What a difference a day makes

Tight schedules and tight budgets are fueling a demand for quick-study opportunities. Case in point is the rapid growth of One Day U (onedayu.com), a program that gives you the chance to take a full day of courses with professors from top universities like Harvard, Yale and Columbia. Since launching two years ago in Rye Brook, N.Y., One Day U has expanded to nine cities, adding Los Angeles and San Francisco to the roster this fall. For New Yorkers, seminars in mind-expanding subjects such as classical-music appreciation and the implications of the upcoming election are slated for September 20 (see website for details). But there are plenty of other, more practical single-day options.

Career-building

If the specter of recession has you thinking about your future, NYU-SCPS is offering the free panel and Q&A Managing Your Career in Uncertain Times (Nov 6, R.S.V.P. at scps.nyu.edu/managingyourcareer). Meanwhile, Baruch’s Professional Networking (Sept 29; 646-312-5000, baruched.com) will teach you how to make those all-important career-advancing connections.

Public speaking We all have to do it sometime. Get over your fears and your ums and ahs with Speaking to Motivateat the New School for General Studies (Dec 6; 212-229-5600, newschool.edu), and the free event Seven Secrets of Great Presenters at Columbia (Sept 13, R.S.V.P. at ce.columbia.edu/stratcomm).

Digital

There are certain requisites in life, like food, shelter—and your own website. To help make yours stand out, the Freelancers Union offers How to Build a Search Engine Friendly Website (Sept 23; 718-532-1515, freelancersunion.org). For people with some web know-how, the School of Visual Arts’ Designing Experience (Sept 27; 212-592-2050, sva.edu/ce) takes you deeper into creating visually appealing, user-friendly online fare.

Media

There’s plenty to learn back in the old-media world too. The New School for General Studies caters to foodies, with How to Get a Cookbook Published (Nov 1) and Launching Your Food Writing Career (Oct 11). At the 92nd Street Y, New York Times editors will school you on getting op-ed pieces published in top papers in The Art and Science of Opinion Pieces (Jan 22; 212-415 5500,92y.org). Over in TV land, Mediabistro.com wants to help you move up from the lower rungs with How to Become a Successful Television Producer (Sept 17, mediabistro.com).

Arts & crafts

Learn a fun skill and save a fortune on consumer goods. Make Workshop (212-533-9995, makeworkshop.com) has one-off classes in appliqué, embroidery, crochet, knitting, quilting, soap-making—even creating your own wallpaper using rubber stamps. The New York Botanical Garden (718-817-8747, nybg.org) offers workshops on everything green, from photographing flowers to constructing edible centerpieces.

World affairs If your job involves international relations, or you want to tune into what’s going on, check out the series of one-day seminars at the NYU-SCPS Center for Global Affairs. Offerings include The Global Energy Crisis (Sept 27; 212-998-7200, scps.nyu.edu) and Building Democracies: Case Study Afghanistan (Nov 1).

Personal Affairs

While you’re becoming informed about the world around you, don’t forget a little self-study. The 92nd Street Y has several psychotherapist-led workshops on the subject of why you do what you do, and how to stop—such as Assertiveness Training: Say What You Mean (Oct 26) and Stop Self-Sabotage (Dec 11).

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