It's a pretty good idea to learn using either Emacs or vi well. You will then be able to decide for yourself what works best for you. Perhaps you will end up using both; IDEA for one thing; the "editor" in other situations.
Which editor (emacs or vi) is pretty much a matter of taste. It's very helpful to have local experts who can answer "Hey, how do I do X using editor Y". If your colleagues swear by emacs, then I'd say give it go.
