A recent story by Rachel L. Swarns in the New York Times focused on Brooklyn College graduates but I think this applies across the country.

Degree? Check. Enthusiasm? Check. Job? Not So Fast.

He pulled the maroon robes over his shoulders and straightened his cap, his body tingling with that nothing-can-kill-this-day kind of vibe. Then he heard his mother calling his name — Jelani! Jelani! — and suddenly he was standing, then shouting, then high-fiving his fellow college graduates.

“On top of the world,” said Jelani Thomas, 23, describing how he felt during the graduation ceremony at Brooklyn College, one of the biggest moments of his young life.

But even amid the inspiring speeches and all the talk of great careers to come, he couldn’t help but worry. He tried to brush his concerns aside. A friend brought them rushing right back.

“So what’s next for you?” she asked.

What’s next for a young man brimming with confidence and a bachelor’s degree in business management and finance? What’s next for a child of Trinidadian immigrants who dreams of making it big in the big city? What’s next for a City University graduate stepping out into a decidedly depressing job market?

The truth was that Mr. Thomas didn’t know. A week and a half after the ceremony, he still doesn’t know.

“People have it in their heads that you’re this bright star, and you want to be that,” said Mr. Thomas, who has been working part-time on campus while he searches for a full-time job. He is the first in his immediate family with a bachelor’s degree, which he received in December, and the graduation ceremony last month was the capstone of his academic career. “It didn’t feel good that I didn’t have a specific answer.”