I've never been on a home brewing course, yet I've just bottled another 25 gallon of beer, ale, stout, lager, and cider, and am contemplating casking another 10 gallons of ale and cider for the Summer. I read about brewing from books, and know that there's nothing illegal about it. Yet I rarely drink, and if I do its only one or two, mainly I give it away.
Edit: I also have 4 gallon of Damson Wine brewing, picked from a tree in my garden last Autumn, and enough Damsons in the freezer to make another 5 gallons.
However, although I have known how to handle a gun safely since my early twenties, having been a TAVR soldier, I've never fired at a live deer or walked/driven about fields with a rifle and live rounds hunting, or done so at night, unless a military exercise with blank rounds, as most of my shooting has been on targets, previously Figure 11 or 12, now its NSRA round targets available from Bisley. At almost every turn with a firearm you can either find yourself facing prosecution, or worse, and by putting a step wrong lose your guns forever to a revocation. I personally need the DSC1, I've learned a hell of a lot and realise that even when the course is over, pass or fail, I still have a lot more to learn.
I'm not expecting that the DSC1 will get me an open licence, I'm going to have to work at that, and show proof that I can be trusted. The situation for me is a little different, I already have a slot for two deer calibre's, in .223 and 6.5x55, as target rifles, I'll just be applying for the conditions to change, after I've bought them.
Yes, I know its all mainly common sense, but the difference between home brewing and shooting is vast.