Tools
QGIS, the free option
You can learn the same map habits without an Esri license.
QGIS is a free GIS program for the desktop. You can download it and make a map the same day. No license fee.
People use it for the basic jobs. Add a layer. Look at the table. Select features. Change a symbol so steel and plastic look different. Make a simple printed map.
The files are often the same ones ArcGIS uses. Shapefiles are still everywhere. GeoPackages are common in QGIS. You can also open spreadsheets of addresses and put them on a map if you have coordinates, or sometimes just a street address.
QGIS is a good place to practice if you do not have ArcGIS at home. The buttons are in different places. The ideas are the same. A layer is still a layer. An attribute is still an attribute. A wrong value is still wrong.
Large utilities often standardize on ArcGIS or Smallworld, so QGIS may not be the system you are assigned at work. It is still worth knowing. Consultants, cities with small budgets, and students use it every day. Some companies use QGIS for a side task even when the main system is something else.
Do not treat it as a toy version. It will let you edit data. The same rule applies. Do not change a feature unless you have a source for the change.
If you are starting out, pick one desktop program and get comfortable. QGIS is the one you can open tonight.