I am taking my AOW the end of June. I have 50 dives and just finished my Intro to Tech Diving class. Personally, I joined up with a great dive club, and learned a lot of useful stuff from seasoned divers. I took the tech class because I want to take the Intro to Cavern and Cave next spring.
I started with a PADI resort course. Got hosed around with a PADI shop on upgrading to OW. I needed one dive and to take the test. So, I went over to SSI and got my OW class. I dove for a while having a great time and watching, listening and practicing skills. I took the tech class to work on critical skills such as team diving, bouancy, trim, reels, SMB's etc. (NAUI)
I'm taking the AOW now, because I'm ready for doing the additional skills, mostly the ocean wreck dives. I like NAUI methods, but more so, the two instructors I have. Maybe you should sit down, set some goals, and see which agency(ies) meet your needs. It may be one or more than one. But definitely, set some goals for the next year.
But more so, ENJOY yourself! Since you are from NY, check out our website. We have a lot of guys from NY diving in our club.