Learning to bake at West Point depends on everyone's learning talent. The study time will definitely vary from person to person, depending on the degree you want to learn. If you just want to do some basics, you can train for three or two months in a short time. If you want to learn deeper, it will take a year or two. The key is to choose and position yourself.
Some students want to be professional pastry chefs, some want to open a cake shop, but some have hobbies of life, so the purpose is different and the length of study is different. If you want to find a job, you will spend more time studying as a western pastry chef. If you want to start a business, you don't have to study for that long. You only need to know the information of this industry, usually for a few months.
Generally speaking, you can get started in a month or so, but the master leads people to get started by himself. If you are diligent, you will make rapid progress. The key is to be patient and practice hard. You can learn a lot in a year of high understanding.