Viable Career Paths After Class XII

Career Decision: Three Crucial Stages

Career decision is the most important component for success and satisfaction in life. There are three major stages when you have to decide what you want to be or what you will be in life. These stages are 1) Choosing the right stream after class X, 2) Choosing the right course/program after class XII, and 3) Selecting the right profession after completing formal education.

So, you may realize that you are at the second crucial stage of your career planning. You must decide carefully the career path and the relevant course after class XII to give a definitive shape to your career.

Deciding is Important

While there are many career avenues, assessing one’s options carefully is a must. Sometimes, options may seem scarce but deciding the right thing based on your past performance, aptitude, and personality becomes even more important amid the scarcity of opportunities.

Making the right decisions are all the more important when there are many options. Sometimes students ask if they should apply for all the entrance examinations for which they are eligible. Well, I would suggest they should apply if they can as that helps in narrowing down the choices.

Career Opportunities After XII

In this article, you will find career information regarding opportunities after class XII. The notification for admission into various undergraduate, professional, and vocational courses will start soon, for many in the following weeks.

Let’s know about some of them.

Undergraduate Courses (B.A./B.Com/B.Sc.)

If you wish to pursue higher education for becoming a specialist in a field, get into research, or are looking for getting into a government job, then you need to take admission into an undergraduate course or a program.

While most of the state and private universities admit students based on merit, many of the central universities conduct entrance examinations.

Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET) for admission into 14 central universities to various undergraduate courses is likely to be notified soon.

Delhi University also conducts the Delhi University Entrance Test (DUET) for several of its courses. The admissions shall tentatively begin from July 15, 2021, immediately after the class XII result declaration by various boards. For more information, you may visit the website https://nta.ac.in/DuetExam.

Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) offers a range of undergraduate and professional courses. The admission is on either merit or entrance exams. Visit the website for further information – http://jmicoe.in/.

Engineering Sciences (B.Tech., B.E., B.Arch., B.Planning)

Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) is now conducted four times in a year after amendments made last year in 2020. This exam is conducted in two stages – JEE Main and JEE Advanced.

While JEE Main is for admission to NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs, JEE Advanced gets you a seat in one of the prestigious IITs. The candidate should have secured at least 75% marks in the 12th class examination apart from qualifying in the JEE.

Get all related information on the website https://jeemain.nta.nic.in/webinfo2021/Page/Page?PageId=1&LangId=P

Medical and Dental Sciences (MBBS and BDS)

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET UG) 2021 will take place on 1st August this year. It is conducted by National Testing Agency for admission into MBBS/BDS and other medical courses in approved colleges and medical institutions in India.

Admission to MBBS course in AIIMS (New Delhi), JIPMER, and all AIIMS like Institutions is also done through NEET scores.

Find all information regarding NEET on the website https://ntaneet.nic.in/Ntaneet/Welcome.aspx

Pharmaceutical Sciences and Physiotherapy

Several central and state technical and professional universities conduct entrance exams for admission into D.Pharma, B.Pharma, D.P.T and B.P.T.

Jamia Hamdard University and Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research (DIPSAR) admits students in UG course on basis of merit or NEET score.

For information about DIPSAR UG program, visit the website http://www.dipsar.ac.in/ .

Jamia Millia Islamia carries out an entrance exam for admission into these courses followed by a personal interview.

Agricultural Sciences and Animal Husbandry

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) conducts an all India entrance examination for admission into UG, PG, and PhD courses in agricultural universities across the country.

For information on different courses and institutes, you may access the website https://icar.nta.nic.in/WebInfo/Public/Home.aspx

Education and Teaching

If you wish to become a schoolteacher or an expert specialized in school education, you may consider taking admission in teacher training courses at various educational institutes and universities.

National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) conducts the Common Entrance Exam (CEE) for admission into Integrated B.Ed. programs for its eight constituent regional institutes of education (RIEs).

CEE is scheduled for 18th July this year and the last date of submission of application forms is 30th June, 2021.

Look https://ncert.nic.in/pdf/notice/CEE-2021-English.pdf for more information.

Many nursery teacher training institutes offer D.El.Ed and B.El.Ed programs for nursery and primary school teaching. The District Institutes of Educational Training (DIETs) and Faculty of Education of various universities also provide teacher education programs after class XII.

Defence Services

Many students aspire for a career in the armed forces. After class XII, you may appear in the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam, which takes place twice a year in April and September, for entry into the army, navy, and air force for officer rank.

You may see the link https://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/Notif-NDA-NA-I-2021-Engl-301220.pdf for detailed information on the scheme and syllabus of the exam.

One may also apply for 10+2 Technical Entry Scheme-45 for entry into the Indian Army. The candidates must have qualified class XII with Physics, Chemistry, and Maths with an aggregate of 70% marks. The application form is expected in July-August this year.

Keep checking important updates on http://joinindianarmy.nic.in/Notificationdetail.htm?741

For getting into naval services, there is a 10+2 (B.Tech) cadet entry scheme whereby, after completion of the B.Tech. course, the cadet is permanently commissioned under the naval services.

Get more information on https://www.joinindiannavy.gov.in/en/event/online-application-for-10-2-b-tech-cadet-entry-scheme-jan-2021-batch-1.html

Until now, all these exams are sadly for male candidates only. The JEE score is important for admission into all these programs.

Hotel Management

National Council for Hotel Management Joint Entrance Examination (NCHM JEE – 2021) will take place on 12th June 2021 for admission to B.Sc. (Hospitality and Hotel Administration) in institutes affiliated to NCHMCT. These institutes offer 11 (eleven) different professional programs leading to the award of Certificate, Diploma, Post-Graduate Diploma, Bachelor and Master Degrees.

For applying to the program, a candidate must have qualified the class XII exam (any stream) from a recognized educational board.

The last date for submission of the online application form is 20th June.

Visit the website https://nchmjee.nta.nic.in/WebInfo/Page/Page?PageId=1&LangId=P for more information on this.

Fashion Technology

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) conducts entrance examination for admission into B.Design and B.FTech. courses in two stages. The first stage comprises Creative Ability Test (CAT) and General Ability Test (GAT).

Those who qualify in the first stage can appear for NIFT Situation Test. A candidate must have qualified class XII from any stream and must be below 24 years of age for admission into the program.

The NIFT offers B.Des. in fashion design, leather design, accessory design, textile design, knitwear design, fashion communication, and apparel production. You may visit the website https://nift.ac.in/ugprogrammes for more information about the courses offered.

Law Programs

The consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) conducts the national level Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) for admission into various UG and PG law programs in its 22 national law universities across the country. The last date for submission of the online application form is 15th June.

After completing the UG and PG programs in law, one becomes eligible for the recruitment of legal positions in PSUs and private companies. You may also choose to undertake a lucrative independent or private practice after completing these programs.

For more information, visit the website https://consortiumofnlus.ac.in/

The career paths leading numerous career avenues mentioned here are not exhaustive. There are many more opportunities for you to explore. So, don’t get disheartened if you couldn’t find a career avenue that suits you the most in this list.

Conscious career planning begins early in your academic journey. Read the detailed article ‘Few Things to Think Before You Make Your Career Decisions‘ about how to plan your career in advance.

You may suggest in the comment box about a career you would like to know and I will respond to your every query. Also, I will bring more useful information for the young minds bubbling with all the energy to find the direction of their life.