Unfortunately, we only know what is in your profile and therefore, you're right, we don't know much about you.
I will say this, right or wrong, next time I'm in AZ and considering diving with one of the shops there, I won't be hiring you as a DM. That sounds mean, but from my perspective, anyone who says they've been through SSI Rescue diver and is approaching DM but still has fears about removing their mask or reg or any other of the skills covered in OW simply isn't ready. It seems to me you missed out on a lot of what should have been taught in OW. I don't expect OW students to be fully comfortable with removing mask and reg in a few days of class but they shouldn't completely fear it. An SSI rescue diver absolutely should be comfortable with it. From what I understand there's a lot of emphasis on self-rescue and I would think these would be requisite skills to truly master in any course like that.
What your instructor's experience is has absolutely no bearing on whether or not you are ready for the next step. Being able to pass the skills doesn't necessarily mean being ready to actively DM a group of tourists or a class of OW students safely and competently.
Facing your fears is a good thing. It's a step in the right direction, but I still wouldn't be comfortable hiring you if I showed up at the shop solo and someone offered you up as the DM for hire that day. As an insta-buddy, sure, but not as a DM, specifically for your own protection and that of the shop affiliated with you. Seriously think about that bolded statement... I have no problem diving with anyone (who is at least trying to dive safely) as an instabuddy but I have very different standards for a hired professional. So do the insurance agencies you'll be required to pay and the legal system in this country should anything go wrong.
Going to San Carlos once per month and working on your DM for over a year equates to somewhere between 30 and 60 dives there, even if you're not jamming dives in both days. The fact that you haven't taken any opportunity to do shore dives (a fairly common option there) also tells me you're not ready to be a DM and that you may have done most of your dives with another DM or an instructor in the water with you as a buddy or with your group. I find when that's the case anyone, especially those of us with less than 50 or even less than 100 dives tend to rely on the "expertise" of said DM or instructor, even if we're not intending to do so.
I may be completely off-base here, but I'm sharing my assumptions with you so you can correct me.
There are an awful lot of threads here about the "zero to hero" option and I would like to recommend you read through a few. You may be ready, but from what I've seen in this thread, I don't happen to believe you are. This sounds like a personal attack, but I honestly don't mean it that way. I just want you to be ready for the next step and fully cognitive of what that means. That's the reason I specifically stated that I'd dive with you as a buddy but not a hired DM.