Binghamton alum Dan Black remembers the days of waking up at noon and starting his day at Binghamton University. Unfortunately for him, 6 a.m. wake-ups were one of the many things he had to get used when he became a full-time employee for accounting firm Ernst and Young 12 years ago.

Black, an Ernst & Young campus recruiter, spoke to roughly 40 Binghamton students in a “Transitioning from School to the Workplace” presentation held by the American Association of Hispanic Certified Public Accountants (ALPFA) in collaboration with Bert Mitchell Minority Management Organization (BMMMO) and the National Asian American Society of Accountants (NAASA).

“I see mistakes [from recent recruits], most of which I made myself,” he said.

Most students in attendance were accounting majors who seemed uneasy about the thought of leaving college.

“I’m nervous about getting into the real world,” said Chris Tai, a junior accounting major who is interning with Ernst & Young this summer. “He was very open and he told us straight out what you need to do to be successful.”

Black, a 1994 graduate, started as a recruiter for all of New York City, and eventually worked his way up to his position now as national campus recruiter. As someone who had no internship experience before he earned his first job, Black didn’t know what to expect.

“It was easier than what I thought it was going to be,” he said. “I didn’t think I was going to have so much help and be so encouraged to ask questions.”

In a time when communication via e-mail has become so prevalent, Black cautioned that students should be careful about how they send e-mails.

“Don’t ever use something that you wouldn’t say face to face,” he said. Black also encouraged the use of spell-check for every message sent.

But the main message that Black wanted to send was to “just be yourself.”

“In four seconds, someone has made some kind of assessment of you,” he said.

Black also emphasized the importance of asking questions in a new workplace and not being embarrassed when the memories of the information you learned in college get rusty.

“If you can’t remember, ask somebody,” Black said. “You will have all of the resources you need. I have never done anything by myself at the firm.”

That information may have changed the career path for junior management major, Elba Rosario.

“He definitely gave us a realistic aspect of the business. He assured us that we will be able to remember things on the job,” said Rosario, who is considering a switch to accounting. “I feel a little more comfortable now about changing my major.”

While Binghamton students may be competing with Ivy Leaguers for top positions at firms like Ernst & Young, Black admits that intelligence isn’t everything.

“Having a positive attitude is by far the number one thing. I know some really smart people who have a really bad attitude and they just don’t go far,” he said.

It is not an unknown fact that the four major accounting firms seem to heavily recruit Binghamton students for future jobs.

“The Binghamton students tend to have a nice combination of a very strong academic foundation and yet are personable and are willing to roll up their sleeves to get the job done,” he said.