Timing is everything, especially for picking up that college diploma. And experts say this year's senior class is entering the hottest job market in years.

A recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers predicts a 13 percent increase in college hiring over last year. Seventy percent of employers say they will also increase starting salaries for new college grads, with an average expected increase of 3.7 percent.

Last month, WORLD reported on Delta Air Lines' request for major concessions from its 7,000-member pilots union ("Bumpy ride," Oct. 16) in an attempt to avoid bankruptcy. On Nov. 11, the pilots agreed to a 32.5 percent pay cut and no pay raises for five years-moves that will save the airline more than $1 billion annually.

Have you ever written a check without the funds in the bank to cover it? If you do it regularly, new federal regulations intended to speed up the processing of checks may cost you in the long run.

The Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act-or Check 21-allows financial institutions to exchange electronic images of consumers' checks rather than transporting the actual paper checks. That means checks that consumers write will have less "float" time between the time a check is written and when funds are actually withdrawn from the account.

Ty Mosler walked away from his management position at the Family Christian Bookstore in Asheville, N.C., after eight years because of a quandary he never thought he'd face: A change in the Christian store's operating hours meant Mr. Mosler would have to miss going to church at least half of the year.

While many dot-coms have crashed and burned, search engine leaders Google and Yahoo are hot commodities on Wall Street.

Google, which went public earlier this year, was worth $44 billion when its stock price topped $165 a share last week. In just six years, co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have each amassed a $6 billion fortune from their Stanford dorm room project. Many of the company's 2,700 employees are now millionaires.

Selling direct to customers isn't a new concept, but in the crowded consumer-electronics field it means competing against the very retailers you depend on for sales.

Can that be good business? Sony Electronics is about to find out. In the past year, Sony has opened 10 retail stores across the country and hopes to have 30 such "Sony Style" stores operating by 2006. That has long-time retailers of Sony products concerned.

When you head out to shop for toys this Christmas season, where will you go?

K-B Toys is no longer an option. FAO Schwarz is nearly extinct, too. Those two specialty toy stores went bankrupt after dismal holiday sales in 2003. This year, Toys "R" Us will try to survive the season against discount leaders Wal-Mart and Target.