Two years ago I was the guy saying contracts kill the vibe and I lost $11k to a guy in Austin who paid for three months then just stopped answering. Now my scope doc is two pages and I walk anyone through it on the first call so it never feels like a surprise. She will call you rigid right up until the day she needs someone who actually picks up the phone.

What was the comic the kid showed you? Kids that age have zero filter and will push stuff on you that adults would never think to mention, so their picks can actually be pretty good. A random 12 year old got me into one of my favorite bands the same way, just talking my ear off about it.

That "we don't count those here" line is rough but pretty common in hands on fields like warehouse work. Your real projects and numbers from the floor will always beat a certificate, so lead with those next time.