Raphael Rosenbaum let his choice of headgear do the talking for any potential employers out there.

The freshly minted University at Buffalo graduate forsook the traditional mortarboard

during commencement ceremonies Sunday in favor of a green construction helmet.

&#8220It&#8217s my sign that I&#8217m about to get to work,&#8221 said Rosenbaum, 21,

who&#8217s searching for a job in environmental policy and social behavior. &#8220My job

starting now is the job hunt.&#8221

Cheered on by family and friends, more than 1,000 graduates participated in UB&#8217s 164th

general commencement in Alumni Arena.

Many expressed a sense of relief and accomplishment upon completing their undergraduate

work. But jubilation for others was tempered by the knowledge that finding a paying job in the

current economy would not be easy.

&#8220I&#8217m really nervous, especially in education,&#8221 said Dandrea Alexander, who

earned a bachelor&#8217s degree in anthropology and plans to teach elementary school in her

hometown of Nashville, Tenn. &#8220But since it&#8217s my passion, I&#8217ll have to stick

with it.&#8221

Alexander hopes to land a job quickly as a substitute teacher and work for a year in

education before enrolling at Indiana University for her master&#8217s degree.

Her backup plan? Secretarial work, at least until grad school begins.

&#8220It wouldn&#8217t be a career choice,&#8221 she said.

Many graduates said they had no intention of jumping into the work force right away,

preferring to remain students.

&#8220Absolutely. I&#8217m not ready to be out there with the sharks yet,&#8221 said David

Roer of Albany, who studied communications at UB and will enroll at Western New England Law

School in the fall. &#8220Another three years will give me a better chance at being

successful.&#8221

Medical school, law school, graduate school &#8212 and in one instance, military school

&#8212 were high on the list of options for many graduates.

&#8220It&#8217s kind of nice to delay going into the real world,&#8221 said Gabriel Borges

of Amherst, who is headed to law school. &#8220It&#8217s always been a backup plan ...

Another degree doesn&#8217t hurt me.&#8221

Marquia Westbrook planned to return home to Rochester to work as a paralegal or a counselor

before pursuing a law degree next year, possibly at UB.

&#8220I know it&#8217s difficult to find a job even for people who have degrees, but

I&#8217m not going to let it stop me from moving forward,&#8221 she said.

Yuchung Choi, who studied psychology, was headed back to Seoul, South Korea, where he will

enroll in military officers school, as required by his country.

&#8220I knew to get a job here, it&#8217s really tough, especially for international

students,&#8221 he said. &#8220I think I need to study more to get a better job, to get a

better job offer.&#8221

In his address, UB President John B. Simpson called the commencement gathering &#8220at its

heart a celebration of education&#8221 and lauded the Morrill Act, the 1862 law that

established the American system of public universities and colleges, as a &#8220cornerstone of

our national democracy and our prosperity&#8221 and as &#8220one of a small handful of the

most important social policies in our nation&#8217s history.&#8221

But Simpson warned of a &#8220remarkably short-sighted decline in state and federal

commitment&#8221 that threatened the future of American research universities such as UB.

&#8220Yet we are now as a nation, and accelerated by the recent global economic crisis,

deconstructing this great American institution and doing so without the type of public debate

and examination that rightfully must accompany a major social policy change of this

magnitude,&#8221 said Simpson.

The president also called on the degree earners to help preserve the important legacy of

public higher education from which they had benefited.

Graduates, though, seemed to have more pressing concerns.

Zachary Baliva, of Rochester, was putting together video clips in an effort to land a job

in video production and editing.

&#8220I&#8217m just trying to get my foot in the door. Any production company would be

great. I&#8217m just worried about getting a job, period,&#8221 said Baliva. &#8220I&#8217m

going to try and not go to graduate school . . . I&#8217d like to see where my bachelor&#8217s

degree can take me. I&#8217ve got enough debt built up right now.&#8221

Rosenbaum was set on being part of the working world, as well, perhaps as a researcher or

policy analyst. He hopes to be part of an emerging &#8220green&#8221 economy in the U.S.

that&#8217s based on sustainable environmental practices.

&#8220It&#8217s booming. I just have to find the right job,&#8221 he said.