Because our time at Binghamton University is limited, we don’t have the chance to perfect every single skill that could prepare us for the job market. If you have two liberal arts majors, you probably don’t have the time to take computer science classes. If you’re a computer science major, you probably don’t have time to take classes in finance. Luckily, we attend a university with a large assortment of groups willing to teach us these skills without the labor of a class and the cost of a textbook:

HackBU

With so many companies putting themselves online, it’s more important than ever to have at least some understanding of how websites are made. HackBU will teach you how to design your own webpage through the HTML, CSS and Java programming languages. Don’t know these languages? Don’t worry, they’ll teach them to you — it’s easier than you think. You’ll learn how to create your own personal Web page for employers to look at and bring some life to the special skills/technologies section on your resume.

Foreign language groups

Many companies today are either stationed internationally or must collaborate with businesses outside of the United States. Knowing a foreign language is essential for bridging the communication gap between these international firms. There’s just one thing: Learning a foreign language takes a lot of time. So, while foreign language groups like the Japanese Association can’t promise to teach you a foreign language by meeting once a week for an hour, they’ll keep the ball rolling after you learn some of the basics on your own. These groups will give you the immersion needed to bump you up to a “conversant” level.

Binghamton Student Design Agency

Presentations, websites, letterheads and brochures are just some of the many things that may be greatly improved with a good graphic designer. The Binghamton Student Design Agency will teach you graphic design via workshops in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. With these industry-used programs, you will basically be able to make everything you do digitally look better. Whether it be a resume, a chart or the user interface for a website, you can create and format it in graphic design software to make it look simple and more professional.

Finance Society

Do you know what a stock is? Do you know how to value one? You should. If you are going to work for a legitimate company, you’re going to need to know some business jargon, and this is true for all fields. The Finance Society will teach you basic lingo and applicable skills, such as how to value a company and a stock, how to present a stock pitch or a merger/acquisition pitch, how to network with alumni and how to break into Wall Street. While this is particularly good for people who want to work on Wall Street, it’s also good for people looking to acquire skills in how to successfully network and perform serious business analysis.

Professional fraternities

From Phi Alpha Delta (professional co-ed law fraternity) to Theta Tau (professional engineering fraternity), there are many opportunities to learn about different fields you are interested in and acquire necessary skills to accomplish your goals. You don’t need to be a member of these fraternities (or the Alpha Omega Epsilon engineering sorority) to get the help you need. These groups frequently hold informational events open to anybody interested.