I count a dive if its 20 minutes or more.
I have to say, I love this thread more than I can say.
And this is not any type of personal jab at you, as I did exactly the same thing, but I did it in 1996.
Got certified OW, long time goal, finally did it. Got to hang out with the instructor and the DM candidates, who were the coolest of the cool people, the coolness was overwhelming, and I ran out and did my 100 dives in just a few months. Now, I was living on a small island in the pacific ocean, so it wasn't like I was stuck in some mud pit in Texas somewhere, but still, I needed to get those hundred dives so I could not only hang witht he cool DM candidates, but actually be one, and you know, I loved diving, so it made all of the difference.
So I became a divemaster, and was about to be between jobs, so I thought "I should go be an instructor", so I did. Then I worked on a liveaboard, then I bought a liveaboard, and the rest is history.
So. What's my (cynical) advice? The training agencies love to see guys like you (and me) coming, because the training agency can jam you up for $250 a year in dues and another $450-$850 in insurance. And they don't have to do anything more to do it. I paid dues for over 20 years, because they told me that I wouldn't be covered if I didn't pay my dues and buy my insurance. And I had to continue to buy my insurance for another 7 years following my last class taught (the training agency may get a kickback on your insurance). And you get exactly nothing for all of this except you get to go diving and hang out with the cool kids.
Here's a hint. You are a cool kid, and folks should want to hang out with you. It doesn't cost upwards of a grand a year to be cool and go diving. So be cool, and go dive until you can't dive no more, and then go diving again. You're cool. You can do it.