I understand if you’re a little confused being asked to decide upon careers after 12th at such a young age. After all, if you change your mind about your phone cover every few months, how will you even decide upon a job you have to do for the rest of your life?
But let me give you a pro tip: It gets much easier if you weed out careers after 12th you don’t want to do, rather than pick what you want to do. Eventually you’ll be left with just a handful of options, among which deciding upon one should be fairly simple.
How you can do this is deciding which streams you want to pursue in order to settle down on careers after 12th, and then picking one on the basis of that. Your first step is to decide whether you want to study science with biology, science without biology, commerce with maths, commerce without maths, or humanities.
Each of the above choices opens the door to a new set of careers after 12th. Let’s have a look at some of them below!
Commerce With Maths
Chartered Accountant
A chartered accountant is someone who has received certification in India from the ICAI, and is qualified to go over, approve, create, and otherwise deal with financial records and tax issues of businesses. It’s advisable to have this in your lineup of careers after 12th if you’re someone who enjoys analysing financial books and finances of big firms, and if you prefer reading The Economic Times over something like Bombay Times.
Some famous chartered accounts:
Kumar Mangalam Birla (Chairman of Aditya Birla Group), Motilal Oswal (Founder of Motilal Oswal), Piyush Goyal (Minister of Commerce and Industry)Path to Chartered Accountancy Careers After 12th:
After high school, you can take a commerce-related college course (like B. Com), and study for the chartered accountancy certification exams. You are qualified to take them once you’ve completed your first year of college, which means that you can take them from your second year onwards. There are 3 exams to be taken in total. You will typically take anywhere upwards of 3 years in acquiring the certification, not including the time required for your 3-year articleship between the passing of your second exam and your third exam. So, this is definitely a long-term commitment. But when speaking about careers after 12th, shouldn’t you be prepared for the long haul?
2. Economist
An economist studies, applies, writes about, and develops new principles of economics. If this was your favourite subject in school, then don’t worry, there are careers after 12th relating to it as well!
As an economist, you would be hired by private firms as a consultant, be able to write textbooks, work in the government as a lawmaker in pertinence to finances, and even develop predictions and forecasts. As far as careers after 12th in commerce go, this seems pretty fun!
Some famous Economists:
Dr. Manmohan Singh (Former Indian Prime Minister), Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Former Indian Law Minister), Dr Subramaniam Krishnamurthy (Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India)Path to Economics Careers After 12th:
College courses specialising in Economics have to be opted for, like a BA (Hons. in Economics), or B.Sc (Economics). The student must then complete a Master’s in Economics after this, and follow it up with a PhD. The final step is to take the Indian Economic Service exam conducted by the UPSC. So, this takes anywhere upward of 7 years. Economic careers after 12th are quite intensive and demanding, which is why the level of preparation must also match up accordingly. Don’t get scared, if you love the subject, you’ll enjoy the next several years of exploring it in depth, too.
3. Statistician
A statistician applies theoretical knowledge of statistics, number analysis, and means and weighted averages, to real-life situations and numbers and serves up forecasts, analyses, and suggestions as to how to improve. These types of careers after 12th are most commonly found in commercial sectors, for the analysis of the financial performance of a firm. Statisticians are also quite often hired as consultants.
Some famous Statisticians:
Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao (Professor Emeritus and Research Professor at Pennsylvania State University), Arup Bose (Professor at Indian Statistical Institute), Probal Chaudhari (Professor at Indian Statistical Institute)
Path to Statistics Careers After 12th:
The first step would be to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, followed by a Master’s degree in Statistics. A Bachelor’s in Education is also encouraged after this as a lot of entry-level jobs for statisticians involve teaching.
Commerce Without Maths
Digital Marketer
Digital marketing is definitely one of those careers after 12th that are definitely burgeoning in this new economy which will emerge after the pandemic.
Always having been a growing field, digital has seen a total makeover during the COVID-19 pandemic, as so many brands have shifted from advertising outdoors and through other means to purely digital. Not only is it more cost effective and gives them a better bang for their buck, but it’s where all the consumers are! This will be a safer choice in terms of careers after 12th because of that.
Some famous Digital Marketers:
Sorav Jain (Head of echoVme), Pradeep Chopra (Founder of Digital Vidya), Gaurav Shitak (Vice President of Sharekhan)
Path to Digital Marketing Careers After 12th:
This is one of the more achievable careers after 12th– you can sign up for a certification course along with or in lieu of a formal college course, and learn digital marketing in a matter of 6 months. In some cases, it may take upto a year, but that’s it. Here’s a great recommendation to a digital marketing institute that we wholeheartedly approve of.
Lawyer
One of the most conventional careers after 12th, what a lawyer does doesn’t need to be explained much– fight for their clients’ cases in court, work behind the scenes to solve conflicts, ensure that businesses are meeting legal requirements, and in some truly exciting cases, get to pass laws. Lawyers also become judges with enough experience, if they wish to.
Some famous Lawyers: Palianappam Chidambaram (Parliament Member, Rajya Sabha), Jawarlal Nehru (Former Prime Minister of India), Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (known as the Father of India)
Career Path to Law Careers After 12th: You can either opt for an integrated law degree right after high school and enter a 5 year program with a foundational course followed by a law course, or pursue a conventional 3-year college course and opt for an LLB (specialised law degree that is 3 years long) post that. This means an investment of between 5-6 years, minimum.
3. Entrepreneur
This is one of the ultimate dream careers after 12th for anyone entering commerce: starting, owning, managing your business– and being your own boss! What’s not to like?
Some famous Entrepreneurs:
Narayana Murthy (Founder of Infosys), Azim Premji (Former Chairman of Wipro Industries), Lakshmi Mittal (CEO of ArcelorMittal)Path to Entrepreneurship Careers After 12th:
This is totally up to you! Whenever you are ready, whenever you’re able to gather the capital, when you feel like you know enough … the stage is totally yours! Some things that will help you, though, is knowledge of today’s digital skills, so I would recommend you check out this institute for a short certification course in order to learn some skills that will come very much in handy when promoting yourself.
Humanities
Digital Design
This is one of the most perfect careers after 12th for all the creative souls out there. Digital designing is not only a fun job, but also one of the most satisfying. It involves designing logos, communication, advertisements and other creatives for a brand. This is also known as commercial designing.
This is another one of the careers after 12th that is only going to boom in the very near future. Every digital-related job will see this uptick.
In the case that you don’t plan to work for an organisation, careers after 12th in digital design also lend themselves quite well to freelancing. So you see, you have plenty of options in this field!
Some famous Digital Designers:
Sudarshan Dheer (behind logos of Hindustan Petroleum, Titan Industries, ICICI Bank), R.K Joshi (behind logos of Welcom Group, Punjab National Bank, Steel Authority of India), Sujata Keshavan (behind logos of Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport, Vistara, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Mumbai and Bengaluru International Airport)
Path to careers after 12th in Digital Design:
The best way to do this is to take up a course in a good institute, most of which are short-term 6 month courses. One great institute we would like to recommend, Indian Institute of Digital Education, combines practical and theoretical knowledge perfectly and provides placements also for students who complete their 6-month course in digital design.
2. Journalism
Careers after 12th in journalism are perfect for those students who want to change the world. The best part about this is that journalism encompasses many skills within its folds, including but not limited to writing, photography, reporting, and even anchoring.
Some famous journalists:
Pranab Mukherjee (former President of India), Faye D’Souza (former editor of Mirror Now), Barkha Dutt (Owner of MoJo)
Path to journalism careers after 12th:
The most effective way to pursue careers after 12th in journalism is to pursue either a journalism-specific or a language-specific course after high school. You can do this through pursuing a media or communications course (like a Bachelor’s in Mass Media, which offers a specialisation in either Journalism or Advertising in the third year), or a Bachelor’s in Arts. A Bachelor’s in a particular language is also suitable, and these undergraduate courses can be followed up by a Master’s in Journalism. This should take about 5 years, at the end of which you would be prepared to enter the working world!
3. Psychologist
Careers after 12th in therapy and counselling are some of the most humble and helpful areas of work you could venture into. As a humanitarian, this is also probably an area you’re naturally drawn to. A therapist helps a client through personal, work related or even academic problems. They are listeners and helpers, and very different from psychiatrists, who are medically qualified and provide medications to their patients.
Some famous psychologists:
Girishwar Misra (former dean at Arts Faculty, University of Delhi), Dr. Ashis Nandy (author of The Intimate Enemy: Loss And Recovery Of Self After Colonisation), Anuja Trehan Kapur (well-known criminal psychologist)
Path to careers after 12th in psychology:
The best way to go about this would be to pursue a Bachelor’s in Arts with a specialisation in Psychology, then follow it up with a Master’s in Arts with a specialisation in Psychology as well, and finish off your education with a PhD. This would then make you qualified enough to attempt many of the several careers related to psychology.
Science Without Biology
Coding
Whether or not you’ve heard it before, let it reiterate this fact: careers after 12th related to the digital field are some of the only ones that are going to take off more than they would have some dozen years ago after this pandemic. This is because digital is one of the only industries that is moving forward. This is not a bad thing! You can take advantage of it by learning a top-notch digital skill before you enter the job market.
Careers after 12th in coding involve constructing apps, websites and other internet based softwares and interfaces using coding languages like Java and C++. This is quite technical, but also involves a fair bit of creativity. You need to learn the languages well in order to be able to truly master this skill.
Some famous coders:
Harsha Suryanarayana aka humblefool (Founder of MyCodeSchool),Balajiganpathy Senthilnathan (Founder of CodeDrills),Sumeet Verma (Co-founder of kopykitab.com)
Path to coding careers after 12th:
The best way to break into coding is to just learn it as early as possible. When speaking of formal education, a proper coding degree isn’t available until the postgraduate level. However, alternatives are available in educational institutes like Indian Institute of Digital Education, which provide top-level training to people at any age, even right out of high school. You should definitely check them out!
2. Engineering
The quintessential PCM without Bio careers after 12th, all engineering jobs come with a bonus stamp of approval from Indian parents everywhere. What’s more is that they’re quite versatile. The knowledge you get from an engineering education can be applied in a variety of fields. You can read up more about what engineering means in India here.
Some famous engineers:
Sachin Bansal (former CEO of Flipkart), Binny Bansal (Co-founder of Flipkart), VR Lathithambika (Scientist at Indian Space Research Organisation)
Path to careers after 12th in Engineering:
It is best to stick to a tried-and-tested formula here and appear for the JEE and other entrance examinations after your high school exams to get into an engineering college on the basis of your rank. An engineering degree in India is 5 years long, post which you can opt to go for a postgraduate specialisation, like in aeronautical engineering like Ms Lathithambika, for example, or begin working immediately through your college’s placement cell or by appearing for interviews.
3. Forensic Scientist
One of the most glamorised careers after 12th, we have all seen forensic scientists while growing up on shows like CID and Crime Patrol. However, not everything is as depicted on the silver screen. It can be a gritty job, and oftentimes scientists have to keep odd hours, and hear about things they wouldn’t imagine in their wildest dreams. It does, though, have an allure to it that can’t be denied, especially if you’re the kind of person fascinated by true crime and the like.
Some Famous Forensic Scientists:
Pakkiriswamy Chandra Sekharan (former director of the Goverment of Tamil Nadu’s Department of Forensic Science), Anil Aggrawal (owner of Anil Aggrawal’s Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology), Tirath Das Dogra (former director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences)
Path to careers after 12th in Forensic Science:
This is a long course; typically 8 years of study if you begin right after high school. First, you must complete a 3-year undergraduate Bachelor’s of Science in Forensic Science, then you must go on to pursue a Master’s in Science in Forensic Science, which should take approximately 2 years, and finish it off with a PhD, typically 3 years. So if you’re planning to go for this one, buckle in for a long ride! High reward careers are high effort ones, remember.
(former director of the Goverment of Tamil Nadu’s Department of Forensic Science), Anil Aggrawal (owner of Anil Aggrawal’s Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology), Tirath Das Dogra (former director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences)
Science With Biology
Doctor
If you took biology in high school and have a genuine interest in it, medical careers after 12th should not be shoved off the table just yet. Though they are very high-effort, they are also very noble and also monetarily rewarding professions in our country. However, if you feel like you do not have any inclination towards being a doctor, and the sight of blood just makes you want to vomit, it’s perfectly all right. You do not need to pressure yourself into doing something just because it seems like the right thing. Especially in a job like that of a doctor, you want to make sure you’re dedicated, or else a lot could go wrong.
Some famous doctors:
Dr. Prathap Chandra Reddy (Founder of Apollo Hospitals), Dr. K Srinath Reddy (President of Public Health Foundation of India), Dr. Indira Hinduja (medical pioneer in gynaecology)
Path to medical careers after 12th:
This is pretty well-charted territory. It is common for those wanting to be a doctor to pursue an MBBS degree, for which you need to take the NEET exam. This is a 5-year degree, after which you will need to pursue a Master’s in the field of your specialisation, for which you need to appear for the NEET PG.
2. Chemist
Did you love chemistry in school? Well, congrats, careers after 12th in this field are nothing like it!
Actually, no, I’m kidding. It is pretty similar to what you studied, except chemists are constantly trying to pick apart theories by other chemists and theories that have existed for decades to try and find a new way to construct a particular chemical composition by putting together different atoms, molecules, and investigating the properties of each. Basically, the typical ‘scientist’ you pictured in your head as a child.
Some famous chemists:
CNR Rao (recipient of the Bharat Ratna, Indian Science Award, Karnataka Ratna and more), Yamuna Krishnan (recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology and the Infosys Prize), Manju Ray (Recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize)
Path to chemist careers after 12th:
This is actually quite a tricky one. It depends entirely on your capacity for research and absorption of knowledge. You can pursue a Bachelor’s in Science, follow it up with a Master’s and finish it off with a PhD in whatever specialisation your heart desires, but at the end of the day, you need critical reasoning skills to put it all together and the curiosity and wherewithal to conduct experiments to prove your thesis.
3. Surgeon
Surgery-related careers after 12th are related to medical careers after 12th. However, they are a little more specialised than that, too. You have to be able to not just diagnose and identify diseases and disorders in a patient, you also have to be able to perform surgery on them to correct the same. You need to be hyper-specialised in most cases. For example, neurosurgeons practice surgery only on the brain.
Some famous surgeons: Dr. Rajiv Parakh (Chairman at the Division of Peripheral Vascular and Endovascular Sciences at Medanta), Dr. Mammen Chandy (Director at Tata Medical Center, Kolkata), Dr. Saroj Chooramani Gopal (President at National Academy of Medical Sciences)
So there you have it! Here is my take on a list of popular careers after 12th that I feel are going to be steady and stable in the coming few years as the economy nosedives. Please take advantage of your age and youth, and familiarise yourself with these as soon as you can. Then, you can take an informed decision as to what to do next.
Hope we were able to help!