At one time, careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics were the most popular choices of students. However, times are changing and so are student choices. Humanities are increasingly becoming popular among students and career options after 12th Arts/Humanities offer great scope in terms of job opportunities and salaries.
Contrary to popular belief, humanities career options are not limited anymore. Students have a plethora of humanities career options to choose from. All that they would be required to do is gain awareness about the career options after Humanities and evaluate their interest and aptitude.
Humanities are an academic discipline in which the study of various aspects of human society and culture is involved. These various aspects include anthropology, archaeology, human history, ancient and modern linguistics, languages, law, political science, literature, philosophy, religion, performing, and visual arts, and much more. These disciplines use a critical, philosophical, and analytical approach to study the various aspects of human functioning.
Arts/Humanities stream career options may help a student develop great oral and written communication skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, as well as analytical reasoning. Now that you have an understanding of what the Humanities stream is, let us now know some of the best career options after 12th humanities.
There are more than 100 career options after 12th Arts/Humanities, with immense scope to explore and earn at the same time. Let us just take a look and have an overview of some of the best career options after 12th humanities.
Career Option | Education Requirement | Salary |
---|---|---|
International Relations Specialist | Graduation either in Political Science / History / Geography / Economics / Sociology/ Liberal Arts or in International Relations followed by Post graduation | Rs.50,000 - Rs. 1,00,000 per month (Depending on the job profile) |
Bachelor’s degree followed by a Master’s degree in a desired specialisation | Rs. 20,000 - Rs. 2,50,000 per month (Depending on the job profile) | |
Five year integrated program or a three-year LL.B. program | Rs. 40,000 - Rs. 45,000 per month | |
Foreign Language Expert | No particular bachelor degree required; complete higher education and start learning the desired language | Rs. 30,000 per month (depending on the job role.) |
Social Worker | Bachelor’s degree followed by a Master’s in Social Work. | Rs.25,000 - Rs. 35,000 per month |
Mass Communication | Bachelor’s in Mass Communication, followed by a Post Graduate Diploma in the desired specialisation | Rs. 15,000 - Rs. 20,000 per month |
Hospitality Professional | Rs. 20,000 - Rs. 25,000 per month |
As an International Relations Specialist, you will be required to study, research, and analyse international affairs and the relationships among various countries in the world. You will, directly and indirectly, help governments and various government agencies in formulating policies related to political affairs, trade affairs, immigration, and defence affairs.
An International Relations specialist may also work in corporates to ensure that the policies of the company are aligned with others across the globe. International Relations makes for one of the most satisfying career options after 12th Arts/Humanities.
One may complete their graduation either in Political Science / History / Geography / Economics / Sociology/ Liberal Arts or in International Relations for becoming a successful International Relations Specialist followed by Post graduation-level studies for senior-level job positions.
An International Relations Specialist or Diplomat may earn a starting salary of around Rs. One lakh per month if working in the Govt. sector, while those working in the private sector may begin with earning Rs. 50,000- Rs. 55,000 per month.
Keep reading to know more about career options after 12th humanities.
Becoming a Psychologist might be one of the best career options after humanities. Psychologists identify emotional, social, cognitive, and behavioural issues by observing, testing, and analysing records/history, as well as diagnosing any specific mental disorders in a human being. As a psychologist, one is required to have analytical skills, communication skills, patience and trustworthiness, problem-solving skills, and observational skills. Psychologists work at hospitals, schools, corporates, rehabilitation centres, special schools, mental health clinics, and so on.
For becoming a Psychologist, you must have obtained Bachelor’s degree in Psychology followed by a Master’s degree in a related specialisation, such as Applied Behaviour Analysis (Psychology), Applied Psychology, Behavioural Neuroscience, Counselling Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Expressive Arts Therapy.
Psychologists might earn a starting salary of Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 35,000. They might gradually climb up the money ladder.
Becoming a Lawyer is one of the best career options after 12th humanities. It is highly in demand and one may choose to practice in Corporate Law, International Law, Human Rights Law, Cyber Law, Environmental Law, Bankruptcy, Tax, Family Law. Becoming a lawyer is a popular after-12 arts career option, they are required to provide legal advice and assistance to the clients such as individuals, organisations, and governments.
You can either pursue a 5-year B.A./B.Com./B.Sc./B.B.A. LL.B. program or a 3-year LL.B. program (a 3-year LL.B. can be done after a 3-year graduation degree).
A Lawyer may earn a starting salary of Rs. 40,000- 45,000 per month, and might gradually scale up.
Foreign Language expert can be one of the lucrative career options after Humanities. You may find job opportunities as a trainer, teacher, translator, writer, flight attendant. You will be responsible for removing the language barriers and have to facilitate smooth communication for cultural exchanges and business transactions.
For becoming a Foreign Language Expert, you need not have any particular bachelor’s degree making it a comfortable after-12 arts career option. After completing your higher education, you can start learning the desired language such as French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese. to kick start your career along with your graduation in any field.
Also Read: Career as Foreign Language Interpreter
You may start working as a freelancer or as a full-time employee in the various roles discussed above. If you are working as a freelancer, you may negotiate a quote ranging from Rs. 100 - Rs. 1,000 per hour. However, as a full-time employee, you will be earning around Rs. 30000 (depending on the job role) in the beginning.
Read further to know more about arts stream career options after the 12th.
Related: Online Foreign Language Courses & Certifications
Are you the one who is always up to work for the development of the underprivileged people in society? If yes, then becoming a Social Worker might be one of the best job opportunities for humanities students. A social worker is one of the popular career options in arts stream which requires you to aid individuals, groups, or communities suffering from social deprivation and enhance their individual or collective well-being by using various skills, knowledge, and resources.
Social Work graduates might work at NGOs, Correctional Homes, Mental Health Clinics, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) departments of renowned companies.
For starting your career as a Social Worker, you need to pursue a Bachelor of Social Work. Since in India, there are not many options for pursuing a Bachelor’s course in Social Work, one may also consider pursuing a Bachelor’s in Psychology. This should be followed by a Master’s in Social Work.
As a Social Worker, you may earn a starting salary of around Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 35,000 per month.
Related: Online Social Work Courses & Certifications
Contrary to popular belief, Mass Communication is not limited to Journalism, but may lead one to various career options such as Public Relations Manager, Film Maker, Blogger, Cinematographer, Film Editor, Production Designer, and Radio Jockey. This can be one of the best career options after Class 12 Humanities, since it involves more hands-on training and practical learning, rather than theory.
A student of Mass Communication is often required to get into the field and explore opportunities. Those aspirants having good communication skills might have an edge over others in this field. One might work in media houses, publishing houses, radio channels, production teams, and so on.
Also Read: Mass Communication Course
One needs to have a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication, followed by a Post Graduate Diploma in a specialisation such as Advertising, Film Making, Public Relations, and so on. For those who wish to pursue fields like Cinematography, Photography, Event Management, doing short-term certification courses alongside formal degrees might add value.
Mass Communication graduates may earn a starting salary of Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 20,000 per month, and gradually scale up the ladder.
Hospitality is a vast field and one of the best career options after the Humanities. It offers a lot of job opportunities for humanities students. It encompasses areas such as Hotel Management and Travel and Tourism. Aspirants for this career must have good communication skills and a fondness for interacting with people. This field is a good career option in the arts stream and also requires a person to have immense patience as each client might have varying needs and demands from the other.
Aspirants are also required to have good physical stamina since they might need to work at odd hours. One may find jobs at hotels, in front-desk operations, restaurant and kitchen management, food and beverages, and so on. Travel agencies like Make My Trip, SOTC also hire hospitality professionals in large numbers.
Also Read: Hospitality Management Course
One may pursue a Bachelors's in Hotel Management to work in the Hospitality sector.
A fresher in the Hospitality industry may earn a starting salary between Rs. 20,000- Rs. 25,000 per month, and gradually move up the ladder.
Yes, a student can apply for various job opportunities after 12th Humanities such as Foreign Language Expert, Lawyer, International Relations Specialist, social worker, and many more.
Out of many versatile career options after 12th Humanities, some of the best career options are: Mass Communication, Hospitality Professional, Social Worker, Lawyer, Psychologist, International Relations Specialist, Editor or Content Writer, Teacher, Language interpreter.
Yes, absolutely it is worth pursuing Humanities stream as it allows you to develop great oral and written communication skills, critical thinking, problem solving, as well as analytical reasoning along with various job opportunities.
After Humanities you can have various job opportunities either in Government sector companies or in various MNCs and private sector companies.