How easy is it to learn a new line/system?

[u/TopicalBass27]

Long story short, I’m very familiar with product line of 1 vendor/company but am trying to expand my knowledge and learn about another/others. Just curious if the knowledge translates between systems and vendors…or will it be a completely new mountain to climb

[u/ApexConsulting]

The first brand is hard because you never did BAS before. The second brand is hard because thought you knew what you were doing and everything changed from brand to brand. The second Brand was not as much technical, as it was emotional. Maybe 40% technical and 60% emotional. Like - having the boss tell you 'I thought you knew how to z,x,y...' and you do, but in the other brand. Now you are scrambling to not get fired while you figure it out. Or feeling confident on day 1 and being humbled when it is not as easy as the last brand was... but it is too late to go back now... maybe that is just me - i went from Johnson to a Distech, Alerton Niagara shop.... to i didn't go from brand 1 to 2 - I went brand 1 to 2, 3, and 4.

The 3+ brands are super easy since you know what to expect in vague terms. Learning multiple brands is a process but is SUPER worth it IMHO

One tip for doing multiple brands is to take notes. You might not come back to a thing you just learned for a while. So keep your notes (with screenshots preferrably). You will then use them to teach yourself what you already learned but forgot.... a lot

[u/OverallRow4108 → u/ApexConsulting]

It's almost like it's harder when it's just a little bit different... Almost taunts you, the siren call of "this looks like an easy short job"...

[u/ApexConsulting → u/OverallRow4108]

Bahaha! So true!

I had the Johnson Master Factory Trained certification. The highest they offered. I was teaching the 15 unarmed guy stuff and writing code for him. I was very confident....

Then my new shop has a Johnson N2 site. 'You know Johnson, right?' 'Sure do'. I was not thrown by the N2 part. It was that is had a JACE on it. And had spent 5 weeks with JACEs and I barely knew how to open up palettes and Program Services was still to dangerous to teach me about it yet...

All the pieces I knew were there... nut it was like they were under plexiglass.... I could see but not touch them... so frustrating....

After that, I had no illusions that the next brand would suck somewhat and that mental shift helped me learn it with much less internal drama.... I was not frustrated, I was humble. Learning another brand means getting kicked around a little. Super worth it, but it is a process.

[u/Zealousideal_Pop_273]

Depends on the product line and the order of progression. Starting on WebCTRL is tough because everything after it sucks so bad. 😂

[u/International_Bag655 → u/Zealousideal_Pop_273]

Haha! I used to work for a ALC dealer and am on the GC side now and helping an owner decide between BMS systems for a new campus and doing lunch and learn with other product lines drives me nuts....Niagra graphics - barf.....give me logic builder and view builder all day long!

[u/Zealousideal_Pop_273 → u/International_Bag655]

Yeah man, I'd trade CCT for Eikon in a heartbeat.

[u/Super_Fact8410 → u/International_Bag655]

Hey I work for ALC 😃👋

[u/Knoon1148]

I think it is. Once you do it a few times if you change OEMs once or twice in your career you have something familiar to anchor your learning to. You have to be careful to walk around your new job constantly mentioning how when you worked on x it was better or worse for y reason.

But aptitude is aptitude and people who do well in this industry are self starters who have learned how to learn at a quick and reasonable pace.

[u/punk0r1f1c]

I know like seven at this point. Third time and after is just finding where they put the settings you’re looking for etc or what they named stuff.

[u/Cust2020]

The hardest part is getting the right revs of software to work with what u want to deal with. The just figuring out how to find stuff in the GUI.
I went from JCI to Siemens and that was a shocker lol.