My view, as only a recreational diver, is that ( as mentioned back about page 2 or 3 of thread) PADI AOW is what it says it is - "about advancing your skills." The only real debate for me would be if the course really does advance one's skills by performing only one dive of several different specialties, which I suppose is meant to provide the motivation for one to then take a full specialty course. I didn't feel that my skills were advanced, but rather at the time I took AOW, after 100 dives, my memory was refreshed about a few things (in fairness, I did pick up a few new things.)
Really, the only truly confusing thing about AOW and thus OW is the depth limit - example: those who write here on SB that because they have only OW certification, they are looking for ops that won't take them below 60 ft'. or similar questions. Where does the idea of the limit come from? IMO, PADI (as well as other organizations) is clear that maximum depth for recreational diving is 130' (also what my LDS taught me back in 1998) but that divers should only dive within the limits of their training and experience - either take some course training to learn about it or learn through experiences. PADI, and others, materials does refer to maximum depth limits and breaks depths down by certification level, but there is nothing that says one gets certified to certain depths. One can go to the websites of many different dive ops though and find descriptions of courses they offer that make it sound as if there is a limit at each level of recreational diving and they may advertise courses with sayings such as "want to dive deeper?" and "get certified to dive deeper!"
I've yet to experience an AOW certified diver boast that they are "advanced" and therefore, higher and mightier than everyone else. On the other hand I have experienced those who said they have "dove around the world" or "have done 1000 dives" tell stories of how great they were (only to show that they too could make mistakes when diving.)
For the most part, my observation is that divers are great people and like to share experiences, and certification level makes no difference. Some are happy where they are (ME!) and some want to gain more knowledge and skills. It is very unlikely one would see a difference between me, at 15-20 dives a year, and a diver who dives 100-200 dives a year doing a recreational dive. And, does everybody on SB, or in a dive shop, or in a dive boat assume that AOW certification means a diver is somehow "ADVANCED"? I don't assume that every person who goes from a driver's learner permit or probationary license to an operator's license is somehow a better driver all of a sudden - I think we all know better than that!
After my OW course, I was never approached by my LDS, then a PADI affiliate and now SDI, to take AOW. DIveTech (PADI affiliiated), in Grand Cayman, where I did my checkout dives never asked me about taking AOW. Seventeen different dive ops (all Caribbean, Mexico, and Hawaii) never offered me the opportunity to take AOW. I initiated taking AOW when I went to my LDS ~5 years ago. Mainly because they knew most of my diving was clear, warm water diving, they suggested I take it while on one of my trips, as opposed to a quarry in Indiana. No pressure - I had to seek it out. I only took the course after reading several threads here on SB and developing a fear that some op may tell me I couldn't do a dive because of depth or a wreck was too advanced. As with
@scubadada AOW was simply a pathway for me that would prevent me from missing out on a dive when an op did require it. To date, the card has made no difference. I've found, with my type of diving (on a boat) you are going to go where the op goes. Before AOW, 34 of my first 100 dives were between 65-110'. I'd been around 19 wrecks, penetrating/swimming through 9 of them. A lot is just dependent on where you go.
* As an fyi, none of my post is in support of nor a putdown of PADI. Had my LDS or the dive op in Mexico been SSI, NAUI, SDI, etc... instead of PADI when I got OW and AOW, then that's what my certification would have been. Didn't make any difference to me - I'm just a recreational diver!!
. You also spare the others as well. Try to empathize with the dive op, you will pull out an ICD* certification and put him on a difficult spot, they will want to believe you but they will be worried until they see what you are capable of in water. 
