Certification vs Experience

[jeckyll]

The point is though, if the cards are meant to indicate skill level, they really do not. And that does not serve anyone in the industry.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Reading all these posts I detect a strong undercurrent of hostility towards folks that like to take classes. "Card Collectors". I think it is important to recognize different folks learn in different ways. It is not how many classes or how rapidly a person takes the certification classes, it is how he/she acts once the class is completed.

Getting AOW may be a useful thing for a newbie diver to gain confidence, but if the person truly believes that they are "advanced" they have more problems going on than just in the scuba realm...

On the other hand, if a relatively new diver goes through the AOW course and gains some confidence and additional skills to work on, then the person may go on to continue diving and with increased enjoyment--rather than getting OW certified, not wanting to continue diving, and quit the sport....I think the statistics show a lot of folks get OW certified and don't continue. If going on to take the AOW class gets them out and diving more, I say "great".

I suspect any "hostility" is directed more toward a segment of those who issue the cards than those who collect them ... after all, the dive student is simply buying a service which is being offered for sale.

But I will disagree about the value of taking classes too soon after the previous one. While the confidence and additional skills have some value, taking (for example) AOW right after OW will limit the amount of either confidence or skill that you will be able to get out of the class for the vast majority because they'll still be struggling with the basics of what they learned from the previous class.

With only a few exceptions ... such as diving programs at universities, which are weeks long ... scuba classes are not intended to teach you skills. They are designed to provide you with some basic knowledge and show you the mechaniics of the skill. Actually learning the skill then requires practice on your part. Again, with few exceptions, you don't really "master" the skill in any class ... you simply develop the ability to practice it without hurting yourself. Mastery takes bottom time.

Most dive instructors are well aware of this ... but for business reasons they need to find ways to keep you coming back. So they offer follow-on classes and encourage you to sign up for those as quickly as possible after the previous one.

How many of y'all reading this walked away from your AOW class feeling like you didn't really learn anything? How many rationalize it by saying "well, at least it was a few more dives under the guidance of an instructor"?

Well, if you did, then you got ripped off. Every class you take should challenge you ... increase your skills awareness ... expand your experience level ... provide you with things to work on for dives to come ... and make you walk away feeling like your money was well spent.

Now don't get me wrong ... I encourage my students to always continue their diving education, both through formal classes and through bottom time. But I won't take a student who wants to go straight from one class to the next. I'll take them diving ... but I won't take them into the class until I feel they've "plateaued" on the stuff they learned in the previous one. Why? Because I feel that the next level of class ... whatever it may be ... is going to introduce its own unique set of skills. And I want that student to be able to focus on those skills, rather than struggle with the ones they learned in the previous class.

As for the "card collectors" ... the only ones I really give much thought to are those who just HAVE to go from OW to DM or instructor without much experience. They scare me ... and I for sure wouldn't trust anyone I care about to learn anything from them. But I don't harbor any hostility toward that person ... I just think they were sold a bill of goods, and are now trying to sell a service they are patently unqualified to sell. As with all things, it's a "buyer beware" market ... and with those folks, I don't want what they're selling.

As for everyone else who's just going from class to class trying to improve their skills ... good on ya. I don't think you're doing it in the most effective manner, but at least you're trying to improve ... and as long as you think you're getting your money's worth out of the class, how you do it is up to you ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)