Education

Selecting the best career path after your 12th exam

-By Shakil Bha, USA

Choosing your field of study after your 12th exam is extremely confusing and frustrating. I have seen students repent on their decision of selecting a particular field because, by the time they graduated, its demand had gone and they were left frustrated and depressed. So, what do you do? Is there a way out?

The best thing to do is to ask an experienced person. Someone who has gone through all these troubles. I am one of them. Those days were worse than my exam days! My advice is:

1. First of all, think where do you want to settle after graduating? Most of the students from our village prefer to study so that they can go to countries like Canada, UK, USA and so on. Some prefer to stay in India. Some just want to study to pass their time before they can fly to other countries.

2. The next step is selecting the field of study. Be alert. This is the most important decision of your life. Many degrees that you think are in demand in India are not even recognised in other countries. You don’t want to waste your four years of education for nothing. So, find out the job prospects and further education opportunities in other countries. Find out what you may have to do to qualify for the job after you get into another country. Talk to your parents, talk to friends, discuss with the people who have gone through all these situations. My advice is not to get carried away by attractive and complex degree names.

3. If you want to pursue your career in India, be prepared to move out of the village for some jobs. As we all know, you can only get some jobs in big cities like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Surat, Vadodara and so on. Teaching jobs are some of the most promising and attractive. You could get a decent amount of money and don’t have to travel a lot. However, there is a lot of competition and you may be left frustrated.

In countries like the UK and USA, I have experienced demand for the following professionals.

In the UK:

• Construction: Electricians, Plumbers.
• Education: Teachers, Professors.
• Engineering: Chemical, Mechanical.
• IT: Computer Programmers.
• Medical: Doctor, Dentist, Nurse, Pharmacist, Physiotherapist.

In the USA:

• Education: Teachers, Professors.
• Engineering: Aviation, Chemical.
• IT: Computer Programmers.
• Medical: Doctor, Nurse, Pharmacist.

Just remember, my fellow Tankarvis, that the job market is very different in western countries. You will be amazed to find that the above professionals make a fortune. Their salary can be in six figures of the respective country’s currency! Surprised and excited? But don’t forget that you will need to work very hard to achieve that. Nothing is impossible, but you have to sweat a lot.

This is just an example of looking at the job markets of other countries that may help you to shape your career and future. So, stay connected. If you have any questions, please contact me at: sab@mytankaria.com