These days everyone can make maps (or can they?) 🙂 Here are some sensible tips about making maps, if you find the temptation in you and you are not quite sure what you are doing. It doesn’t cover the entire cartography education but it’s a great start, aptly called “unrequested map tips” (it’s entertaining too!):

20 Unrequested Map Tips, Part I
http://uxblog.idvsolutions.com/2013/10/20-unrequested-map-tips-part-1.html
20 Unrequested Map Tips, Part II
http://uxblog.idvsolutions.com/2013/11/20-unrequested-map-tips-part-2.html