couple weeks...
Dont put money in to the market... Short-term is impossible to predict the market and the risk that your investments will cause you heartache more than outweighs the potential gain.
If you are looking to park your money that's a different story. Also if you are looking for a speculative play or go in for a swing trade...I would suggest start with tiny positions ($5 on robinhood type accounts) in a company that you are familiar with to learn the rope and to see if you think its worth it