The Ultimate Blueprint for Career Guidance in India

Career guidance in India is a broad term that refers to the various tools and resources available to help individuals make informed decisions about their career paths.

This can include everything from career counseling and coaching to online resources and career fairs.

If you’re looking for career guidance in India, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

First, career counselors can help you assess your career aptitude and make career selection more effective.

A career counselor can also administer career counseling services, including psychological counseling and aptitude tests, to help you find the career that’s right for you.

Another factor to consider when looking for career guidance is whether or not the career counseling service offers career guidance online. Many career counseling services now offer career counseling online, which can be a convenient option if you’re unable to attend in-person career counseling sessions.

To find the best career counseling companies in India, you may want to do some research online or read career counseling articles to learn more about the different options available. And finally, consider looking for free career counseling or lower-cost career counseling services in order to save money on career counseling fees.

Factors Affecting Career Guidance In India

When it comes to career guidance, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

First, career counselors are experts in helping you assess your career aptitude and choose an effective career path. They can also provide valuable career counseling services, such as career assessment, aptitude tests, intelligence tests, psychological counseling, and career counseling online in India.

Another important consideration when looking for career guidance is whether or not you prefer career counseling online or in person. Many career counseling services now offer career counseling online, which can be a convenient option if you’re unable to attend in-person career counseling sessions.

To find the best career counseling companies in India, you may want to do some research online or read career counseling articles to learn more about the different career counseling services available.

And finally, consider looking for free career counseling or lower-cost career counseling services in order to save money on career counseling fees. Whether you’re looking for career guidance in India or career counseling online, there are plenty of great options available to help you find the career that’s right for you.

Career Guidance is a counseling program designed to help students choose the right career path based on their educational and professional choices. It is a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the knowledge, skills, information, and experience to identify career options available.

Your career will ideally span for around 40 years, and it is where you will spend most of your time. So it is wise to pick a career that you like. The right career will help you achieve your goals, and help you grow and progress in life. By choosing a course after 12th in an area that you find interesting, you can discover a happy and fulfilling career. The way to the right career path can be achieved through career guidance.

The number of different career options available today is huge, and this fact is both a pro and a con. A vast number of career choices opens up many opportunities for students to explore. On the flip side, it can be daunting and confusing to pick the right one, considering this choice is made when you are just 15 or 16 years old. We have prepared this career guidance article (which can be considered as a blueprint for career guidance after the 12th and also for career guidance after the 10th) precisely to tackle this con. Choosing the wrong course can lead to years of study that can end up being wasted when you change your career stream.

The Silver Lining for Today’s Students

Not only are there many course options today, but there are also many different modes of studying available for students. There are traditional universities, training centers, and online courses. Students interested in pursuing a course that is not available in India can easily do so today because many international education organizations assist students from start to finish and provide career guidance after the 12th on moving abroad to study.

Adults are also more broad-minded and open to their children pursuing non-traditional courses. Students who are passionate about a hobby can pursue a career in it as there are formal educational centers (Delhi College of Photography for students interested in photography, Shankar Mahadevan Academy for students interested in music, etc.) for almost every hobby. It is, however, good to meet professionals for career guidance after the 12th, before making any decision.
Tips for Career Guidance
The first step we want to provide in our blueprint for career guidance after the 12th (which can be applied to career guidance after the 10th as well) is selecting your path after your finals. After you pass out of 10th or 12th, there are three ways forward:

Progress in your current stream by studying further
Change streams by studying further
Progress in your career stream by working (part-time or full-time)

The path you choose should be selected after considering the following important factors –

Your field or area of interest – It can include science, mathematics, art, drawing, music, etc. Your passion or hobby – Pursuing a career in a field that you are already passionate about is always rewarding.
Your personality – Every student is different, and your personality may be the perfect fit for one field but not for another. A career in medicine and engineering requires discipline, the merchant navy requires patience, and aviation requires mettle. Identifying your personality and temperament will give you a clue as to which career will help you stay happy.
Your skills – Skills can be learned or innate, and students at an early age can develop and identify skills they have that make them good at certain tasks. Pursuing a career that requires a skill that you are already good at will help you progress faster. For example, if you have a way with numbers, accounting can be a field worth considering.
Course curriculum – Many times, students pick a course without understanding the syllabus that will be covered and the subjects they will learn. It’s important to note that the subjects you learn will become your area of expertise and open the doors for your career. Make it a point to check the course curriculum, which can easily be accessed online today, and find out if it is in the area that interests you.
Future prospects – the changing work landscape creates new opportunities, but also sometimes makes some redundant. It is important to plan for your future. Perform some research to learn the future of the field you are choosing, and if there is scope for continued growth.
Finances – Finances can also impact the course or college you select after the 12th. Fortunately, there are many scholarship options and financial aid that you can use to overcome any financial issues. You can also consider taking up an alternate course that is cheaper, beginning your career, and then pursuing a higher degree. For example, start with a diploma course (this guide will give you Useful Tips on the Best Ways to Get a Diploma in Digital Marketing) and then pursue a master’s degree.

Your Guide to Career Guidance After 12th

Engineering
Engineering is the best career choice for science students who are inclined toward technology or machines. While a few years ago engineering seemed to become saturated, the growth in technology has opened up many new streams and career options in the field of engineering, like automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc., making engineering a very lucrative career option.

A valid question to ask yourself is if you’re interested in mathematics, computing, and/or science because every engineering stream will require expertise in one or all of these subjects. The next important decision will be to decide which field of engineering you are interested in. There are core streams like aeronautical engineering, mechatronics, and petrochemical engineering that delve into a specific area of engineering. There are also broader, general engineering courses like mechanical engineering and computer science (cybersecurity is a hot topic today, and if you’re interested you should read this article: What is Ethical Hacking? Is it a Right Career Choice?) that is good for students who aren’t sure of which core domain they want to choose. You can consider a master’s degree to specialize after choosing a general course. Meeting with working engineers and career guidance professionals will help you decide if you are uncertain.

Depending on the college and city you plan to study in, you can attend one or more of the following exams after 12th:

Medical Science
Like Engineering, Medical Science is an extremely popular and lucrative field for education in India. This includes many different areas of medicine and biology, like MBBS, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, etc. you can venture into a practice-based field, like complete MBBS and work as a doctor, or into a research-based field, like complete pharmacology and research new drugs and medicines.

The medical field is no longer limited, and the areas of study and growth are numerous. It’s important to take sufficient time to find out what area of medicine interests you the most, because, unlike engineering, changing career paths after opting for a medical science stream can be hard (but not impossible). Medical science also requires hard work and dedication (more than most fields).

Depending on the college and city you plan to study in, you can attend one or more of the following exams after 12th:

NEET.
NEET MDS.
FMGE.
JIPMER PG.
AIIMS PG.
PGIMER Entrance Exam.
Indian Army BSc Nursing.

These links should help with different exams and career options in medical science:

Pre Medical Entrance Exams in India
List of Medical Exams in India

Meeting with working medical professionals and career guidance counselors will help you decide if you are uncertain about which course to pursue.

Commerce
For students not particularly interested in science, but with an aptitude for and interest in mathematics, commerce is a great way forward after 12th. There are many different options in the field of commerce, like accounting, auditing, analytics, tax affairs, law, management, economics, etc. Each of these courses will guide you towards a particular career domain, so choosing the right one at this juncture is important.

Similar to science streams, you can consider studying further after completing your commerce undergrad course. For students who successfully get through a course in commerce, options like Chartered Accountancy, Macro Economics, Company Secretary, Business Administration, etc. are very lucrative and rewarding. It’s easier to change career paths after completing commerce, mainly because commerce subjects provide business knowledge that can be applied to streams outside of regular commerce fields. Meeting with working professionals and career guidance counselors will help you decide if you are uncertain about which course to pursue.

Depending on the college and city you plan to study in, you can attend one or more of the following exams after 12th:

4. Digital marketing courses after the 12th

After passing class 12th, the selection of a career line can be a little bit confusing for every student. Most of the students choose either engineering or Medical arena to pursue a career. In this digital world, digital marketing is a new and unique course to opt for students. It is distinct from other courses. The digital marketing world is continuously growing feathers.

Users are using digital platforms for everything. Be it from buying a shirt to booking an appointment with a doctor. Everything is becoming digital. The importance of digital marketing is increasing simultaneously. Digital marketing is an artistry to attract customers or audiences to a site.

Online marketing uses digital platforms for marketing. If you are passionate about writing blogs, go on and show your creativity to the world. Use digital media techniques to showcase your singing or dancing talent on YouTube. Digital melting is the best course one can take after the 12th.

The opportunity is great for a digital marketer in the latest market. So, learn digital marketing to build, scale up and enhance a brand’s online reputation. One thing to remember is that in this 21st century, businesses are thriving on online presence.

A few years ago, people used to get all the content from TV, radio, etc. Now even students are studying from online blogs and videos. Everyone wants to gain knowledge from digital media. Here stands the necessity of digital marketing.

The sphere of digital marketing courses can make a student future-ready and adept at working for a good company. The reasons to opt for a digital marketing course after the 12th are:

• To work in a fast-moving environment
• For elevated career growth
• For amazing digital marketing internships and jobs
• For a continuous learning environment
• A versatile field
• Digital marketing is an evolving industry

Digital Marketing Vertices

The digital marketing course consists of several vertices. You need to select the right one for you according to your interest. Those are:
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) –
Search engine Optimization focuses on driving a site to the top in search engines like Yahoo, Google, and Bing. SEO enhances the quantity and quality of a website’s traffic.
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM) –
This strategy increases the visibility of websites on the SERPs (search engine results pages).
• Social Media Marketing (SMM) –
In Social media marketing, one uses websites and social media platforms for promoting products or services. It is becoming famous for researchers and practitioners.
• Email Marketing –
Email marketing is marketing to send commercial messages to people via email. Each email sent to customers is mainly known as email marketing. It consists of sending business requests, advertisements or donations, etc.
• Content Marketing –
This is a strategy for attracting, engaging, and retaining audiences through the creation of relevant videos, articles, podcasts, and several other media. Content Marketing promotes the awareness of a brand.
• Web Analytics-
Web Analytics is the method of collecting and analyzing website data. The focus of web analytics is to identify measures of user and organizations’ aims and data in determining the failure or success of the goals.
• Affiliate Marketing –
Affiliate advertising is a method where a company repays 3rd party publishers for generating leads or traffic to that company’s goods.
•YouTube Marketing –
YouTube marketing is nowadays popular marketing among youngsters. It is a practice to promote and enhance a business or brand on the platform YouTube by uploading several videos on the YouTube channel of the company.
•Digital Media Planning and Buying –
Digital Media Planning and Buying is a method that helps brands and businesses connect with consumers as they move through several stages of the purchasing journey.

Digital Marketing Job Opportunities

The skills of digital marketing are in high demand. Each business needs a solid online presence to attract users. So the ventures are seriously focusing on digital marketing.

Digital marketing is the latest field. Every company requires good digital marketers. In recent times, there will be more than four lakh jobs in the arena of digital marketing. Not many digital marketers are there in the market in India. The gap between the demand for digital marketers and the supply needs to be filled. The jobs in digital marketing give the highest salary.

Digital Marketing Salary in India

Since the pandemic arrived, businesses have become dependent on various digital platforms. Most of the activities of businesses and brands are done on digital media. Therefore the stretch of digital marketing is growing further. It has led to the escalating number of digital marketing jobs along with salaries.

The salary given to a fresher in the digital marketing genre is good. The professionals having experience in this field can draw an enormous amount of money in salaries.

•The fresher in the digital marketing field can get around 3.6 Lakhs/ annum. It may be 4.5 Lakhs to 5 Lakhs per annum depending on the companies.
•Persons having experience of 5 – 10 years can get a salary from Rs 12 Lakhs – 20 Lakhs per year.
•Professionals having experience of 10+ years can receive around 20 lakhs – 50 Lakhs per annum.

Know the digital marketing syllabus

It is vital to know what you can learn in the course of digital marketing. The syllabus of the digital marketing course includes:

1) Basics of Digital marketing
2) OE Model along with Technical Basics
3) Marketing Planning Framework
4) Website Creation, Planning, and Hosting
5) Advanced on-Page Search Engine Optimization, off-page Search Engine Optimization and Link-Building
6) Content Planning, Writing, along with Marketing
7) Local SEO and Google My Business
8) Automation and Email Marketing
9) Google Adwords
10) Google webmaster
11) Facebook Advertising
12) Enhancing and Managing Facebook pages
13) Retargeting and Remarketing
14) Affiliate Marketing
15) Blogging
16) Google Analytics
17) Blogging and Google Adsense
18) Advertisements Designing for Online Marketing
19) Building, Growing and Earning through a YouTube Channel
20) E-commerce Management
21) Paid Advertisements Optimization Strategies
22) Mobile Marketing

Arts
For students who are interested in subjects like history, language, sociology, geography, psychology, and political science, Arts is a great course to take up. You can acquire a bachelor’s degree or diploma in one of the following:

Humanities & Social Sciences
Fine/Visual/Performing Arts
Design and Animation
Legislative Law
Hospitality & Travel
Journalism & Mass Communication
Accounting and Commerce
IT and Software
Fashion Design

Careers in engineering and medicine are not the only reliable options available today. The landscape is evolving and a career in a field like fashion designing can be as rewarding and high-paying as engineering. It’s advisable to research the different subjects available and pick one that interests you the most. Meeting with working professionals and career guidance counselors will help you decide if you are uncertain about which course to pursue.

Depending on the college and city you plan to study in, you can attend one or more of the following exams after the 12th:

Vocational Courses
While Engineering, Medicine, Commerce and Arts are the courses most students are usually advised to pursue, there are many vocational courses that you can consider. Here are some options:

Sound Engineer / Audio Technician – Sound engineering can be taken up as an engineering course, after engineering, or directly after the 12th. It involves setting up and managing audio equipment for live shows, studio recordings, and radio broadcasts. For any student interested in music and sound, this can be a very interesting field.
Game Design – Students passionate about playing video games can turn their passion into a career with a course in game design. Game design requires software and/or animation knowledge, and students can take up courses for these right after  12th.
Aviation – Students interested in flying can choose a career between Commercial Airline Pilot or Military Aviation, and pilot jobs like a cabin crew. The options in Commercial Aviation are-
Passenger airlines
Cargo planes
International air services
Air taxi charter operations
The options in Military Aviation are:
The Indian Air Force
Aviation arms of the Navy and Army
The options in cabin crew are:
Flight Attendants
You can learn more about the courses and the way forward in aviation here: Career as a Pilot | Aviation
Marine / Merchant Navy – If you’re interested in sailing but not looking to become a marine engineer, you can get into the Deck Department of the merchant navy right after the 12th. The merchant navy has two verticals – Engineering and the Deck Department, and while the former requires an engineering degree, the latter can be pursued right after the 12th, with interested candidates starting as a Deck Cadet on a ship. Students keen on learning more about the diverse roles in the merchant navy should read this article – A Guide to Merchant Navy Officer Ranks.
Photography and Videography – For students who prefer to work outdoors and have a creative mind, photography and videography are two extremely lucrative fields. It is also much easier to start a career in photography and/or videography today because there are formal educational centers that teach you the technical aspects of the camera and the creative aspects of shooting.

Taking up a short-term vocational course is a good idea when you are not sure about how to proceed with your career. You can use this time to learn and also meet career guidance counselors to plan your future, especially if you’ve just finished 10th and are looking for career guidance after 10th. You can also consider spending your time on online tasks like blogging, which can turn out to be lucrative as it did for these bloggers – Top 21 Indian Blogger Earnings that Will Amaze You.
The Way Forward
Once you have determined the area that interests you, the next step is identifying the top colleges that teach a course in that stream and the entrance exam you need to pass to get in. There are many tiers 1, 2, and 3 colleges all over India today, and depending on your financial status and the provided course curriculum, you should select the best one for you. Ideally, it is advisable to select up to 5 different colleges and attend the different entrance exams that give you the option to pick from all 5. Keeping backup options is always smart.

In parting, we would like to say that most students at this juncture are confused and that is OK. This exactly is why there are counselors for career guidance after the 10th and 12th. Meeting these professionals will give you a better understanding of the current job market, and the options available, and they also help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. A quick search online will give you a list of the top career guidance counselors near you, and we advise you to seek their help if you are unsure about the right career path for you.

This is a very interesting Ted Talk every student must watch: Three Questions to unlock your authentic career: Ashley Stahl at TEDxBerkeley.

FAQs

Question: Who can benefit from career guidance in India?
Answer: The benefits of career guidance are available to anyone who is interested in pursuing a career path in India. Whether you are a recent graduate just starting out, or an experienced professional looking to transition to a new career field, career guidance can help you identify your goals and create a plan to achieve them.

Question: What are some of the most popular career guidance resources in India?
Answer: Some of the most popular career guidance resources in India include career counseling services, career coaching programs, online career assessments and tools, career fairs, and job search resources.

Question: Which is the best career counseling or career guidance site in India?
Answer: Let’s have a look at the best career counseling websites in India that assist students and professionals in determining their own career path while also assisting them with

• Ncs.gov.in
• Edumilestones.com
• Byjus.com
• Careerguide.com
• Mapmytalent.in
• Shiksha.com
• Freshersworld.com

Question: What is the right age for career counseling?
Answer: Students should visit a Career Counsellor during the ages of 13-17 years (8th standard to 12th standard).

Question: What is online career counseling and guidance?
Answer: Students and professionals may discover their real potential, which is precisely in line with their professional interests, through online career counseling and assistance. They may get expert career counseling from a distance at an affordable cost by visiting their local library.

Question: What are the types of career counseling?
Answer: There are different types of career counseling services:

• Individual career counseling.
• Group career counseling.
• Career testing and assessment
• DIY Career Coaching ( Self-Directed Job Search)
• Career Marketing Firms
• Independent Career Transition Coaches