If you prefer setting goals on your own, your local public library offers many useful references, including the Occupational Outlook Handbook, an invaluable guide to careers published by the U.S. Department of Labor. If you have been out of school for several years and are unsure of your goals, you may want to start with a noncredit, special interest course. Once you feel more comfortable in the classroom, you may register for credit courses. The length of a more formal college program depends on the degree you seek. A certificate degree program usually takes one year.
Many students choose one or two courses rather than a full program.
If you choose part-time study during the evenings, classes may be longer in length, but they usually meet only once a week, allowing you time for other courses or obligations. You are not required to work toward a degree. Noncredit, continuing education courses are usually taken one at a time and change each semester. Towns and vocational-technical schools also offer noncredit, adult education courses in the evenings, including professional development and career planning seminars. The number of courses you take is a personal decision, depending on your time, finances and family responsibilities.