cruxblack,
Boy that is a transition, Civil Engineering to Programming, I salute you.
I appreciate the response and the motivation. Programming is a new challenge for me but I guess I am drawn to it, mostly out of shear curiosity and excitement to learn.
Most of the people I talk to tell me that practice makes perfect, go out and learn as much and code as much as you can.. I will do just that.
I find in researching the Web that projects are few and far between for Beginners, especially in the Industrial Controls field. I appreciate any other advise you might have in making the career transition to programming. Your situation sounds more complex than my own and I can guess that it has not been an easy road for you.
I wish you luck in your endeavors and thank you again for your response.
Joe