Hello Uthara,

I understand this long phase of study can seem very tedious and bottomless.

But I would urge you to consider the fact that this is not just about your salary, it’s about what you will spend a major part of your life doing, it will also be about what is your role and contribution in the society at large.

So before making this important decision, try asking yourself what is it that you enjoy doing, what is it that you see yourself doing ten or twenty years down the line. Being stuck in profession you’re not interested in would feel like a punishment.

At the same time if you’re in a field you genuinely enjoy no course would seem too long or too difficult.

There are a lot of fields with good employment opportunities, conventional as well as unconvetional avenues. If you’re good at it you’ll find your way anywhere

So let us look at the various broad options available shall we,

1. Sciences

Apart from pursuing medical or engineering, you could also go for pure sciences or psychology, pharmaceutical sciences, physiotherapy etc. Also after graduating from science you can switch to almost any field of your choice be it MBA or UPSC or even becoming a chef

2. Commerce

In a world increasingly dictated by market trends and finances, commerce offers a lot of interesting as well as challenging opportunities in the field of Economics, Management, Accounting.

You can work in the public sector, banking, with corporates or go into research to name a few.

3. Law

Law is also a vast, important and demanding field. The course duration is yes long but you are an instrument in delivering justice. It’s an important and reputed job for sure.

4. Liberal Arts/Humanities

Includes subjects like political sciences, history, languages, etc. You can avail teaching, or advisory jobs, plan for UPSC or even take up academic writing or journalism

5. Design and Architecture

Now a lot of people mistake design to mean designing clothes. There is a lot more to designing than just clothes and accessories. There are fields like product designing, which includes designing efficient and smart gadgets. Designing living spaces so that they are energy efficient, comfortable and environment friendly.

Architecture is another relatively long but interesting field with a lot of scope and variety.

The point of this discussion is, you’re young you’re in +1 you have the time to introspect and see if there is something that really drives you, motivates you and if there is one, take the leap of faith. Give it a try and you would reap fulfilling benefits in the long run.

But if you are genuinely unsure and not able to make that decision, which I understand is sometimes the case, think about what are your own expectations with yourself and your career, your parents expectations of you and choose the best available option.