Chris,
Don't know what 212man's teen years were like but I've known him for the last 20 years. He has a lot of experience in the oil and gas world both as a pilot / instructor / examiner and in various management roles.
I hope if you choose a career in the helicopter world you might be able to achieve part of what he has achieved and you will have a great career!
At 17 I spend most of my time listening to others trying to learn as much as I could so I would be able to fly helicopters for a living one day. Maybe you should take a leaf out of my book rather than continuing on your current track and possibly upsetting people in the small world that professional helicopter flying is.
Cheers,
Finalchecksplease