Michelle Dubert | Watching the work train go by

I arrived at Penn three years ago with what appear now to be conflicting goals: Get an education, and get a job. The first one I feel I've done fairly successfully. The other remains a looming question.

In my three-plus years here, I've taken pride in denouncing the Wharton School as a tool shed populated by Mr. Fix-its. They've promised their revenge at graduation, when their annual salaries would be $80,000 more than mine. It didn't actually bother me until recently, when on-campus recruiting invaded, dishing out lucrative job offers and virtually placing the Beemer keys in students' palms.

My favorite complaint is when these people lament how time-consuming it is, saying how it's equivalent to taking another class - a class that, interestingly, gives you a job offer fall semester and allows you not to attend class for the remainder of the year. Recruiting's allure has even swept up some of my College of Arts and Sciences compatriots.

With so much chatter about interviews bouncing around, I can't help feeling somewhat behind the eight ball. I'm not interested in business, so OCR isn't particularly alluring. I don't want to do marketing for Google or L'Oreal. I don't want to do consulting, and I certainly don't want to do I-banking. At dinners, I dislike computing a tip and have someone else do it instead, so that would pretty much rule out finance, too. And it seems from the outset, at least, that these are the only industries that are hiring right now, and in such large quantities.

So I don't have a job. I really want a job, though. I want a fabulous Manhattanite lifestyle and an apartment with a bay window and disposable income. Lots of disposable income.

Of course, I'm dreaming. Reality, on the other hand, will probably have me move back home with my parents, unemployed, destitute and left to languish in the confines of my bedroom as I wait for The New Yorker to call me. It's this fear that's had me stressed since last year. I know what I'm in for.

As a Communication major, I'm somewhat disadvantaged. Conde Nast isn't traveling from campus to campus to recruit a swath of editorial assistants, and The New York Times isn't looking for a fresh batch of political reporters. Neither are the networks. You get the idea.

However, this idea seems to elude my father and friends, who regularly ask me where I've applied or how the job hunt is going. "Uh," I hesitate, "about the same as the last time you asked. It's coming along."

The sad reality is that there is very little anyone can do but wait - and wait. Most companies in the world aren't looking to hire 200 seniors for their incoming class. It seems that most normal people get their jobs when companies have openings. I'm no good if I can't start in two weeks.

"All of my friends and I are extremely frustrated," said Marissa Freeman, a senior Communication major who is interested in entertainment marketing. "There is nothing remotely related to advertising or public relations. There is nothing creative at all. . I think it is terrible that OCR does not include jobs for other students," she said.

Career Services says that 387 employers came to campus for OCR last year with 13,320 interviews scheduled. Understandably, there was a greater percentage of Wharton students offered positions than College students.

Barbara Hewitt of Career Services says that there are some non-profits and educational firms that partake in recruiting, but by and large the industries are geared toward business. Still, she advises the rest of students to relax. "Have faith in the fact that they are getting a great education, and they are going to be a great candidate, and not having a job in many cases is not a reflection of them. It's a reflection of when the industry hires. You can't control the timeline for industries, so try not to stress too much about it."

Sure, that's true, but it sucks to hear about people's college career already essentially over while I'm still battling midterms.

There's no point in blaming Wharton, the College or Career Services for the lack of opportunity in some industries. I'd just rather not hear from those with offers about how wildly successful OCR is in placing students.

I offer my most sincere congratulations to everyone with their careers lined up. I'll be spending the next six months fending off senioritis and sending out reams of resumes.

Michelle Dubert is a College senior from Closter, N.J. Her e-mail address is dubert@dailypennsylvanian.com. Department of Strategery appears on Thursdays.

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