When I said play it by ear, that is what the instructor suggested- start out doing rec sm, and depending on how this are going, we may add in some/all of the tech sm. He has done this in the past, so I am trusting his knowledge and experience. If it does not make sense, then I won't. Even if I do it, I would probably redo it if/when I start down the tech tree in the future. Was just following the suggestion of the instructor who teaches this often.
The point of the post was not - should I do tech or rec sm? I was hoping to get some basic info that people learned when they first got started. I apologize to all for wasting your time, if I could delete the whole post, I would.
I really wonder at the instructor adding tech stuff for someone so new to SM. You may not have any idea of how much time you can spend tweaking your rig/tanks to get you AND your tanks trimmed out. Add something new, such as a deco bottle, and it can go to hell in a hand basket very quickly. You have to start tweaking again. It all depends on your rig, your tanks, and your body.