I have a dilema guys. I have been doing this for a couple of years now after quitting a successful career as a Master diagnostic Toyota tech.. I ventured out on my own, got the training, insurance, tools and built a decent client base. I am now having trouble with a hip and lower back. I need a hip replacement and to have 2 vertebrae fused together. I am worried if I dont have the surgeries that I am going to eventually fall through the attic damaging my clients homes and worse hurting myself even more. If I have the surgeries I am told that I will not be near as mobile as I once was. I would like to stay in the industry but the only way I see to do that is to learn programming and just do that. My questions are: where can I learn all the things I need to know and how do i go about this. I am thinking crestron. Any advice would be helpful at this point. I may just have to go back to college and get a job in IT sitting at a desk for the rest of my life.. What a bummer I love doing this and it took along time to get to the point where I could do it for a living. You may think from my post that I am close to retirement, but I have a long way to go im only 32. Thanks in advance

well im sorry your going through this but i would really just try learning begenning programming likethe pronto then move on to crestron. its very comlicated and i think for a beginner programer you should start with the philips pronto or marantz systems.
here [Link: remotequest.com] is an ultimate pronto guide teaching you the basics of this remote programming its basically the same for the marantz series it cost $20 but for starting programing its worth it.

Crestron and AMX are the two major systems on the market and they use two completely different programming ideologies to program them. AMX uses a line by line programming language based on C++, Crestron uses a more visual based Logic/Flowchart format for programming. If you understand electronic circuits and logic symbols, Crestron may be the way to go. If you would like to go the AMX route, see if your local Community College has any Basic or C++ introductory programming classes, take one of these and see if you are up for it, if you can handle these then AMX isn't to far off. Either way, if you currently work for a dealer for either of the two of these get a programming manual and start reading up and showing your interest in it to your employer, take some of the online classes offered by both of these companies, talk to the owner/manager about possibly getting into some beginning programming classes and see how it goes from there. Both Crestron and AMX have training sessions down the road in Dallas. Programming Prontos isn't going to prepare you for anything that you will learn with Crestron or AMX other than learning how IR equipment responds to remote controls.

If you can get in with a larger company you may be able to also get into more of a project management position, many companies are looking for good people that can keep projects organized and moving along efficiently and profitably.

Learning to program a Pronto to work your way up to Crestron is like learning to parallel park preparing for a Nascar race.

Crestron looks just like a program I used in college called Circuit Maker. You have to commit and take the training, if you are Crestron dealer it is free. A grand if you are not a dealer. I think AMX is similiar, but not positive.

Do some due dilligence and decide which product has the solutions you are looking for and jump in with both feet.

...to reiterate what everyone is saying...
practice makes perfect

As an internet know it all, I state this with resounding authority;

Get a second opinion on your medical conditions, or third. Read up as much as you can on your specific conditions and educate yourself as much as possible. As someone who's dealt with chronic back pain, look at all your options. Once your vertebrae are fused together, they can't be undone. You're 32 man, you shouldn't be having your vertebrae fused together; if you were 62, maybe. Unless you had some kind of dramatic accident or physical growth issue, I'm shocked you're getting vertebrae fused together at this age.

I'm just stating, aware that I don't know your situation, that there are alternatives. For me, the best thing I can do for my back pain issues are stretching and strength training plus stress management. I'd only advise you to look at those and maybe try them sparingly while waiting to on your surgery decision. Maybe try some beginning yoga for you back for a few weeks and see if that mitigates some of the pain... it's low impact, low cost, and of minimal risk.

Check out books by Dr John Sarno, especially his first book which I forget the title of at the moment. It was 110 pages long... you have time.

As for learning programming, I don't fully agree with the 'Pronto-Nascar' analogy, but there is some merit to it. You could go to your local bookstore and find copious amounts of books teaching Visual Basic (semi precursor to C++) to get your feet wet and see if you like programming. Then go over to the 'self help' isle and look for a book from Dr John Sarno...

I wish you luck and peace on your difficult journey bruddah.

AMX Currently supports about 4 different types of programming,

The netlinx language is very similar to C++ as stated. The nice part about Programming in netlinx is the complete flexibility in programming, if i can code it the controller can do it.

the new Visual architect is more like the crestron drag and drop style although when you are done it gernerates the code that could then be modified by a netlinx programmer to fine tune the system.

AMX also supports Java with its duet platform which was created to open up the programming to Java guys.

Finally AMX still uses axcess programming for the legacy systems. it is the foundation for the netlinx language but handles some thing very differently then Netlinx does.

Taking some basic C++ programming classes may help but it seems like its not so much a matter of getting the syntax correct as it is what is the best way to accomplish a task with the least amount of code as possible. and unfortunatly this is something you will not learn at a C++ course. To me the hardest part of programming is often getting the RS-232 ptotocol figured out for a specific device.

Im 36, and have had similar issues since Iwas probably in my mid 20's. The reason? Same as his. "career as a Master diagnostic Toyota tech." I was an auto tech for 13 years, and have been diagnosed with a "degenerative disc". fusing was an option I believe, as well as temporary solutions like an epideral (sp?) and "living with it", like I have been. Point is, you'd be suprised how bad you can tear your back up as an auto tech humped over a car for your career.

Yeah.. I'm not really arguing the fact of that point, but AMX cannot be programmed only in Java, Axcess is something that isn't really talked about or really supported by AMX anymore and would never be used unless you run into and old job, Visual Architect at this point is still in it's infancy and if it is anything like Design Express in the end I pity the company that bets the farm on it, which really just leaves the NetLinx language based on C++ as the one language that you really need to concentrate on at this point.

everyone is throwing out these programming terms, and am wondering how much of the C++ frameworks and extensions are really applicable here...

I mean, is it really like C++ or is it more like straight up C, or objective-C, C#, or D?

and Java, would seem to make sense that it utilizes a framwork like Java ME, or is it more reflective of Java SE or EE?

or are these language constructs just C-esque and Java-esque and not really fairly labelled as really being either?

finding a programmer is like trying to find someone to write a book about sex.

1) you want them to be able to write or to hire someone that can write for them.
2) you want them to actually have had sex and probably a lot... like, they should be and expert at it.

you could hire your honors key club chess club math club young republican english major to write the book, and who knows, maybe they can make up the sex part...

or you could hire a streetwalker with a nice C habit and an almost Jr. High education and hope for the best from spell checker...

...but in the end, the librarian on hugh hefner's estate would probably be a better choice.

hire an expert programmer that has been at Oracle for the last 20 years to make a Comcast cable box work with a Loewe TV and just see what happens.

ps2matrix, sorry to hear about your back problems. If I were in your shoes I would seriously look at keeping your current business alive by hiring an experienced installer. If you can do this, it would free up your time to search out new job leads, and build your business.
I don't think that you should look at this as though your career in custom installation is over, but look at it as a way to expand what you already have.
If you were to take courses at your local tech, or online, that is going to cost you time and money.
Sink the time and money into what you have already proven to be a successful business model.
You said it yourself, "I ventured out on my own, got the training, insurance, tools and built a decent client base."
So take it too the next level. Once you have a capable employee in place, then look at expanding into programming.
Just my .02 worth. Take care...

I am going to weigh all of these options and see what happens. I like the idea of staying in the business in whatever form that may take. If I can keep my business going I would really like to do that. The only problem I can really see is the time I will be unable to do much of anything. I have been stretching, exercising, going to the chiropractor, and my doctors. I cant seem to find any explanations as to why I have these problems other than an injury I got in the Army to my back. they told me it was just muscle spasms but since I got out and got into the Auto business it just kept getting worse. I have already learned quite a bit on the pronto and I have been doing alot of programming with the mx-3000. I also started to learn python about 2 months ago. C++ is on my list of things I would like to know also. I have some college and technical training with electronics (Diagnosis/troubleshooting, theory, diagrams, designing simple DC circuits, etc.). I want to thank you all for your kind words and will keep you posted. Even if I decide to something altogether different I still offer my thanks to those of you that encouraged me to give this career a shot 2 years ago by offering up suggestions and advice on what needed to be done to be successfull in this industry. Maybe I will see you guys in some of the trainings sometime. I would post more but you are all much more experienced and I feel that at this point I am not in a position to offer much in the way of help to anyone yet. Thanks again guys

Aside from learning programming, maybe you could learn autocad & like one of the other posts said, look into becoming a project manager.
I was coing to have 3 fusions about 16 years ago... a friend who is an anestegiologist told me: Don't go under the knife for back issues, unless you are dragging your left foot behind you"!
I toughed it out, and in time, my disc problems improved (your discs DO shrink with age), and now I am basically pain free.
Like BP said, research that back thing... and get a few different opinions.
The hip thing -- today they are doing such amazing hip replacements, that really wouldn't slow you down much.
All in all I'm just saying don't limit yourself to only programming... A lot of companies need good auto-cad people & project managers too!

I heard the same thing from a neighbor who is a doctor and also my brother who also had some back surgery. Maybe I will try to tough the back problems out and look into designing and management. The hip has to be worked on pretty soon it pops out once a month now. Oh well thats what happens when you beat yourself up routinely. I see that there are many options and I am not going to be too hasty in my decision making. Many good ideas have been brought up here and they are all good. That is the reason I posted I knew that my peers would have some good advice and you all have given me a lot to think about. Thanks again now I have to go back to installing linux on my laptop so i may not be able to post for a least a few hours.