Do I have to commit to a long program, or can I start with something shorter?
You can start with something shorter. Not every program at PE is a long-form commitment — some are a few weeks, some are a single workshop, some are self-paced and as light or as heavy as you make them. That said, the shorter programs aren't a sampler platter for the long ones. They're their own thing, designed to do one specific job well — help you decide a direction, teach a particular skill, give you a structured look at a topic. If you're hedging on whether to commit to a longer program, doing a shorter one first is a reasonable way to find out whether how we teach matches how you learn. Just go in knowing what each one is for, rather than treating a short program as a trial run for a long one.