CollegeJournal.com encourages college grads to explore both job and master''s degree opportunities

The 1.2 million US college students who graduated this year are in the process of making some tough choices on whether they should sit out the bad job market or pursue a master''s degree, according to CollegeJournal.com, The Wall Street Journal''s free site for career-minded college students. Not only are these grads competing against each other for jobs but they are also up against nearly nine million unemployed people for only three million positions.

The grim outlook for members of the class of 2003 is due in part to diminished hiring needs, fewer clients requiring services from organizations, budgetary cutbacks, hiring freezes, low attrition and layoffs.

CollegeJournal.com advises graduates to take the time they need to decide if and where they should go to grad school.

After four years of college, many graduates still aren''t sure what they want to do with their lives, says Tony Lee, editor in chief of CollegeJournal.com. They should avoid choosing graduate programs for which they have no real aptitude, interest, or ability just to bide their time until the job market turns around.

Graduate school is no picnic. If you fail and have to withdraw, you not only lose your initial investment of time and money, but you also may have difficulty convincing another graduate-admissions committee to give you a second chance when you''re settled and know what you want to do.

Find out if working first will improve your chances of being admitted, says Mr. Lee. Even if you know you''ll need a graduate degree to pursue the career of your choice, taking a job in your field may give you a better chance of getting into the school you want.

If you can''t find a job and aren''t sure about grad school, CollegeJournal.com offers this advice:
Volunteer - volunteering provides valuable work experience
Network - talk to family, friends, alumni, neighbors, parents'' friends, etc. about your career goals
Cast a wide net - don''t just focus on one specific job at a select number of companies.
Be flexible about location. Certain cities inevitably have more opportunities than others so avoid being rigid about staying in one city.

For more career and graduate school guidance