ESSENTIAL CEDIA

A PATHWAY TO BETTER PROGRAMMING

Mal Fisher of Technical Director of AWE Europe and Chair of the CEDIA PDAC (Professional Development Advisory Committee)

Skilled programmers are a necessity in our industry. Systems programming is a challenging discipline that requires attention to detail and a methodical approach: the ability to think logically through various scenarios and evaluate multiple possible outcomes.

Additionally, successful integration projects require a thorough process of information gathering, comprehensive analysis of the client’s needs, and thoughtful development of the system design and project plan.

Clearly, we can - and do - build all sorts of remarkably complex and amazingly performing systems with the technology at our disposal. But it’s equally apparent that these systems become much less valuable and impressive if the user experience fails to reflect that same level of quality and brilliance.

That’s why programming is so important; placing equal demands on the coding skills of the programmer as it does on their design talents to create a compelling and usable interface that meets the needs of the client.

Arguably, we require more of everything in this industry, but, as we continue to grow, then, we definitely need more capable programmers. Without training there is no clear route for engineers to migrate across to programming from the world of installation, nor is there an opportunity for coders from outside of our industry to get their heads around the particular design and integration nuances of our world and be inspired to take a career within it.

What about the many proprietary software and hardware platforms on the market, and the product-specific training that these brands provide? They are, of course, important. However, speaking from experience, it would save a huge amount of time - and make that training much more productive - if people came onto these courses with a baseline knowledge of programming. With that, they’d be in a much better place to progress efficiently onto the intricacies of each system and each brand’s particular approach.

As the chair of CEDIA’s Professional Development Advisory Council I have been part of the team to develop the three stage Programming Specialist Pathway that’s just been launched by CEDIA on the “CEDIA Academy” online learning platform.

The purpose of the courses in the Programming Specialist Pathway is to equip learners with the critical knowledge and skills necessary to successfully write programs regardless of the particular software and hardware specified for a given project. Anyone taking the pathway will be well prepared, whichever automation brand they eventually choose to specialise in, without having to commit to a particular brand or buy demo kit as their start point.

You’ll also be equipped with knowledge referencing our world, rather than having to attend a generic and very general programming course online or at a local college. The Programming Specialist Pathway is designed to provide the agnostic foundation that programmers need with a high degree of relevant tailoring to the needs and expectations of our industry.

It will take participants on a journey that spans the fundamentals of programming for basic and more complex applications. Courses focus on the knowledge necessary to develop system designs that can support the connection, control, and automation of multiple subsystems. We also cover best practices related to user interface design and the engineering process. Learners will explore various program languages as well as the command syntax used for common program functions. They can exercise critical thinking skills as they practice writing code examples and evaluate recommendations for efficient and effective coding practices.

Those taking the Programming Specialist Pathway will leave with the ability to explain the differences between control and automation, know the fundamental concepts of device-todevice (D2D) communication, have the ability to identify communication protocols, and be able to define common control and network devices. If you’re interested in programming, then take it.