to use those tools. Some will be useful to you, others won't ... only you can decide. Ask a lot of questions. Listen to the instructors who take the time to answer them ... even if you disagree with them. Think about not just what you're doing, but why. When it all starts to make sense, then you're ready to move on to instructor.
Took the better part of a year just to make sense out of what he was talking about ... but when it did, turned out to be the best advice I've ever gotten about scuba diving. And, ironically, the person who helped me the most make sense of it all wasn't even an instructor.
My goals aren't because I think I'm going to get rich as a DM or instructor. My goals are fueled by my love for this sport that I've had since I was a kid. It's about having put off my whole life something I wanted to do because other convinced me it was dangerous and expensive. It's about hopefully training people to dive and be safer and taking more interest in thier learning the sport well and giving them a better experience than I got. It's about paying it forward and maybe struggling at the end of my life trying to make a go of something I like doing for myself, instead of sitting in an office hating what I do making a living for someone else....
Those are worthwhile goals ... just go into it with your eyes open ... scuba diving and scuba instruction are not the same thing. You gotta do it not because you love diving, but because you love teaching. It's a bit like marriage ... it can be glorious when it's working for ya, and something you just want to run away from when it's not. It takes a certain commitment to make it work, and it's not going to be all fun and games. Scuba insruction is often about psychology ... managing students who want to do something, but are afraid to do it. You have to learn how to manage emotions ... yours and theirs. That may be the hardest part of being a good instructor ... maintaining a positive attitude toward a student even when you're inclined not to.
I guess I'm just saying please don't assume that us "newbies" are only concerned with speeding our way to the status of DM so we can be rich and famous and living the life of Riley. Some of us actually have a brain and try to use it...even if we only have 24 dives under our belt at the moment.
Learn how to pay attention to what's important, and not sweat the small stuff ... that's a good step along the path you're embarking along. I don't mean that to sound condescending ... just a bit of hindsight from someone who's been where you're at right now ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)