Industry Recognised Certificate ?

Hello. This is my first time to the forums, and I have been studying VB now for around two months.
I am ofcourse using a book (or 4), some of which are great (Deitel) some of which, well, can be used as paper weights / doorstops etc.

I am thinking of spending some 3 months in a college in Miami (I live in Puerto Rico where there are no such courses available) to study for a VB 1, 2, and 3. One month each course. The problem is, the course is only 5-6 hours a week....looks like for the rest of the week I will be studying and doing nothing much else. Its going to cost me in time away from my job here in PR, as well as from my wife. :cry:

My question is (I already asked the tutor of the program), what will these courses actually do for my job prospects ? I dont expect to learn enough to get a job after only 3 months ofcourse, but is there an industry recognised certificate I can pursue instead of this lengthy, not very time efficient course of study in Miami ? (The college is called Dade).

Thanks for any suggestions. I am prepared to give up a year for this. I am not from the US (im from the UK) but I do have residency there.

Dan Ashcroft.