A decade’s worth of staff and volunteer efforts come to life

A NEW [PROGRAMMING] PATHWAY

TO CAREER DEVELOPMENT

BY RACHEL TINDALL

WITH MAL FISHER, STEVEN RISSI, AND IAN BRYANT

CEDIA’s Programming Pathway is a long-time passion project that has been transformed into reality. CEDIA Senior Director of Technical Training Steven Rissi and former Senior Director of Partnerships Ian Bryant took the lead from the CEDIA side, but knew they needed volunteers to figure out how robust to make the program.

Since the early days, the pathway has blossomed into an amazing professional development opportunity for those in the residential technology industry.

What is the Programming Pathway?

The Programming Pathway is a set of courses that set the foundations for programming in the industry. Topics cover a range of information:

• Programming basics • Fundamentals of logic • Executing multiple steps based on a single input • User interfaces • Industry best practices for making technology intuitive and usable • Testing your programming with real world exercises

The real-world application is “extremely valuable,” notes Rissi, because it allows students to practice the skills before they attend further training and work on jobsites.

The pathway is also brand agnostic, which allows students to learn big-picture concepts, like how to think correctly during an install or when approaching a programming challenge. After this training, professionals should be able to better understand the nuances of manufacturer-specific training.

Who is the Pathway For?

The foundational nature of the program means it’s a great solution for many in the industry. It’s particularly useful for professionals who’ve been in the field, know the industry basics, and are ready to uplevel their careers.

This isn’t a course for beginners. To succeed in the Programming Pathway, you must understand the foundations covered in the CIT and IST certifications, as well as have job experience with devices and networking.

How Long Does the Pathway Take to Complete?

At a minimum, this robust course takes about 10 hours to complete. Participants work through 10 modules, which contain an average of 45-60 minutes of content.

If you’re an avid learner, it may take as many as 15-20 hours. There are plenty of hands-on activities to test your skills. In fact, AWE Chief Technology Officer and CEDIA Professional Development Advisory Council Co-Chair Mal Fisher notes that business owners should keep an eye on the people who put the effort in when going through this pathway. “Those who have the aptitude and enthusiasm will actually take longer to do it because they’ll be taking inspiration from the exercises and trying new ideas,” he says.

What’s the Goal for People Who Take the Pathway?

For someone who wants to be a programmer in the industry, the pathway is a starting point to create a solid foundation. It’s quite ambitious in what it aims to do.

Rissi explains that the pathway offers a solution for technicians who want to take the next step before going to manufacturer product training. It’s helpful because, as Fisher says, it covers some brand agnostic “theoretical concepts” that control systems classes often skip. Another goal is to provide the ability to move up in the ranks of integration companies.

The course is essentially a way to ensure that when industry partners hold technical training, the employees who have taken the Programming Pathway are well-prepared to be successful.

How do You Hope this Pathway Impacts the Industry?

CEDIA and the volunteers who worked to create this program have high hopes about what it can do for the industry.

Fisher hopes the pathway will create an opportunity for students to enter his manufacturer-specific courses knowing the basics. He often finds himself explaining these ideas in his courses, which takes away from time the students could be learning about more advanced topics.

CEDIA hopes manufacturers will see the benefit of setting a baseline for everyone attending their specific training and sending them through or recommending the Programming Pathway. Having manufacturers on board would greatly increase how effective their product-specific courses can be.

Everyone involved hopes the course provides growth and retention of employees. For technicians, it’s a chance to grow and gain specialty skills. For business owners, it’s a way to provide professional development to employees who have the potential to discover new solutions for clients.

THANK YOU TO THESE VOLUNTEERS WHO HELPED BRING THE PATHWAY TO LIFE:

Mike Maniscalco, Pytheas Enterprises

Brett Kozlowski, URC

Kevin Iselli, Crestron

Geoff Meads, Presto AV

Stuart Robinson, Sound Living David McCulloch, Intrinsic Group

Ken Erwin, DevOps Library

Andy Hamm, Savant

Mario Leone, Rowan University

Mal Fisher, AWE Europe