Employment Struggles and Individual Paths: The Hidden Side of the Graduation Snapshot Craze

by Lee Eunseo

Published 02 Sep.2025 13:05(KST)

"Sometimes, it feels like getting a job-the start of working life-is the real graduation."

Lee Yeeun, 27, who recently succeeded in finding employment, visited her university to pick up her diploma. She informed her friends of the date and time of her visit through social media. Instead of creating a graduation album, she took commemorative photos with five or six of her college friends to celebrate their graduation. Lee said, "Since I postponed my graduation to prepare for employment, it felt natural to delay taking graduation photos as well," adding, "Because everyone graduates at different times, rather than making a graduation album, I simply gathered with close friends to take some pictures."

On the 22nd, a graduate is taking a photo at the '2025 Second Half Graduation Ceremony' held at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. 2025.8.22 Photo by Kang Jinhyung

As young people continue to face difficulties finding jobs, graduation ceremony culture is also changing. Many students now receive their degrees only in the university system and visit the campus to pick up their diplomas later, once they have secured employment. Instead of traditional graduation albums, they often opt for personal snapshot photos.

Even among students who entered university in the same year, the timing of employment varies, making graduation albums less meaningful. Choi Yunseo, 26, who graduated last month, said, "Since it can take one or two years to find a job, there are hardly any friends graduating together."

Graduation albums that included photos of university staff and all classmates are becoming a thing of the past. Graduation albums organized by universities are gradually being replaced by personal albums. These personal albums typically include ID photos, indoor and outdoor profile shots, and friendship photos. A representative from a graduation photo company said, "In recent years, there has been a trend toward simplifying graduation albums into personal albums. At each university we work with, only about 20 to 30 students create personal albums, and since not everyone takes photos, it is no longer possible to include group photos of the entire graduating class."

Campus snapshot photo sessions, which cost around 100,000 to 200,000 won, are also popular. Graduates wear their caps and gowns and spend half a day with a photographer, taking photos at various locations on campus. According to the industry, the number of companies offering these personal graduation photo services has increased two to three times compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. A representative from a photography company said, "Just as more people are taking personal profile photos, there has definitely been an increase in those who want to keep graduation photos for themselves. Looking at nearby studios, more and more are now offering graduation snapshot services as well."

Lim Wuntaek, a professor of sociology at Keimyung University, explained, "Because finding a job is so difficult, many graduates feel too anxious to fully enjoy graduation, which has led to this new culture. Unlike in the past, when entering university and earning a degree was a major achievement to be celebrated, the increase in the number of college graduates has diluted the culture of commemorating graduation."