As University President Lawrence H. Summers welcomes the Class of 2004 into “the company of educated men and women” this morning, the top question on the minds of most graduates—and their parents—will be: what does an educated man or woman do next?

An increasing percentage of graduates don’t yet have an answer.

According to preliminary data from the College’s survey of seniors, at least 10 percent of respondents lacked firm plans for next year. The number of “undecideds” has crept up since the height of the dot-com boom in 1999, when only 4 percent of seniors said they weren’t sure what came next.

This observation squares with the broader picture painted by the survey numbers—a return to normalcy following the boom and bust career scene of turn-of-the-century Harvard.

The euphoria of 1999, and the rush to snatch-up the plentiful and always exciting jobs, is gone. But the deep retrenchment that followed the bubble burst, as top recruiters dramatically cut hiring, has eased and graduates are returning to business.

Of the 1,237 students who had completed the survey as of the middle of last week, nearly a quarter reported that they are going into business jobs next year. That’s up from the 19 percent of the Class of 2003 who planned employment in business.

And employment in science and technology is showing signs of a recovery as well—with 8 percent planning to take jobs in this area next year, still down from 10 percent in 1999, but up from 6 percent in 2003.

New trends are emerging—both anecdotal evidence and survey data there seems to be a growing interest in teaching.

On the whole though, the Class of 2004 has followed the paths laid out by its predecessors.

And when it comes to the question of what next, career counselors insist “undecided” is an acceptable, perhaps even desirable answer.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?

Bill Wright-Swadel, director of the Office of Career Services, says he sees the increasing proportion of undecided students as a largely positive trend.

“I wish more students who took jobs acknowledged that they were actually undecided,” he said.

Wright-Swadel suspects that even those students who do have jobs for next year are still unsure of what they want to do and why.

He said the recent rise in students who lack concrete plans is due in large part to the decline in recruiting that accompanied the economic downturn. Less aggressive recruiting means fewer opportunities for undecided students to take jobs simply for the sake of being employed.