A wise man once told me when I started in the paid fire service and I swear its the best phrase I've heard in along while and it can go for both the volunteer staff and even the great county fire firefighters & officers. The saying is this, "Just because your certified doesn't mean your qualified".

Reading and doing what the book tells you only gets you halfway, applying the boots to the ground and putting the fires out gets the you the experience you need that will greatly outweigh a piece of paper that doesn't mount to a hill of beans when a fire needs to be put out.