I would say my experience with ArcGIS was both good and bad. The biggest challenge I had was dealing with the changes of the updated ArcGIS we are using and the directions on the tutorial that were based on the older version of ArcGIS. I found the tutorial VERY easy to follow and understandable. I also found it really rewarding to be able to enter the information and see what I had just done on the map in front of me, especially when I would get on a roll and be able to just constantly follow the directions and keep creating maps. I also enjoyed getting to work with a program I had never worked with before. Overall I enjoyed using ArcGIS but I'm not sure if was only due to having step-by-step directions in front of me.
The thing that I did not like about my ArcGIS experience the most was getting stuck on the translation of the directions when it was referring to the older version of the program. It was SO incredibly frustrating to not be able to find what the directions were referring to and be completely stuck, especially if there was not a TA available while I was working on it. It pretty much would put an entire halt on me working on my lab until I could get help. Also, although I really enjoyed it giving me complete directions, I was not exactly sure what I was doing to the map about half of the time. I just did what it told me to do but it would have been nice to understand what it was having me do a little bit more. Another problem I had, which may have been a personal one, was that every time I saved it, emailed it, then opened it up again in the lab it would never show up my previous work and I would have to repair my data. It was quite stressful for my work to not show up every time I opened the file.
I do not think I know or understand the program enough to recognize what a real pitfall in the program would be. Once you actually learn to use it, I can imagine it is extremely helpful in creating a map of your own and the only downfall I could see it having is the limitations the program has on it, say if you would want to create something is does not recognize. As for potential, I think it has immense potential because it takes away the the pencil and paper of making a graph and brings such precision and organization to data. It makes it easy to edit data, if the information were to change instead of having to change it by hand on a graph on paper. I would say that any of the pitfalls it has will always be outnumbered by the amount of potential is has.
I feel that it would take many hours playing around with ArcGIS to figure out how to really use the program on your own. I know if I were to try and make a map on the program I would not even know where to start. I probably would not have looked at half of the windows I opened. I am definitely excited though to become more familiar with the program because it really was rewarding and cool to see what I had just created.
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