So maybe you didn’t land your dream internship or job for this summer. That’s okay — there are still plenty of ways you can fill the warmer months while boosting your skills for a resume or racking up college credits. The Netflix queue will still be waiting on the weekends.

The first thing you can do is learn how to use software like Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Excel. Technical skills are vital to countless jobs. Looking to get into social media marketing? You’ll need to know how to make basic graphics and edit photos on a platform like Photoshop. If you want to go into business, or anything that involves accounting or statistics, fluency in Excel is essential. Find a friend to show you the ropes, or Google free tutorials to get started on your own.

If you’re already versed in everything from InDesign to HTML, consider pounding the pavement to see which animal shelter, soup kitchen, nursing home or hospital is looking for volunteers. It looks great on a resume. If you are looking to get into the medical field or are trying to decide if a human development major is the right fit, testing the waters is a must. Also, it’s a really nice thing to do.

Looking for a more corporate environment to hang out in? Try to shadow an employee at a huge company. You’ve probably heard of the Liberal Arts to Careers Externship program for Harpur students, but it doesn’t hurt to do your own research and contact companies, especially if you aren’t a liberal arts major. A lot of workplaces are friendly toward students who are passionate about a certain business or field and will let you observe employees depending on the department. Send a concise email to HR along the lines of “I’m a ___ major looking to break into the field of ___. I am really interested in learning about the company culture at ___. Would it be possible for me to observe an employee in the ___ department for a few days?” The more companies you reach out to, the better your chances of receiving a positive response.

Now go home and start a blog about your experiences. This may seem silly, but blogging about your interests is both a great way to hone your writing skills and make connections with people who work in fields in which you’re interested. Readership is infinitely more satisfying than getting likes on Instagram. For example, writing a food blog gives you something to put on a resume if you ever apply to work in the marketing department at a lifestyle magazine. At the very least, you’ll have an outlet to express enthusiasm for your hobby beyond work and school.

If you want to go to graduate school, then start studying for the test(s). No one wants to think about graduate school before it’s absolutely necessary, but it’s always the right time to start studying for the GRE or MCAT, especially if you are a rising junior or senior. You’ll also be ahead of the game next semester while your classmates struggle to balance Orgo with their MCAT studying. Check Craigslist and ask around for discounted test prep books — those things are expensive.

This is an obvious one, but look into taking classes online. You can get credits out of the way and save tons of money in housing fees that you would otherwise pay when staying at school (if you’re home for the summer). It’s also a good idea to use the summer sessions as a jump-start on a minor or double-major. If you don’t want to deal with transferring credits from other schools, see what Summer Session courses Binghamton University has to offer.

Are you always looking forward to the next thing? Start applying for internships for the 2014 winter break. Summer is the time to start researching internships for the next winter break, especially at bigger companies with more competitive internships. While doing that, put the dates of summer internship deadlines on your calendar so you can look at them again in a couple of months. You also have plenty of time to learn the technical skills that a position may require.

Being productive over the summer is a foolproof plan for preparing yourself for the next stage of your life, be it an entry-level job, graduate school or even just the next semester. Plus, your mom can’t nag you about always being out of the house if you’re doing something constructive.