Career Choices after 12th Boards

By- Anmol Bohra, INN/Chennai, @anmol7bohra 

One of the major turning points in a student’s life is finishing High School.

Once the student has qualified the class 12 examination, it’s time for them to think about the career options and courses and get answers to many more related questions about the courses available to them.

With so much potential and energy ready to be unleashed, it is imperative to select a direction for channelizing them. Board exams have been resonant with a taboo of being solely responsible for deciding the fate of a child. But in today’s competitive world, no one parameter is enough to give admission to any student. Not every domain of graduation has your 12^th percentage as the only criteria, rather a majority of them have an entrance test for admission purposes.

For most of the students, the parents choose the course which they think is the best for their child. And to avoid disappointment, the child agrees to follow the path with a blindfold.

Certain students know what they want to pursue after 12^th but is it a correct choice for their future? There are many students who still aren’t sure which course to choose or if that’s the right course for them. (The dilemma is never ending and unfortunately, guidance quotient is next to negligible.)

 

For those who find it difficult to figure out, here are three simple steps by which one can find their interest, of course, to pursue and in which College/University,

 

• Ask yourself, which subject am I really interested in?

People might say that the subject we love or interested in does not have a proper future. Or try to change your mind by discouraging you to not pursue the course you desire. But at that time, you should listen to your heart rather than listening to your mind. Choose a profession which interests you the most because it is you who has to be the professional for the rest of their life. Make sure it is something which irks you to dive deeper into it every day.

 

• Research on the course you are interested in

Once you establish which course you are interested in, begin your research. You will come across different subjects being taught under the course. Look for all the colleges that offer the course you are looking for. Search colleges inside the city and in the outskirts. Go for the best. It’s always good to look for Universities in Abroad.

 

• Fill in the application

Prioritize your dream college, preferred colleges and fall back plan in the same order. Then commence the process of elimination which does not fit your profile. Finally, when you have narrowed your list down, fill the application.

 

CHOOSE THE CAREER AS PER INTEREST:

–        A student having Commerce with Computer Science\Mathematics stream in 12^th standard can pursue his further study in Arts, Humanities, Management, Media, Fashion, Journalism, Tourism Field, etc.

–        A student having Physics, Chemistry and Biology (PCB) in 12^th standard can pursue his further study in Medical, Pharmacy, Science research, etc.

–        A student having Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (PCM)  in 12^th standard can pursue his further study in Engineering, Technology, Pharmacy, Architecture, etc.

Students from any of above streams can pursue their further studies in Law, Management, Fashion and Textile as well.

 

COURSES UNDER CERTAIN STREAMS:

Ø Courses that are available under Arts Stream are Journalism, Visual Communication, Law, Fashion Designing, Hotel Management, Hospitality, Mass Communication, etc.

 

Ø Courses that are available under Commerce Stream are Chartered Accountant (CA), Company Secretary (CS), B. Com General, B.Com MM, BBA, etc.

 

Ø Courses that are available under Medical Stream are MBBS, BDS, BAMS, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Medical Lab Technician, etc.

 

Ø Courses that are available under Medical Stream are Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Biotechnology, Information Technology, etc.

 

Ø Other Professional Courses available are Photography, Interior Designing, Modelling, Philosophy, Ethical Hacking, Painting, Musician, Physical Education, Criminology, Air Hostess, etc.

 

Some Top Colleges to go for in India:

Arts Colleges –

• Lady Shri Ram College for Women, New Delhi
• Stephen’s College, New Delhi
• Christ University, Bangalore
• Loyola College, Chennai

 

Engineering Colleges –

• IIT, Kharagpur
• Delhi Technical University(Formerly DCE )
• Vellore Institute of Technology
• College of Engineering, Guindy

 

Medical Colleges –

• All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi
• Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune
• Madras Medical College, Chennai
• SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Chennai

 

 

Given below, students talk about the courses they have chosen:

Param Shah talks about choosing Engineering.

“Once I finished my 10^th, my dad gave me an idea to pursue Diploma right away. I was weak in Physics and Chemistry but was really good in Computer Science. So, listening to him, I applied for Diploma right after 10^th and got into. Everyone talks about how life is easy after finishing and the money is good but no one talks about the 4 years of hard work, too many assignments, exam pressure and sleepless nights which come within. I was misguided and not briefed on the course properly.”

 

Diva Pandia talks about her decision of pursuing Visual Communication.

“Ever since primary school, I was interested in arts. Because art is a way to express and explore oneself. But as I grew up and years went by, my interests started varying and so did my career options. By the time I was in my 12th grade, I had to go through the trauma of shifting from my favorite city in the entire world to a city I didn’t really know about. Here’s when art helped me get through, it was like I found my long lost best friend, the kind of friend you’d never want to lose. So it was pretty evident for everyone around me to say that I’m going to take arts but when it came to actually putting that thought into existence, it was a hard task and I really had to put a lot of hard work into which most people don’t know because according to them getting into arts is the easiest thing one could think of. ”

“I’m currently doing my second year in B.Sc. Visual Communication at M.O.P. Vaishnav College, Chennai. Why I chose this course was because Visual Communication offers the widest choice of specialist subjects under one collective course; Film and Animation, Graphic Communication, Illustration and Photography. Art is a way of communication between souls. Visual Communication is the foundation of a good (design background) job, you need to be able to communicate the client’s needs and attract the right demographic for that product. Every day is different! Each new brief creates a new challenge. Creating new ideas on a daily basis, this is way better than going through the motions and doing the same thing every day. No two jobs are the same either. And that idea is what reflects in me too.”

 

I read somewhere that a human is the sum total of all their experiences and keeping that in mind, one should never shy away or undermine any opportunity in their life. We should try our level best to absorb as much as possible and strive to become the best version of ourselves in every aspect.

To conclude, I’d like to quote the wise words of Ms. Erica Jog:-

Everyone has an interest\talent, what’s rare is the courage to follow it.