||Polling anyone with knowledge of getting certified in Niagara.||
I’ve just finished my Controls program, and my professor highly recommends getting Niagara TCP certified to boost my marketability. I have a couple of months (4-5) before I need to enter the job market and some outside funding left. I’m looking for all possible training options for the certification test. I prefer the online self-paced option over the 5-day virtual boot camp. Any advice or recommendations? (I’m posting this everywhere so …sorry about the repetition, trying to be exaustive in my search).
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I think this is a great idea! The key point here is marketability. In reality, while the course is great and you will learn from it, it won’t necessarily give you the knowledge that experience brings.
Employers will love seeing this on your resume; just be mindful that this may raise their expectations of your abilities starting out.
But to be honest, I’ve seen your ability so far and I think you’ll have no problems exceeding expectations.
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Hi praise sir! I’m finding out that I learn more here on this site than anywhere. I especially like to learn over time here, as opposed to the five day format that all the providers use (except one). I don’t feel that five days much scratches the surface of learning. But…Marketability! I’m working on the Lux-Lighting project as we speak! I keep writing in the r/Building Automation subreddit about how much help I get here!!!
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Howdy!
I’m an N4TCP Certified instructor (Lynxspring). I agree with Giantsbane about marketability and employers seeing it on your resume. Having the certification will definitely get you in the door. The self-paced ones (ThinkTech has advertised theirs, we’ve had one for years but we don’t advertise it but we have an overseas partner that utilizes it exclusively) usually are videos, and some quizzes and then you can sit for the test when you’re ready.
The TCP is designed now for people who have no experience whatsoever to come in and take the class. So the barrier of entry is lower as we have reduced the labs from 35 to 22. We’ve taken things like LON and Modbus out of the class for two reasons: 1) Lon is definitely more regional (especially here in the states) 2) The modbus integration we did in the class was extremely basic and it’s not really encapsulating the frustrations of finding out what Modbus truly is.
We’re getting more software engineers wanting to take it, so they can take the dev course.
You can try to apply for a controls company and then have them pay for you to take the class. Paid training is always worth it!
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That makes a lot of sense, and as I’m finding, my funding is not able to use the providers for Niagara TCP (yes, Linkspring has come in highly recommended). They need all their providers to be on an ETPL list (basically a list of state approved training providers). I would like to use those resources as I am still a bit out from wanting to join the industry full time. I have found approved sites who are teaching Java (both stand alone and full stack). What would your opinion of these as desirable skills and certs to have in the industry?
I always say, if you know some Java, you’re already ahead of most people. Niagara is built with java, so I highly recommend learning even just about primitive types.
Then next time you’re in workbench you’ll start seeing them everywhere and you’ll know where they came from.
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I’d really like to up my game in this area. Question: there are two courses. One just for Java programming, and another, Full Stack Java Programming is about twice as long. I’m not exactly sure what Full Stack means (I guess more of the front end? maybe JavaScript also?). If both of these were to be funded for me, would it be advantageous to get the Full Stack cert, or does that really not have a lot of application in DDC?
You wouldn’t need to do Full Stack unless you intend to be a true developer. However, knowing how to create your own program objects can be useful. However, when you want to start using many in a station, that’s when you’ll want to want to learn how to dev your own modules.
Go to W3Schools.com They are a great resource!
Ideally, you will get your N4Cert at some point. Some people never work with Niagara if they stay with JCI or Trane or ALC. Most other vendors will have a version of Workbench that work with their products directly. JCI does but that’s only given to IFOs who don’t use Metasys and such.
100% planning to. Just working on funding. Kinda have to take what I can get. And these guys on this site have been really really helpful. I have other platforms that are very similar (Distech) and they help me with that, also.
Fun fact, I’m still on the Distech Technical Advisory Board. I have a very strong relationship with Distech and worked with the Factory for over 12 years. I don’t attend meetings anymore (because I work for Lynxspring) but Distech is the #1 Controls Vendor in the world and it’s not close.
I’ve given Lynxspring a class on what Distech offers and such. It’s a great product line. Their GUI with GFX is great and I love their Eclypse product line.
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I’d love to get into development, but even if I didn’t, the more underlying knowledge I have, the more confidence I have in my abilities. So it sounds like, if I have time, and if it’s funded, I may go with the Full Stack…If it has everything about Java programming that the other, Java only, course has.
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I’d first look into the stack they are offering… Full stack can mean a stack of many combinations of infinite technologies. Make sure what they’re teaching is going to be relevant to where you want to be in 5 years. If not then I’d select the java course.
chatGPT Description:
A full-stack developer typically knows a combination of front-end, back-end, and database technologies. Here’s an example of a stack that a full-stack developer might be proficient in:
Frontend
- HTML5: Structure and content of web pages.
- CSS3: Styling and layout, possibly with preprocessors like SASS or LESS.
- JavaScript (ES6+): Core programming language for the web.
- Frontend Frameworks/Libraries:
- React.js: Building dynamic user interfaces.
- Next.js: For server-side rendering and static site generation.
- Vue.js or Angular: Alternatives to React.
Backend
- Node.js: JavaScript runtime for building scalable back-end applications.
- Express.js: Framework for creating APIs and web applications.
- Other Back-End Frameworks:
- Django (Python)
- Ruby on Rails (Ruby)
- Spring Boot (Java)
Database
- SQL:
- PostgreSQL or MySQL: Relational database management systems.
- NoSQL:
- MongoDB: Document-oriented database for flexible schema designs.
- ORMs:
- Sequelize (for SQL databases with Node.js)
- Mongoose (for MongoDB with Node.js)
DevOps & Hosting
- Version Control:
- Git: Source code management.
- GitHub or GitLab: Repositories and CI/CD pipelines.
- Containerization:
- Docker: To containerize applications.
- Cloud Services:
- AWS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), or Microsoft Azure: For deployment and scaling.
- Heroku or Vercel: Easier deployment platforms for smaller projects.
- Web Servers:
- Nginx or Apache: For handling server requests.
Other Tools and Skills
- API Design:
- REST APIs: For standard web APIs.
- GraphQL: For flexible query systems.
- Testing:
- Jest or Mocha: For unit testing.
- Postman or Swagger: For API testing.
- Authentication and Security:
- JWT or OAuth2.0: For secure user authentication.
- Helmet.js: For security enhancements in Node.js apps.
Example Workflow
A developer might:
- Use React to build a responsive frontend.
- Use Node.js with Express to handle API endpoints.
- Use MongoDB for database storage and manage models with Mongoose.
- Use Docker to containerize the application for easier deployment.
- Deploy to AWS or Vercel, setting up CI/CD with GitHub Actions.
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I definitely recommend working with Niagara before developing anything.
I was in Tridium’s first in-person certification two weeks ago. It was eye opening the amount of experience people had in it.
The first 6 were only Software Engineers with NO niagara experience whatsoever. Then you had myself and a tridium support guy in the class, who have dev experience (like making a module here and there) but all the Niagara Experience in the world. And then you had 4 who had no java knowledge whatsoever.
The Software engineers ripped the instructor for not teaching then Niagara which had me heated. I ripped into them saying they should’ve taken the TCP course ahead of time. 3 of them signed up for my December class, LOL!
Javascript will be something else to learn when you do the UX/UI side as well. Admittedly that’s something I will attempt eventually. My goal is to take over Lynxsprings version of kitControl and revamp it. I n addition, I will help out here when I feel I have more confidence in my abilities.
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Giant is 100% spot on. It can be daunting trying to learn it all. Work with what you want to do the most first, then build onto it as you go along.
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That is good advice: make sure what they mean by Full Stack! It all looks like very transportable skills, which does lend to job security in any market. The wider base I have the easier it is to side step. So I do like the idea of Full Stake Java. But not if it comes at the expense of Java Programming and my first love DDC. I’ll keep you apprised. I had a ball with your Lux-Lighting challenge…lost a bit of hair, but had a ball! I’m hoping I did most of it right. It feels like I’m learning, but…that is to be seen!
My advice is. Get great at something, once you’re great, look for the next target and get great at that thing. Diving into full stack without having at least 1 solid foundational programming language under your belt will be and absolute mind fuck!
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lmao. yeah, I’m averse to absolute mind fuckery. As usual great advice! And yeah, I’d rather become really great at Niagara first of all, but …funding. I’m trying hard to use all resources I’m being given access to, but at some point… not very good ROI. I do enjoy Java quite a lot as it reminds me of my days using Basic, and then some Fortran. But I think your right. I have a habit of biting off more than I can chew!
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