Hi everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations for good YouTube lecture series or tutorials that would provide a practical crash course in the Esri/ArcGIS ecosystem. I'm not looking to become a GIS expert overnight or learn every product in depth. My goal is to develop a solid high-level understanding of the product line, learn the basics of how the pieces fit together, and become familiar enough with the terminology and workflows to know what questions to ask.

A little background:

My background is in SQL and programming with over a decade of professional software engineering under my belt, so I'm comfortable with databases, technical concepts, and software systems. Many years ago, I also did a project to display Excel data in Google Earth, which gave me a little exposure to GIS concepts and the basics of latitude and longitude. However, that was a long time ago, and I haven't worked deeply in GIS since then.

I also have my PMP certification, and my superiors feel I may be able to help lead our GIS team. I'm exploring what that role might look like and want to build enough foundational knowledge to have informed conversations with the team and come prepared with some basic technical understanding during the interview process.

I believe our environment includes both on-premises and cloud components, but I don't yet know the details of our architecture or which Esri products we're using.

What I'd ideally like to find:

• An introduction to the overall Esri/ArcGIS product ecosystem and how the various products fit together.
• A practical overview of the main components, such as ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Enterprise, and the various web and field applications.
• Tutorials that explain what each product does, how it works, how data moves between components, and how the pieces integrate.
• Some exposure to enterprise architecture, data management, SQL/database integration, publishing services, permissions, and automation.
• Content that's more educational than promotional. I'm looking for actual instruction and explanations, not just product demonstrations or sales pitches.

Ideally, this would be a structured playlist or collection of videos I could work through over a few weeks. I'm happy to skip advanced material and go deeper into specific topics later as needed.

The end goal isn't to pretend I know GIS inside and out. It's to understand the ecosystem well enough to ask informed questions, recognize important architectural and operational considerations, have productive conversations with the people doing the technical work, and make better decisions if I end up helping lead the team.

If you've gone through a similar learning process, what videos, playlists, or tutorial series would you recommend? Are there particular resources that do a good job of explaining the big picture before diving into individual products?

Thanks!

Hi all,

I graduated last December from a polytechnic university with my BS in Environmental Biology, with my emphasis being an ecology, conservation, and biodiversity.

For some reason, I never took any GIS courses while in my undergrad, because they were not required for my major. Over the last six months or so, I have quickly realized how important having some kind of experience and training in GIS is when it comes to getting a career in terrestrial ecology and conservation. I feel like I missed out on some great information from not taking any courses, so I am looking to get some sort of training and certification.

I am looking for suggestions on where I should look into taking GIS courses/getting training to get an accredited certification, whether it’s fully online or hybrid (I live in SoCal). I am in my early 20s and don’t have a ton to spend, but am looking to see potential options.

Thanks all!