I recently bought a Arduino Esplora, and have been messing around on that board for learning purposes. I have a development background, so it came to be that I liked it very much. I am just wondering where to go from here? I am new to electronics, and so am not sure what to do. Do I get a basic Adruino Uno, and then start getting the covers I need for my project idea, or is this the wrong route? I know it is a very general question, but am not sure what to ask or how to ask, as It is all new to me. I would like to use some of the sensors I have worked with on the Esplora for a project. So, are those sensors all sold as separate "Covers" when actually using them in a development project. Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction. Thanks again in advance.
Do I get a basic Adruino Uno, and then start getting the covers I need for my project idea, or is this the wrong route?
maybe tell something about the project idea, but starting with an UNO (or better 2 so you can connect) is always a good start.
Best is to spend a few evenings on the tutorial and reference site, will give a lot of snippets useful for any project.
OK, first... you spelled Cognos wrong in your bio 
And, we call them "shields" but the shields are for specific things, never usually one sensor or device, usually a complex device like a touchscreen, or a set of devices like a shield that drives up to 4 motors. There are also prototyping shields - a "make your own shield" kind of thing. Picking what you need to use depends entirely on the project, and there are some problems with using shields, like the minor difficulty I encountered here: How to use extra pins with Touch Screen shield? - Project Guidance - Arduino Forum
As far as learning goes - I'm also very experienced in programming, and I found the Arduino Starter Kit quite interesting, and very educational. This programming is a little different than making apps over an operating system. It's lower level in general, and this is physical computing - our output is almost never a message on the screen. That's a pretty big paradigm shift for folks like us, and it's a good idea to get a foundation in the basics before going on to more complicated stuff.
However, you should have an idea as to what your project will be, so you can maybe get a training kit that has some stuff you need, or you can bundle your orders so you save on shipping. I usually spend a few weeks putting a Sparkfun order together, making sure I'm getting what I need, and I won't have to order again for a while - stock up on little stuff that you use a lot of like resistors and loose LEDs.
I picked up this kit at Radio Shack, and it's been really interesting so far!
