Am I too late to let my baby cry it out in his crib?

I'm trying to get my 11 month old to fall asleep in his crib because the only way to get him to sleep is rocking him and putting sesame street on. I'll be getting a job soon and will be levying him with his grandmother and I don't want her to have to do that every time. Every time I've tried he just cries and cries and as soon as I pick him up he immediately falls asleep in my arms. Just this last time I let him go for an hour and as soon as I picked him up he fell asleep. Should I have done this when he was younger and it's too late now? Or do I just need to let him cry it out?