The first class is not so bad especially if you are taking it in N.J. Its a good time to ask troubleshooting questions and maybe meet tech support.
They will jump through hoops to answer any question you have. As far as the programming, AMX or Crestron.
I would have to say Crestron is easier if you are just using Simpl, but Simpl+ and netlinx are basically the same. On the other hand you can get most if not all of what you need out of Simpl.