I agree that the learning curse is rather steep for this game and I admit that I wasted a lot of certs into things I really didnt need.
One of the reasons I joined this forum was to get a better understanding of how things worked and how to improve my game.
The introduction of a training area will no doubt be a boon to new players as well.
To answer you question, as others have said, 100 certs is doable over a night or two of play. The question I routinely face is *what* to spend those 100 certs on? So many choices