One wants to increase their knowledge and skills because they want to be safer? Great! One wants to dive more advanced sites, but the operator requires a card that results in increased knowledge and skill? Great!the idea is to take courses with an instructor that will make you a better / safer diver. it is not just to collect which cards you think will get you a seat on a better boat going to better dive sites.
Regardless of the motivation, I am a huge believer in continuing quality scuba education. Why not take a course to get to better sites - even if the diver doesn't know it will make them a better / safer diver? In this case of collecting a card pass to get to better sites, better / safer diving just happens to hopefully be the inevitable byproduct of a quality course! Which comes first - the chicken or the egg? doesn't matter to me ...
What matters to me in regard to c-card roulette - after investing in my scuba education, and also investing in getting to a target site, is picking the right card to get the optimal result from the operator. I have found that difficult sometimes. But I also think that when c-card roulette becomes an issue, it's often best to find another operator. The problem is that sometimes on vacation, there isn't time to recover from the mistake of choosing the wrong operator. That is why I usually resolve c-card roulette vs operator before I go - then in most cases c-card roulette is a non-issue ...