Gilbert Wong, the mayor of Cupertino, California, calls his city council to order. "As you know, Cupertino is very famous for Apple Computer, and we're very honored to have Mr. Steve Jobs come here tonight to give a special presentation," the mayor says. "Mr. Jobs?" And there he is, in his black turtleneck and jeans, shuffling to the podium to the kind of uproarious applause absent from most city council meetings.

It's admirable when college graduates are determined to work in their dream job, no matter if it pays six figures or diddly squat. Unfortunately, it's also rare.

Before the inevitable realization that money doesn't always equal happiness, students enter their college years in a green haze. In other words, they want a job where they can earn lots of green -- which means majoring in something to take them there.

The good news is that the average starting salary for some professions is rising.

Oracle Corp. is reportedly likely to wait until after Hewlett-Packard Co. spins off its personal computer division to make a move to buy its rival.
 

Bloomberg quotes an unnamed source it said is familiar with Oracle's strategy who said the Redwood City software company (NASDAQ:ORCL) isn't interested in taking on HP's PC or printer businesses.