Most of the students get stuck after passing the 10th-grade exams and get confused about choosing the right programs for their career advancement. They find it difficult to decide about which path to follow after the 10th; which program or stream to choose.
Are you stuck with the following questions?
- What are the programs after the 10th?
- What are the courses after the 10th?
- What to do after 10th class?
- Which stream to follow: commerce, computers, engineering, medical, etc.
What to do after 10th to make the right choice?
There are so many programs after the 10th exams but how would you decide which one is right for you? To be successful in the field, students must choose the right path for advanced studies which ultimately leads to their career path. The right decision at this stage may take you to the ladder of success. Otherwise, you will repent on your wrong decision for the rest of your life. Career counseling is considered worthless in our society, whereas, counseling with an experienced career counselor can help you succeed and lead to the right path for your future endeavors.
The key to picking the right path is to know yourself, your talents, and your interests. If you follow what you love, the money will follow. In order to ease you out and decide what program you should enroll for, you need to first evaluate yourself and find out the characteristics of your personality. To know your Personality Characteristics check our other article Which Career? Free Personality and career aptitude tests.
This article will help you identify the education streams and decide which path to follow. After passing the 10th grade exams, you have the following streams to opt for their 11th and 12th grade.
a. Science– Pre-engineering
The students who want to become an engineer should opt this stream. This stream enables them to pursue their higher studies for engineering domain programs such as Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electronics Engineering, etc.
Following are a few career options after completion of education in the field of Engineering:
- Aerospace Engineer
- Agricultural Engineer
- Automotive Engineer
- Biomedical Engineer
- Chemical Engineer
- Civil Engineer
- Computer Engineer
- Drafting and Design Engineer
- Electrical Engineer
- Environmental Engineer
- Geological Engineer
- Marine Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Petroleum Engineer
- Software Engineer
b. Science– Pre-medical
The students who want to become a physician, a surgeon, or any domain of medical or biological field should opt this stream. This stream enables them to pursue their higher studies in the field of medical or biological sciences, such as MBBS, Doctor of Physiotherapy, Doctor of Nutrition Sciences, ENT Surgeon, etc.
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Following are a few career options after completion of medical education:
- Adult nurse
- Anaesthetist
- Cardiologist
- Children’s nurse
- Clinical radiologist
- Clinical scientist, genomics
- General practice doctor
- Higher education lecturer
- Hospital doctor
- International aid/development worker
- Medical sales representative
- Medical science liaison
- Mental health nurse
- Midwife
- Naturopath
- Neurologist
- Ophthalmologist
- Paramedic
- Pathologist
- Physician associate
- Psychiatrist
- Research scientist (life sciences)
- Science writer
- Surgeon
c. Intermediate in Computer Science (ICS)
The students who want to pursue a career in computer sciences should opt for this stream. This stream enables them to pursue their higher studies in the field of IT, Computer Sciences, Software Engineering, etc. after the 10th grade exams.
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Following are a few career options after completion of the education in the field of computer sciences:
- Application analyst
- Applications developer
- Cybersecurity analyst
- Data analyst
- Database administrator
- Forensic computer analyst
- Game designer
- Games developer
- Information systems manager
- IT consultant
- IT sales professional
- IT trainer
- Nanotechnologist
- Network engineer
- Software engineer
- Supply chain manager
- Systems analyst
- Telecommunications researcher
- UX designer
- Web designer
- Web developer
d. Intermediate in Commerce (I.Com)
If you like playing/working with numbers, and feel comfortable in calculations, this is a good option for you. You may pursue higher studies in the fields of Finance, Commerce, Accountancy, Business Studies, Marketing, etc. The girls may also go for Home Economics.
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- Accounting
- Agriculture Economics
- Banking
- Certified Financial Planner
- Chartered Accountants
- Chartered Financial Analyst
- Company Secretary
- CWA
- Economist
- Home Economics Expert
- Human Resource manager
- Loans executive
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Stock Broking
- Venture capitalist
e. Arts/Humanities
Although most people do not consider it valuable, it also offers a wide range of study paths such as Sociology, Literature, Psychology, History, Political Science, and languages, etc. after the 10th grade exams.
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Following are a few career options after completion of the education in the field of Arts/Humanities:
- Photographer
- Educator
- Editor
- Graphic designer
- Fashion designer
- Historian
- Musician
- Writer
- Sociologist
- Artist
f. Polytechnic Diploma courses
This is a side stream of the Engineering domain, which is technology-oriented. Polytechnic Diploma is a 3-year course that gives you the option to start working as a technician immediately after the completion or you may pursue higher studies (B.Tech). This stream of technology education offers in almost all fields of engineering domains such as Electrical Technology, Computer Science, Civil Technology, Agriculture Technology, Textile Technology, and Mechanical Technology, etc.
The polytechnic diploma offers the students to start their professional careers immediately after the completion of their diploma which is best suited for those who want to start their careers due to their financial constraints. Diploma holders get the jobs as a technician or assistant engineer in the relevant field of diploma. Moreover, due to the practical training and exposure to technology, a polytechnic diploma enables you to start your own business. This diploma gives you all the practical training in the respective field. For example, if you have done a diploma in Automobile technology, you may start your own automobile repair shop.
f. Dars-e-Nizami
This is a very specialized field of study which relates to the Islamic religious education for those who want to pursue their career in Islamic Studies. This stream offers a blend of formal education in addition to Islamic education that enables the students to grasp the religious education and become a religious scholar. Allama Iqbal Open University offers a good range of courses for Dars-e-Nizami.
Dars-e-Nizami is not a professional education but is respectful religious education. The qualified scholars may pursue their career in the field of teaching Islamic Studies, serve as Khateeb, Imam, or become a Mufti.
So how to select the right path?
How to begin? First, gather information. Make a list of your interests and the school subjects you performed well in. Then identify your personality traits and the matching career path. How will you do that? There are a number of websites that offer these tests but charge a heavy amount for it. Don’t worry, we have compiled a list of free online career aptitude tests and quizzes, as well as personality tests that help you achieve your goals and help you answer the question of what to do after 10th.
Some tests are very easy but others require a good understanding of the Engish language. In case, you feel difficulty in the tests, you may seek the help of your friends/parents so that you may get the accurate results from these evaluations.
Personality tests
Personality tests will discover new things about yourself that you were not familiar with before and help you identify your personality attributes, e.g. emotional intelligence, communication style, working style, weaknesses, and strengths, etc. These attributes will help you determine the right career path.
Career Aptitude Tests
Career tests, on the other hand, helps you identify what do you want to be? The career tests can give you a fair idea about what you may be designed to do and may help you understand the type and environment of work that will help you thrive as a person. A career quiz or career aptitude test can help you narrow down your job choices and choose a career path that is compatible with your interests, skills, values, and personality.
Avoid the following while selecting the career path
1. Following the status quo (crowd/friends)
This is observed that the students do not review the career options and just follow what their friends opted for as their career path. This decision which most of the students make sometimes becomes the worst decision of their life. Thus you should plan and workout which path is relevant to your ambitions, your personality, and for which you are passionate.
2. Family/Societal pressure
The mistake which normally the parents make is that they force the students to go for a specific field which they think is the best option for their children. Why they do so is because they see others performing in a specific field and think that their children will also reap the benefits of the same. In most of the cases, it proves to be a wrong decision.
3. Lack of knowledge
Knowledge and awareness about the new streams of study play a pivotal role in deciding the career path. With the rapid advancement in technologies, every field has become so vast that the students get confused and could not find the proper guidance. Since there are numerous options available to choose from, but the students do not research what options are available to them.
Recommendations
Once you have attempted the tests, compile a list of recommendations. Shortlist the recommendations and select the areas you are interested in. Now, discuss the areas identified with preferably with a career counselor or with the people already doing jobs in the field.
After discussion, decide in light of the recommendations and go for the area best appealing you.
Good luck!
