Career Options after 12th

After completing your schooling, many career opportunities will come your way. While there are good options like engineering, medical, and CA in your streams, you can also explore several other fields, regardless of your stream in 12th.

Career Options after 12th – It is probably the most confusing time in life when students pass class 12thand look for career opportunities in their study streams. While some students are worried about choosing the right courses, others become anxious about getting admission into the right college. As students pursue their 12th standard in different streams, some of them look for nice career options after 12th arts and others seek good career options after 12th science. The science stream students may not even be sure of options that are available for PCM group or PCB group. Same is the case with many students who are trying to find excellent career options after 12th commerce or career options after 12th commerce with maths.

When looking for the best courses after 12th, you will come across hundreds of articles giving tips on selection of the courses, but this is not the right way to make one of the crucial decisions of your life. Before moving on to the courses you can choose after class 12th, let’s first have a look at some tips to choose the right career option.

Tips to Choose Right Course After 12th

Know your interest

There is no perfect course that fits for all. Every individual has own preferences and interests, based on which they should select the course. For instance, you might like photography or numbers while another student might find it boring. So the first step in the process to select the course for you is to analyze yourself.

Choose a course of your interest

Once you know what turns you on, look for courses in the same stream. It will not only make learning fun for you but will also make your job interesting.

Make a checklist

A checklist with the courses as well as the career choices will help you strike out the unwanted options. Rejection of courses that you don’t like is half the battle won in a situation where students get confused due to a huge list of options.

Whether you have done your 12th in arts, science or commerce, you need not feel stressed about deciding the right career options after 12th, as we share with you some of the best opportunities you may grab in your domain. With the list of courses given below, it will be easier for you to weed out the thorns of confusion. There are many career-oriented courses as well as academic courses to go for. However, it should be done according to the faculty of your interest, your qualification, your aptitude and capability to pursue a particular course, and even your personal and financial priorities. Apart from higher education, students may pursue certain types of jobs after 12th standard.

Specific Career Options for Science Stream Students:

There is no dearth of courses for the students who completed their 12th from Science. Gone are the days when students just had B.Tech (engineering) and MBBS (medical) to look up to for higher education after 12th. Another benefit Science students enjoy is that they can also apply for non-science courses.

Career Scope for Science Students

Science students have ample career opportunities and one of the reasons behind this is the leverage of switching to other courses in arts, humanities and commerce streams. Students looking for career options after 12th can either opt for higher education and can apply for post graduation courses after completing undergraduate in science. Those interested in taking up jobs after UG in Science can try for jobs as healthcare professional, engineer, teacher or scientist.

Science students with PCM at senior secondary level can also try their luck in defence. After completing 12th, you can apply for Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and Indian Navy by taking National Defence Academy (NDA) entrance exam.

Here are some of the top courses after 12th for science students:

Medical course:If you have passed 12th class examination with PCB biology, you can easily become a part of healthcare industry. This field not just suits your subjects but also makes a reliable career option after 12th class. You can prepare for medical entrance exams to get admission to a top medical college to pursue your degree. There are various entrance exams for admission to MBBS/BDS courses like NEET, AIIMS which candidates can take to get admission to the college of their choice.

B.Tech/BE:In India, every second parent wants their child to become engineer or doctor, making them most picked courses after 12th. Students can get admission in B.Tech or BE even with 50 to 60% marks in HSC. Undergraduate B.E or B.Tech is a 4-years programme offering a degree in various branches of engineering such as mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, IT engineering, Aeronautical engineering, power engineering, textile engineering, naval architecture and Metallurgy engineering, to name a few.

BAMS:If you have completed Senior Secondary with Physics, Chemistry & Biology and looking for a different career option, BAMS can be a right pick for you. This course will help you make a career in Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurvedic medicine is one of the oldest technologies used for the treatment of various ailments and with the increasing demand for organic medicines, need for experts in Ayurvedic medicine has also increased.

The demand for Ayurveda jobs has skyrocketed in last few years, to cater which many Indian schools of medicine have started courses at both graduate and undergraduate level. Students interested in Ayurveda Degree can get admission in B.A.M.S (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine & Surgery), which is a five and a half years course followed by a year of internship.

B.OPTOM-optometrists are trained to examine the eyes to detect defects in vision, signs of injury, ocular diseases or abnormality and problems with general health, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. They make a health assessment, offer clinical advice, prescribe spectacles or contact lenses and refer patients for further treatment, when necessary.

B.Sc. Programs:After 12th with Science stream, students who cannot get admission in engineering can opt for B.Sc. programs. There is a long list of options for the students who want to pursue this 3-years degree. At graduation level, you can opt for:

Medical is no doubt the first choice among PCB students. Students who studied biology in 11th and 12th class usually take NEET exam to get entry into a reputed medical college. But this is not the only option for them. Thankfully, now PCB students have got several courses to give their career wings. If you are also looking for some other courses except medical, check the list given below.

Biology:If you love plants and want to study their structure, processes, and growth, a course in Biology is a perfect option for you. As a Botany expert, you will get an opportunity to conduct research on different plants, new species, the genetic formation of plants and their interactions with other organisms in their environment. Landscape industries, natural resources centres, taxonomist, nursery manager and horticulturist are some of the career options with a degree in Botany.

Zoology:This is an exciting field for animal lovers. Being a Zoologist, you get an opportunity to analyse the structure, genetics, classification, interactions of various species and life processes of animals in their natural habitats. As a Zoologist, you can work as a researcher, animal breeder, wildlife biologist, teacher and zoo curator.

Biochemistry:By completing a degree in Biochemistry, you can work as a biochemist where you need to solve biological problems through concepts of chemistry. This is a growing field in India; hence, it gives exciting career opportunities like a biomedical scientist, clinical laboratory technologist, consultant, patient care coordinator, healthcare scientist etc.

Bioinformatics:This is a combination of biology, computer science, and information technology. As an expert in this field, you will have to develop and use tools for biological data analyses. On completion of the course, you can join a pharmaceutical and biotechnology company as a Bioinformatics analyst or developer. Healthcare organizations and research agencies are some other options to join after graduating from Bioinformatics.

Physiology:Physiologists usually study bodily functions, mechanisms of living organisms and other topics like organs, anatomy, muscles etc. In addition to human physiology study, you can also work in other fields like plant physiology, microbial physiology etc.

Specific Career Options for Commerce Stream Students:

Commerce is one of the most studied streams by Indian students. The students who wish to make a bright future in the corporate world by getting managerial positions usually select commerce after 10th. Commerce students study almost all aspects of the business as well as economical part of the legal, social, political, technological and cultural system.

Jobs and Career option for Commerce Students

Students looking for courses after 12th commerce also want to know about the career options available in commerce field. Those pursuing courses in commerce can get jobs in government sectors in banks, financial institutions, insurance companies etc. You can also get well-paying jobs in private sectors in accounts, management, investments, financial analysis etc. Business consultancies, banks, educational institutions, budget planning companies, foreign trade houses and public accounting firm are some of the employment areas for commerce graduates.

Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com): This is the most common degree commerce students pursue after 12th. Spanning over a period of 3 years, this degree is quite handy. If you are pursuing other professional courses like CA or CS, you can opt for B.Com degree from correspondence. Getting admission in B.Com pass course is comparatively easier than B.Com Honors. If you want specialization in a particular subject or field, you can opt for B.Com (H) from a reputed college. When it comes to career and availability of jobs, B.Com Honours students get more opportunities than normal B.Com students.

Bachelors in Economics:If you have interest in economics and want practical knowledge on various economic concepts, policies, and methods, Bachelors in Economics is a right course after 12th. Bachelors in Economics make a great option for the students who want to prepare for civil services exams like IAS.

CFP (Certified Financial Planner): If you want to help people manage their investment portfolio by suggesting them the best insurance plans, mutual fund investment and wealth management options, CFP is the right course for you. Certified Financial Planner gives you an easy entry in the financial planning world. In India, Financial Planning Standard Board of India (FPSB) grants CFP license.

CMA (Cost and Management Accountant):Provided by The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICWAI), this is also a great course for students looking for the professional course after 12th. Students successfully completing this course can join any corporate house where they need to maintain cost accounting records; do cost auditing, control and costing of products etc. If you don’t just want to get stuck in financial accountant position, CMA is a perfect course for you. As a CMA you can also help in production operations and processes.

CA (Chartered Accountant): When it comes to pursuing professional courses for students with commerce background, Chartered Accountancy is considered one of the best options. The course is provided by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the head office of which is located in New Delhi. Students get exciting career opportunities like Tax Consultant, auditor, advisor, financial officer etc. in diversified sectors after successful completion of CA. The only thing that stops many students from enrolling for the course is a lot of hard work and sincere efforts. Clearing initial level might be easy but with the increasing level, the difficulty of exams also enhances. Only sincere students who are determined to achieve their goals can clear CA successfully.

CS (Company Secretary): A company secretary is essential for the proper functioning of any company for which organizations hire professionals who have completed CS course. Company Secretary is also a professional course for commerce students provided by The Institute of Company Secretaries of India. After successful completion of the course, students can either start their own practice or can join any corporate house as CS.

Specific Career Options for Arts Stream Students:

There was a time when people used to consider that only average students opt for arts stream after 10th. Career options once were very limited for students opting for humanities and arts in 12th. However, today students looking for courses after 12th in arts stream have numerous choices with amazing job opportunities. Art is an innovative and creative field where students can do wonders with unique designs.

Jobs and Career opportunities for arts students

From vocational courses to professional courses like MBA, all are really helpful for art students. Whether you want a managerial position or want a creative job in fine arts, a course in humanities or arts can help achieve all your career goals. Event management, aviation courses, B.H.M and Bachelor of Statistics are some of the courses after 12th for art students. Animation, design, entertainment, painting, photography, fashion, and food are some of the common industries where art students can get lucrative jobs.

Bachelor’s degree courses: The most obvious option is to opt for an undergraduate degree programme in a subject you like. While you can select a specific subject area while pursuing a BA (Honours) course, you may also choose the BA (Pass) courseif you find that you have not secured enough marks to pursue an Honours programme. However, the professional choices after course completion will be much less in the case of a Pass course. Thus, we suggest going for a decent college to do BA (Honours) if you meet the cut-off. You may take up a Bachelor’s degree course in sociology, psychology, history, political science, philosophy, English, geography, fine arts, public administration, and such subjects. There are several excellent colleges in Delhi University, Mumbai University, and other top universities across the nation.

Professionally oriented choices: Apart from the academic career opportunities after 12th, you can go for the above-discussed professional courses that any art student may take up. However, you can even get admission in courses like CA (chartered accountant) or CS (company secretary) after you complete 12thstandard in arts stream. Do not think that these options are only open to commerce students. From air ticketing and jewellery making to cinematography and event management, you can do diplomas and degree programmes in any of the domains and do well in your professional career.

Bachelor of Social Work:If you want to help the society, you can also pursue Bachelor of Social Work after 12th. This is a 3-year degree program where students get knowledge and skills to effectively perform their social responsibilities. This course in Social Work helps you get a job in NGOs and organizations looking for professionals for their CSR activities.

BA Political Science: Students who want to understand the functional and structural aspects of Indian political system can pursue BA Political Science after 12th in arts. It helps students make better policies for political affairs after opting for Political Science as a career.

Bachelor in Journalism: Bachelor of Arts in Journalism is one of the most sought after courses among students who completed 12th from arts. The course helps students become an efficient journalist with all the required skills and knowledge. Different colleges offer the same course with varied names like Bachelor of Communication and Journalism, Bachelor of Journalism, Mass Communication and Bachelor of Mass Media.

Career Options for 12th Students from All Streams:

With the growing demand for both education and training in a majority of jobs, students are now looking for specialized courses after 12th. If you also don’t want to stick to just basic degrees and want a little training and practical education, check out the courses given below. The best thing about these courses is that these are not limited to any stream. Students from any stream can apply for these courses to make a bright career.

In the following table, get an overview of these courses that you can take up at the graduation and similar levels:

Better to do a degree course (BHM) rather than a diploma or certificate course in this field; those interested in cooking or baking can also pursue specialised courses

4.

Computer Programming

A BCA degree or, a diploma/certificate courses in a preferred programming language from good private institutes like NIIT

5.

Travel and Tourism

Diploma/certificate courses from a good college

6.

Business Management

Bachelor’s degree in management through BMS, BBA or BBM course, with a specialisation in a preferred domain like finance, HR, marketing, IT, etc.

7.

Fashion and Beauty

An undergraduate course in fashion design; a beautician’s training course

8.

Literary and Performing Arts

Bachelor’s degree or special training courses in literary arts or performing arts like acting, filmmaking, music, dance, and painting

9.

Law

LLB with a preferred specialisation

10.

Interior Design

Diploma/certificate courses in furniture/interior design from a premier institute like CEPT

For any of you who want to move away from their stream or want to take up a professionally oriented course, the above-mentioned career domains are the best bets. Let us give you detailed information on each of these options:

Writing and journalism: Doing a suitable course in journalism after 12th can bring you the opportunities of online writing, blogging, or freelance journalism. You can even join media and other companies that hire writers and content developers, as well as reporters and journalists. The field is rich with good career options after 12th.

Foreign languages: Whether you take up a certificate course at varying levels, from a private foreign language institution or specialise in your preferred language by doing a Bachelor’s degree course in it, job opportunities after course completion will be innumerable for you. While the linguistics departments in the government sector hire linguistics in different languages, after pursuing foreign language courseyou can also work in a private firm that requires foreign language experts for client interaction, translation, interpretation, writing, and language training profiles.

Hotel management:When you love cooking or baking, a Bachelor’s degree in hotel management would prove to be advantageous. While you can go on becoming a restaurateur, you can also work in restaurant chains or good hotels in chef profiles or administrative and managerial profiles. Thus, the field offers various career options after 12th.

Computer programming: There are several good institutes offering computer or software programming courses in C++, JAVA.NET and the like. You can be a software programmer of high caliber by pursuing a diploma or certification course. You can even take up the path of BCA or Bachelor of Computer Applications. However, it is better to be a strong programmer by further continuing your education at the MCA level. After that, there is no dearth of job profiles in IT and other companies. You can join any top company, such as Infosys, Wipro, Google, Facebook, Oracle, etc. You can even go for a programmer job after doing BCA.

Travel and tourism: If you are a traveler, then this field can offer amazing career options in travel and tourism after 12th. You can do diploma and certificate courses in travel and tourism as per your interest and go on becoming a travel guide, travel writer, tour and travel consultant, and the like. However, choose your college wisely, as only a few good institutions in India offer such courses.

Business management: From institutions like IIMs to SIMS and NMIMS, many good B-schools can turn your management dream real with business management course. You may pursue an undergraduate course and then move on to do MBA. While there are good professional opportunities at entry level in most firms for BBA or BBS students, you can go into high managerial and leadership profiles after completing MBA.

Beauty: Beauty is the need of every individual, and thus, this domain has many career opportunities for wannabe beauticians and fashion designers. After doing a certificate or diploma course, you can be a beautician in a parlour or even have your own parlour in some time. However, get guidance from top experts in this arena. You may also go for fashion design and work on your own client projects.

Fashion: If you love to play with patterns, clothes, and accessories, fashion designing is a perfect career for you. And the first step in the direction of giving your career a right shape is to get admission in fashion designing course after 12th. A professional fashion designing course from a reputed institute will help you learn more about patterns, create designer outfits and understand design principals, fashion industry language stitching methods. On successful completion of fashion designing course, you can either start your own business or can join some fashion house. You can also start designing costumes for theater, movies and TV serials.

Literary and performing arts: Whether you are interested in learning music or filmmaking, you can pursue a certification, diploma, or Bachelor’s degree course in any domain of literary and performing arts. You can do freelance work after completion of these courses. You can even go for teaching jobs in schools and colleges in your respective domain. However, choose a reputed college to pursue your course, as it matters when schools or colleges recruit artists.

Law: Law provides excellent career options after 12th. There are many law fields in which you can specialise while doing your LLB (Bachelor of Law) course. From corporate law or criminal law, you can practice later as a lawyer in any area. Alternatively, you can join a law firm as a legal expert or legal consultant.

Interior design: Select a good institute when you want to go for interior design or furniture design courses. Institutes like CEPT can offer modern and proper training facilities, which are critical to being present during interior design A suitable course can let you work as an interior designer with design firms and real estate firms. You can even start your own design practice.

Diploma in Yoga:Yes, you can choose Yoga as a career by pursuing a course in Yoga. There are some institutes in India offering courses in Yoga to help candidates make a career in this field. A course in Yoga will help you get a job at health centres, schools, and colleges. You can also start your own Yoga center and can teach yoga positions, breathing exercises and meditation to people.

Animation and Multimedia:Students from any stream including arts, commerce, and science can opt for animation and multimedia courses after 12th. Institutes offer certificate, diploma and degree courses to meet requirements of different students. Based on your interest, budget, career plans and other requirements, you can opt for any of the courses to make a career in animation and multimedia.

While these are some of the major options you may take up after 12th, you can even go for other courses like those related to animation and film design, graphics design, photography, teaching and education, event management, nursing, aircrew, media management, driving, commercial piloting, etc.

Whether you are an arts stream student, commerce stream student, or science stream student, you can explore a wide range of career options after 12th. Pursuing a three-year Bachelor’s course or another professional course can put you in a good position to take up a job related to your qualification. However, if you want to go into higher management positions or jobs like that of a researcher, statistician, chartered financial analyst, engineer, surgeon, etc., then you should steer your academic career in the right direction towards higher levels. You may continue with a Master’s degree course or even a PhD in your subject area. This can make you never look back.