Nothing replaces experiance.

I for one feel this is an area that needs to be looked at. Far to often new divers go head first at becoming "Advanced" divers. I know of one guy who was convinced he was going to be the next big name in diving. His lack of experiance kicked his ego's ass.

By the by, there is no industry standard, that I know of, that clearly define what an Advanced diver is. As far as I am concerned an advanced diver is just someone who has taken the courses. It does not necessarily mean they are a better diver.

I am not saying this is the case for Lottie, what I am trying to get across is that nothing in Scuba is a race. Take your time. If you can take the courses over the year. Not in one weekend. (From Ace's post I am assuming that it is a weekend course, I hope I am wrong)

I support your goal, and I strongly believe that the courses will only help you become the type of diver you want to be. (regardless of the certifing agency)
Experiance is a great teacher, and having the course will help you in your experiances.

Good Luck, and I hope this is taken as being harsh, this is just my point of view.