Well being the newbie on these boards, I've been lurking here but not posting. Now that everyone has beat each other to a pulp, I'm going to add my 2 cents which is worth about half that so take it for what it is.
We new divers are FREAKING OUT about 99% of the time.
We not only feel incompetent we usually KNOW we are incompetent.
I suspect the OP is still at this stage of his diving.
I suspect this because when I headed to ITK for my dives 10-19, my greatest concern (aside from sharks) was being paired with someone equally as inexperienced. I was planning to hire a guide for all of my dives at $50 a pop. Because 2 newbies almost guarantees an incident. But fortuantely, some very kind SB'rs took me underwing, dove with me, and gave me confidence.
So yes, we newbies are idiots. The only way we are going to become less idiotic is if we dive more. The only way we are going to dive more SAFELY is to ask stupid questions.
So please try to keep that in mind when we idiots post in the new scuba sections. I rolled my eyes too when I read his post as I had the same gut reaction - here comes a future A&I , but I reminded myself what I felt like on dive #10 headed to the Ocean when I've only been a quarry girl. As some of you will recall, I asked my stupid questions. If we scare away the idiots, they may show up on your next dive vacation and be your insta-buddy - without the advantage of having received some good advice before hand.
Ok, I'll step off my 'leave the newbie alone' soap box now. Besides, I see a pop tart that needs my attention.
I don't know why the original post provoked so much derision from some people. I imagine they don't want to recall their earlier days.
But don't let this sort of a debate put you off. You're absolutely right. More training, experience AND questions are important for development and confidence in your diving life. It's the nature of forums like this that there will be a few unhelpful or derisory comments. You'll probably find that most fellow divers and professionals are helpful and responsible individuals who will give informative and useful replies to reasonable questions.
It's better to ask the question EARLY in the process than to have an "Oh crap I don't know what to do..." situation.