I'm a new user seeking advice on when to use Raster versus when to use Vector software, and whether I should learn both or focus on one to start. I have access to both GIMP and Inkscape and between the two I'm a little overwhelmed.

I'm a new map maker interested in making a pretty wide variety of maps. I'm interested in both physical and political maps on the world and regional scale, including regional and sub regional views of selections from larger scale maps, but I'm also interested in smaller city scale maps as well.

Should I be using one program for one style/type of map, and the other for other types/styles? Should I split my efforts between Raster and Vector drawing, or should I specialize in one type?

Just a noob looking for some helpful advice.