5 Ways to Grow Your GIS Career with Esri Training
Are you looking for ways to advance your GIS career and stand out from the crowd? Esri Training is here to help. We prioritize professional development and want to help you meet (and exceed) your career goals.
From one young professional to another, I know it can be challenging to prove yourself and your knowledge to current or potential employers and co-workers. Whether you’re looking for hard skills to add to your resume or need to learn how to use a new ArcGIS product, Esri Academy has learning resources for you. There are hundreds of on-demand videos, web courses, tutorials, learning plans, and more—and it’s about time you explored them.
The five resources listed below are my favorite recommendations to start or continue learning ArcGIS techniques and concepts. Feel free to use any combination of these resources on your GIS learning journey. Enjoy!
1. (Free) e-Learning
Self-paced e-Learning is a convenient way to explore ArcGIS subjects at your own pace. Esri’s e-Learning catalog contains over 500 web courses, seminars, videos, tutorials, and more to choose from—and many of them are completely free. The e-Learning catalog covers a wide variety of topics: introductory GIS concepts, mapping, spatial analysis, field operations, imagery, 3D analysis, and much more. Some e-Learning options take only five minutes to complete, while others are more in-depth and can take up to a few hours; however, they are all self-paced. Discover e-Learning options.
2. (Free) Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
MOOCs are a fun, popular way to keep up with the latest advances in GIS technology and build new skills alongside thousands of global learners. All MOOCs include complimentary access to ArcGIS software for use in hands-on exercises and a certificate is awarded upon successful course completion. Each MOOC has its own unique LinkedIn group, and completers often post their certificates there, as well as add them to their resume or GIS portfolio. Esri MOOCs run from four to six weeks and a new lesson is released each week. View upcoming MOOCs.
3. (Free) Learning Plans
Learning plans are used to master a specific ArcGIS topic at your own pace, such as ArcGIS Pro, ArcPy, or deep learning. Each plan consists of a variety of related e-Learning resources, and they can be shared with or assigned to others. Hundreds of pre-made learning plans have been created by curriculum experts at Esri and by the GIS community. Choose whichever one piques your interest or create your own from scratch. Explore learning plans.
4. Esri Technical Certification
Achieving an Esri technical certification can help you gain confidence, inspire trust, and get ahead of the competition. Put your ArcGIS knowledge to the test (quite literally) and validate your skills to show current and future employers that you are an ArcGIS expert. If you’re actively looking for a new job or promotion, acquiring an Esri technical certification is one of the best ways to market yourself and prove your knowledge. Whether you’re a GIS newbie, an app developer, or an enterprise admin, we offer certification exams for you. Explore certification exams.
5. Instructor-Led Courses
Learn ArcGIS concepts and best practices live with an Esri instructor—you can even ask them questions and get immediate feedback. All Esri instructors are certified subject matter experts in the topics they teach, and they are passionate about ArcGIS education. Classes are offered both online and in-person. You can attend an online class from the convenience of your office, home, or any quiet location with a high-speed Internet connection. With over 50 classes to choose from, content varies from introductory to more advanced ArcGIS workflows. View instructor-led courses.
![holl-social-graphics-twitter-v1-no-text-generic[1].jpg](https://community.esri.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/60252iB235DEB4405771E1/image-size/medium?v=v2&px=400 "holl-social-graphics-twitter-v1-no-text-generic[1].jpg")
Bonus: Stay connected with Esri Training