How long do I have to work to collect unemployment benefits in NY?

You can't just quit your job and collect unemployment benefits. The NYS Department of Labor requires that you lose your job through no fault of your own - like being laid off or having your hours reduced significantly. If you voluntarily quit, you'll be disqualified unless you can prove it was for good cause related to the work itself.

For the work requirement part of your question - you need to have worked and earned wages in at least 2 quarters of your base period. The base period is usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you file. You also need to have earned at least $2,600 in your highest quarter and total wages of at least 1.5 times your high quarter wages during the entire base period.

i quit my last job and tried to file but got denied immediately. the system is pretty strict about voluntary quits unless you have documentation of harassment or unsafe conditions or something like that

If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about your specific situation, I had success using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me actually reach an agent by phone. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. It was way better than spending hours on hold just to get disconnected.

The whole system is designed to make it as hard as possible to collect. Even if you meet the work requirements, they'll find some reason to deny you or make you wait forever in adjudication. I've been fighting with them for months over a simple job separation issue.

Just want to echo what others said - quitting to go to school typically won't qualify you for UI benefits. There are some training programs that might allow you to collect while in school, but you'd need to be laid off first and then get approved for the training. Check with your local career center about approved training programs.

Just to add some practical advice - if you're really considering this path, you might want to look into whether your employer offers any educational assistance or leave of absence options first. Some companies will work with you on flexible schedules or even tuition reimbursement for job-related training. Also, check if there are any evening or weekend programs available so you could potentially keep working while training. The unemployment system really isn't designed to support voluntary career changes, so exploring other options first might save you a lot of headaches.