True.
If you have to go to school for PT to feel validated, you are very likely in the wrong business.
If you truly love recording, you will feel a mastery of any recording tool before you even use it. You will know what you want to hear, and you will find it.
I have to admit, though: having John Scotsman here showing me tricks and tips and keyboard shortcuts when I first got my PT rig up and running made a HUGE difference, most likely. THAT's what you wanna look for: Get a PT guru to have a run-through with you on the system for an hour or two.
Providing you already possess half a brain, that's all you'll need to get started. The rest is up to your imagination, because the possibilities are virtually unlimited. And what you do with THAT is the part you will NEVER learn at any half-baked $$$-soaking certification program.
YMMV.