@Cat It always makes sense to pursue further education, and judges training would certainly help to understand what any organizing body prioritizes, at least for form. As long as you keep your own esthetic vision and your best instincts for how to be a good steward or shepherd of the plant's family intact as you go through a learning process, it should benefit you, the plants, and the community in general.
I remember being very confused about "goals" and how to think about them or set them, too. I used Google to search for "daylily hybrid goals" and found so many hybridizers' sites (hobby and professional, alike) that shared their own educational or research pursuits and early goals. They can help us all see how goals change over time, and how those goals will start to define the contributions that are made and the impact we leave as a legacy. Might give it a try ... once you start writing out goals it can actually be hard to stop, as one step leads to another new layer of understanding. Over time, those goals can become quite discerning and lead you to form your gardening practices in wonderful new ways.
