Providing a skydiving training "product"

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Over the weekend there was a discussion about the quality of the skydiving instruction "product" that is being provided at the drop zone, specifically, to people who have just become licensed.

(The purpose of this topic is not to bring up safety issues. For every type of skydiving that we provide instruction or recommendations, we must include safety information specific to it.)

Some questions are...

How far does the "product" extend? How far should it extend?

If the DZ has an agreement with a group like Skydive University (only one example) the entity providing the "product" may abruptly switch from the DZ to Skydive U.

My preference is to ask people around the time they are becoming licensed, "Where do you want to take this skydiving thing? What do you want to do from here?" And then hopefully I can provide them some guidance about how to do that.

We (the industry/the sport) sometimes speak of people getting their license and then wandering around wondering what to do next.

Is this because we have trained them in a manner that discourages them thinking for themselves and knowing how to go about getting information about what they want to do after being licensed?

Some drop zones provide additional programs for newly licensed skydivers with specific goals.

However, if we do that, are we trying to built skydivers in the image of ourselves to the detriment of encouraging new ideas from open minded novices?

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Some drop zones provide additional programs for newly licensed skydivers with specific goals.

However, if we do that, are we trying to built skydivers in the image of ourselves to the detriment of encouraging new ideas from open minded novices?

I think no matter how you look at it, "open-minded novices" and their thought processes will always be discounted. So, yes. I think some of what we teach or demand as "the norm" may be to the detriment of novices. They might be new to skydiving, but I believe they're not stupid, and most of them have goals of one kind or another. Helping them in that direction early on gives them a focus, IMO.