Robyn,
I am very willing to mentor and have set up a situation to allow me do so. I also agree that some of the very best LCs got their sea legs as LLL Leaders doing home visits--that is what I did. I also had no mentoring. While I am a far better LC now than I was 9 yesars ago, and it might have been much better to have had a mentor, I still did a very good job helping moms as a Leader, b/c I had to figure things out and I was committed to doing so. One if things I kept thinking was that there had to be people "out there"{ who had the informaiton I needed.  I couldn't possibly know enough being only a Leader. I went to many more conferences than were required (and paid for all of them myself). I waited for years to sit the exam after I had accumulated the needed hours, b/c I thought I couldn't possibly know enough. But, b/c I threw myself into helpng moms and did every home visit I could manage, I was far more ready than I realized. As I kept attending workshops, I realized I could well have taught many of them and when I worked in hospital, I realized that I was more effective than many women who had already been certified. I finally decided to take the exam, then discovered I was pregnant and was due on the exam date, so decided not to take it. Then I miscarried and at the last minute registered. I didn't even know that people really studied--I spent a few hours going over some things with another LC and I read a few chapters in Riordan and Aurbach the night before the test. If you really are committed to problem-solving and work with a lot of families, IMO you are well on your way to being prepared. Frankly, I am glad I took that route vs coursework.
Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA