Verified Experience or CERTIFICATION (non/mandated)?
Certification is a way of adding credibility to your profession. Obtaining a certification shows me value.
We all are self taught to a certain degree and because this industry has no mandatory certification requirements or any way to monitor trainers, I believe it’s vital to be the best trainer you can be which in my mind means being certified by a Nationally accredited organization, to maintain your CEC’s, CPR/AED requirements along with maintaining a high standard of self taught knowledge and experience.
I know you wanted a shorter answer but its obviously not that simple of a question.