COTEP.org - Firearms trainers only-response requested

There's a lot of posturing and more than a few suggestions from "other than trainers" all over the net, that trainers have ulterior motives in advancing the idea of training. It's suggested at times, that they advance training to increase their bottom net, a financial interest by attempting to sway students to their courses by threads/posts they make.

So, trainers only, here's the question I'd like you consider and respond to get an idea of what trainers have taken courses before hanging their shingle out. That might be a better indication of their mindset about training, if they themselves have footed the bill and had a training mindset prior to hanging a shingle out. I'll start,

I didn't hang a shingle until 05. Training courses I personally paid for professional training before the shingle.

10 days of counter terr training 180 hours
5 days of swat, twice fo10 days of training 80 hours
5 days of swat with another co. 40 hours
5 days counter sniper 40 hours
5 days advanced driving for EP work 40 hours
34 days of small blades [ folders primarily ] weapons training 270+ hours
4 days long blade 32 hours
2 days stick 16 hours
1 day flexible weapons 8 hours
1 day cane 8 hours
1/2 day on kubaton 4 hours

300 hours of firearms training
40 hours of driving
302 hours of small blade training
32 hours bowie training
16 hours on stick
8 hours flexible weapons
8 hours cane
4 hours kubaton

total 710 hours over 35 years. That's 2.5 days of paid professional training per year, on average on my own dime. Cost would be in the neighborhood of $53,000.00 excluding ammo over 35 years, or about 1500.00 per year excluding ammo. There was a whole lot more training, but it was paid for by someone else and should be excluded [ how much did the trainer exhibit spending his own dimes on training and for how long ]

This MIGHT suggest to most, that when I advance skills training and courses be taken, the mindset behind the recommendation is solely based on my own thoughts as to how important training is to myself, and thus by extension, to others.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess trainers here will have exhibited the same traits and thoughts about the importance of training by the number of courses they paid for out of their own pocket as wel, before ever becoming a trainer themselves.