So you've got the diploma. You've had the party and opened the presents. You've put away the cap and gown for posterity.

Now what?

That's the number one question that graduates will ask themselves, says Ariane de Bonvoisin, author of "The First 30 Days: Your Guide to Any Life Change (and Loving Your Life More)." (HarperCollins, $24.95)

And many won't know the answer.

De Bonvoisin, who also runs www.first30days.com, says recent grads need to find their passion and put it to work as they take their next steps.

Here are excerpts from an interview with her.

Q: Is graduation the big deal it once was?

A: I don't think it is. I think the students want to avoid some of the conflicting emotions that graduation brings up, and it is a way for them to ignore the change. "Well if I don't go to graduation, it's not like I didn't graduate but I don't really have to face it." I think a lot more students are graduating without jobs. I think graduation is expensive. They are submerged in debt.

Q: So where do they go from here? How do they find their path?

A: No one has ever really asked them what they wanted to do. I recently spoke to college students in Montana, and I asked them a lot of questions. I asked "Who here knows what they want to do?" And three hands shot up. That was really surprising.

I call this the 'Do-Something-You-Love generation.' They are dying to do something they love. But they've never been asked what they love. They've never been taught how to go after something they love.

They are much more motivated than the previous generation, I think, to follow their passions. But there doesn't seem to be an avenue for that.

Q: So what happens to them?

A: They go into something that's OK. They slug it out for six to nine months, and then they go find something else.

Q: What should they do in the first 30 days after graduating?

A: Most of the students did not have a polished resume or an idea of how to do an interview. They are great on Facebook and e-mail but they are not great at having a conversation with somebody.

The second thing I would say is that if you graduate without a job, your job is to job hunt. That's what you are doing. You are officially hunting for something that would make you happy and excited. But your job is to find your job.

Q: What are some of the ways graduates can find a job that makes them happy and excited?

A: I would say remember this is your job, not your parents' job.

I would definitely say be very bold. Don't only do what everyone else is doing. If you love a company, you want to work for them and there are no jobs offered, you get on their (Web) site, you figure out who their people are in HR or in business development or the CEO and you write a letter.

Tell them you love the company, you love what they stand for and you love their goals. Get your personality on paper in a letter and write the top five to 10 companies you love.

Q: Will graduates find all the answers in 30 days?

A: The first 30 days is a metaphor to get started and stay started. In the first 30 days, a lot of emotions show up: fear, impatience, doubt, shame and blame. What do you do with these emotions?

In the first 30 days, I think pressure _ peer pressure, family pressure _ show up. To me, the first 30 days is a launching pad for making good decisions, getting the right information and certainly being inspired.