Arun Bangotra
During my career I have seen many of the students confused after 10th and 12th standard about their Career. What to do after 10th and 12th? I have tried to answer few of your questions and offering some advice to students. This article should not only be read by students but should also be read by their parents – because most of the times, parents are the ones who decide what their child is going to do! However, there is one thing – unlike after 12th passing there are 100s of choices, it is not the same for students who have passed 10th standard. But, it is equally important!
What should be done after 10th standard?
When students pass their 10th standard, they are at an age where they really don’t know what to do – they are not matured enough and most of the outcome or the admission depends upon the marks they have secured in 10th standard.
More than 3/4ths of the students go for 3 streams Science, Commerce or Arts and I think it is the right way to move forward. Rest of the 1/4th joins vocational courses like Diploma in Engineering and other under-graduate programs that are offered by various institutions like Polytechnics, ITI etc after the 10th standard.
Here is my advice on career options after 10th Standard
v If you are confused about what you should do then play an elimination game and rate your interests on different parameters. Like if you like animals / plants and trees – Go in for science. Do the same with other subjects as well.
v If you are tilted towards numbers, finance and like to crunch numbers – Commerce may be the side for you. Maximum students who have some family business generally opt for Commerce.
v If you are creative person – like drawing, painting, arts, acting, dancing and all other creative stuff – you should opt for Arts stream. Most of the times students go wrong here. Many students have artistic bent of mind, but they are pushed by their parents to join science, which according to me is the worst thing that a parent can do for their child. Don’t push them – Empower them to make decisions. However, at the same time tell them the pros and cons of joining a particular stream. Many a time students think that with Arts stream they can crack KAS/IAS exam easily without much effort, which is totally wrong. In the recent time it is seen maximum students who qualify KAS/IAS and other competitive exam are from Engineering and Science background. The reason being the aptitude level and confidence level earned by them after possessing tough qualifications.
v The last option is Engineering Diploma from Polytechnics. This option is the most important one taking into consideration the demand of Engineers in the field of Engineering-Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and other subjects- you can opt for Diploma in Engineering from Polytechnics. Moreover after earning Diploma in Engineering many of the students are joining the engineering colleges for a B.Tech and they have the advantage of getting admission in the second year of the course. After 10th in 6 year the students will attain the engineering graduation. If they do B.Tech after 12th it will take 4 year. so time period is same. I will suggest that is students are interested in B.Tech, its better to start engineering after 10th and attain both Diploma and Degree in Engineering and have a wide scope of option for jobs.
What should I do after my 12th Standard?
This is the most difficult question and there is no easy answer for it. Most of the students who ask this questions are the ones who probably have not passed with flying colors and have very little chance of getting into mainstream high-flying courses like BE, BTech, MBBS, LLB etc. Here is a run down on what you can do after you pass your 12th Standard.
First of all there is no point in discussing this profession is good or that profession is good. As per the current familiarity with regards to possible careers in one’s life, 12th passed out students aim for Engineering, Medical, and Arm Forces (NDA) courses, etc. One point worth reminding is that – there are a number of jobs that we don’t really think about while we study 10th or 12th Standard or college classes like:-
v People who are working as clerk in most offices.
v People who are working as Directors in many offices like (post office, tourism dept, military, etc).
So, the idea to convey is that even though we have studied physics or chemistry or zoology or botany or English or physiology or history or geography in colleges or universities; an individual has to work as something else at last when the study in universities or colleges are completed. The work of a police officer is something different from what one has learnt in schools or college or universities in various subjects. Thus, every student passing out 12th Standard & even rest of the students in various standards in schools or colleges or universities should be aware of the fact that we need to think of the need to develop one’s skill for the requirements of various jobs available along with academic career.
It’s time to stop thinking of the jobs provided by the State Govt or Govt. of India as the only option. There are both plus & minus points to think of private jobs or of govt jobs. Things & Time have changed many concepts. There are many industries & institutions coming up creating various challenging jobs for almost all the courses of academic education.
Today’s private industries do give same privilege like that of govt jobs, like pension, medical benefits, etc. Even all those who study Engineering or Medical or Legal or Architecture, and many others can’t be given job by our government or government of India. We have courses like M.C.A, B.Sc (Computer), and M.B.A, etc whose professionals have no direct suitable jobs and simply, no place in Govt ministries. So, students should not look in the course one is studying from the perspective of government jobs. Lifestyle, self-satisfaction, financial growth, security, and many others are far better in private jobs other than that of government jobs. Government jobs will kill one’s patience and self-dignity, as Govt jobs are full of corruptions & malpractices. Government jobs will lower one’s skills & eagerness to enhance one’s knowledge.
A few of government jobs will be interesting, but the works are not free from interruption from third parties. Instead private jobs or jobs newly created by self will be full of passion and adventurous. In short, most of the academic courses will just not help someone to get a Govt job; rather it is better to study courses that will allow us to earn for living.
Well, there is a personal suggestion for those who are unable to clear entrance exams like JKCET, AIEEE for Engineering or Medical courses (i.e. professional courses which are high in demand after 12th standard). As industries of all spectrums are growing up, there is a huge requirement of managers capable of taking tough decisions that are critical for the successful working of the companies. So, Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a good option to study, and also to make fast & hefty earning after study. We will discuss much on what and how about MBA in other articles. But, the point to make here is that one should study General Courses like B.Sc or B.A or B.Com with the clear perspective of what one is supposed to do after completion; since such courses find nearly impossible to get a decent job for living.
We have seen Engineers, doctors and even IAS/IPS officers going ahead for MBA after working for a long time or after completion of studies. As the basic criteria for studying MBA is just a graduate, one can still think of completing B.Sc or B.A. or B.Com or any comfortable degree course which will be also helpful in carrying on MBA studies in latter course.
Just spending 3 years for general studies like B.Sc, B.Com, etc and doing MBA is still worth, than doing MBA after Engineering (4 years) or Medical (5 & 6 years), etc. There is always plus & minus for choosing MBA course from various undergraduate courses. And there are also reasons for taking up MBA courses after working for long years in various fields or after studying specific specialized professional courses.
But, the idea wished to be conveyed here is that – there are still many courses far better than just BE or MBBS. So, 12th passed out students needn’t worry if they are not able to go for such professional courses. The ultimate requirement in one’s career is nothing but, ability to earn enough money and status to control the rest. For this simple concept, one needs not to be a doctor or an engineer.
It’s too late to think about Engineering or Medical entrances after clearing 12th exam and it is better to think of other options like MBA, KAS, IAS, etc (which is in fact to be done after a graduate course, and hence choose a simple & easy to learn graduate course with the plan of future professional academic study)
So there you have it – If you have not got good marks, do your graduation and then you have 3 years atleast to plan your future !
The author is Principal, Government Polytechnic College, Udhampur.
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