A job offer on graduation is one of the best outcomes of education. But now more and more college graduates are deciding not to turn to the next page of their lives in such a hurry.

Working part-time in a gallery is what Liu Siyuan enjoys most. Her parents though feel that she's just passing time before a more serious and lucrative career opportunity comes along.

A year out from college, Liu started working at the museum a few months ago. She sees it is a hard-earned opportunity that allows her to meet different people every day.

“If your job traps you in a routine, you will lose passion. Many of my college friends go to work on weekdays and have lost their creativity. I just don’t want a life like that,” she said.

Liu said she treats her time here as a process of learning by communicating with visitors and artists and participating in multiple projects.

Her education background couldn't prepare her for a full-time position, Liu said.

Postponing of entry into the workforce has become a trend. The latest Chinese College Graduates' Employment Report shows the delayed employment rate of bachelors' degree students stood at 4.2 percent in 2018. That means about 350,000 people stayed out of the workforce after getting their degrees.

"Many job seekers we worked with show little knowledge about the job market. Some of them are nervous about going to work for the first time. They are not sure what they can do. That’s why many decide not to look for a job at all," said Ma Ruihua, a recruiter from Haidilao Food Chain.

Liu fled to a small apartment in a different city after several squabbles with her parents about her future. She said she had to move away from home, at least to experience society for herself.

"Different generations think differently," she said, "Those born in the 1970s, like my parents, were assigned a job when they graduated. Those born after the 1980s, however, like to follow the routine. But for our generation, I think that my life has so many possibilities."

Liu has dicided to take a new path, beginning to study abroad in South Korea in September, a country she had never thought much about before. But a strange place is where she thinks could learn something new and unexpected.

"It's not an escape from delayed employment, but to make myself more marketable and competitive," Liu said.

(Zhang Youze, Meng Mingwei and Gong Wuwei contributed to the story.)