Best Career Options after 12th PCM: Top Courses, Salary Expectation

Career options after 12th Science PCM are comprehensive. Hence, after 12 PCM career options often become very confusing for students. The Physics, Chemistry, and Maths stream, also known as PCM, is one of the most popular streams for higher secondary education. In the following guide, we’ll cover some of the most promising career options available for 12th PCM students. The article will include PCM career options with salary for a clearer idea.

Along with that, it will also include a PCM jobs list and salary details. Hopefully, it’ll give you some direction as to which course to pursue after completing class 12.

What Is 12th PCM?

Students who have completed their senior secondary (10+2) with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as the main subjects are understood to be in the 12th PCM stream. Class 12th is a turning point for a career because it denotes the school’s last stage and the start of a college education. Knowing your career options after 12th PCM and following the one that suits your interest helps you embark on a rewarding career. PCM students can choose from different career options that focus on technology, multimedia, healthcare, etc.

Now, without further ado, let’s begin!

Digital Marketer

Do you take an interest in social media? Do you wish to explore the creative side of a Martech career? Then you can pursue a career in digital marketing. It is one of the fastest growing sectors right now, and one can easily make it one of their career options after 12th science PCM.

Digital marketers help companies create and expand their online presence. This includes managing their social media accounts, planning online marketing campaigns, tracking KPIs, performing SEO and SEM, conducting competitor analysis, etc. They aim to attract more leads and convert them into buyers. 

Digital marketing professionals usually work in teams. Creativity is imperative for this field as you’ll have to help with your organisation’s branding and graphic design. Similarly, you’ll be using many technical tools and Data Analytics to determine how your company is faring against its competition and what it can do to get better results. 

Digital marketing is not specific to the students’ stream. The 12th PCM graduates can advance in their digital marketing career by taking up roles as researchers, data analysts, etc.  It is one of the versatile career options after 12th PCM because it helps candidates excel in many different job roles based on their interests. The online industry is so much today that there are immense digital marketing jobs available today.

Digital marketers are demanding because every industry needs a digital presence. A powerful digital presence through a reliable website is a must, whether it’s a healthcare firm, a real estate company or public relations firm, etc. So, after completing my 12th PCM, there are various career prospects in the digital marketing domain.

You can also find international accreditations and training for various certifications in digital marketing.  One of the key benefits is that many of these job roles are location independence. Pursuing a professional course in Digital marketing provides you with the freedom to begin your own business and work at your pace.

Some necessary skills for this role are:

• Search engine optimisation (SEO)
• Search engine marketing (SEM)
• Content marketing 
• Social media marketing
• Branding 
• Video marketing, etc.

How much you can expect to earn?

As a fresher in this field, your pay would be around ₹234k per year. The median pay for this role is ₹548k per year, and with sufficient experience and skills, you can expect it to go up to ₹1m per year. 

What you know and what you can deliver plays a vital role in determining your pay as a digital marketer. For example, digital marketers with marketing communications skills earn 51% more than the average. Similarly, those with the social media optimisation skill earn 32% more, while those with the data analysis skill earn 21% more. 

How to Become a Digital Marketer?

You’ll need to join a digital marketing course to start a career in this field. For example, you can join upGrad and JAIN Online’s BBA in Advertising & branding + Advanced Certificate program. It would equip you with industry-relevant marketing skills. 

Finance Manager

As a finance manager, you’ll be responsible for managing your organisation’s budget and handling its financial growth. Finance managers make forecasts for their organisation and help the other staff determine the financial requirements of different departments. They help the operations team in handling the operations review. 

They lead a team of finance professionals and must have strong leadership skills. Finance managers have to conduct regular performance evaluations and give feedback to their team to keep it on track. This is also one of the career options after 12th PCM with high salary. 

How much you can expect to earn?

In this field, you can expect to earn a median pay of ₹995k per year. Salaries for finance managers with little to no experience start from ₹357k per year. However, note that your income will rise exponentially as you gain more experience, and you can make up to ₹2m per year.

The most beneficial skill to have as a finance manager is project management. Finance managers with this skill earn 83% more than the average. Another skill that helps you make more in this field includes tax consulting which offers 76% more pay than the median. 

How to Become a Finance Manager?

Becoming a finance manager would require you to have a management degree. It is a leadership role and requires expertise in financial matters. 

Here is the list of a few popular courses 12th PCM students choose in this field:

• Business Administration
• Business Analytics
• Financial Analysis
• Financial Management
• Financial Engineering & Technology
• Equity and Investment Analysis
• Risk Management Digital
• Investment Banking
• International Business Management
• Logistics Management and Supply Chain Management

Journalist

Do you want to create content that reaches hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people? If so, then a career in journalism is an ideal pathway for you. 

Journalists are responsible for researching news stories to create reports and articles. They collect and interpret facts about the latest events through investigations, interviews, and observation. Journalists write, review, and edit articles. 

They look for articles that are relevant and attract attention. Journalists work in different media, including print, TV, audio, and online. Their job responsibilities can vary greatly depending on the kind of media organisation they work with. 

How much you can expect to earn?

This field offers a median pay of ₹388k per annum. Freshers earn ₹124k per year in this field, but as your experience and reputation grow, your pay will increase, going up to ₹1m per year. 

Some skills that can help you earn more in this field include copywriting, data analysis, and research analysis. 

Also Read: Journalist Salary in India 

How to Become a Journalist?

To become a journalist, you’ll need to have a degree in journalism or communication. We recommend joining Chandigarh University’s Bachelor of Arts (Journalism & Mass Communication) program. It is among the most lucrative career options in PCM. Your analytical skills will help you greatly in this field in finding insights and investigating facts. 

Software Engineer

Software engineering has always been among the most in-demand and lucrative fields in India. Software engineers are responsible for developing the functions of the software to match the software design. They work with designers to create a software application that solves a specific issue or helps people perform a task more efficiently and easily. 

They work with software programmers to map out the different functions of an application. The demand for this role has been high for decades and will only increase as more companies join the digital and tech bandwagon. 

They are usually tasked with developing applications, tools, and digital solutions. They develop, analyse, and enhance virtual solutions to fulfil business goals. Moreover, they can smartly write codes to troubleshoot errors. After completing the 12th PCM, students need to pursue a 4-year bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Engineering.

Software engineering is one of the prevalent PCM career options because it provides outstanding career opportunities with admirable salaries in various companies. Moreover, exceptionally skilled graduates can easily land a job with a very high salary package. As they amass experience, they learn cutting-edge technologies and tools that help to further advance their career graph. The job as a Software engineer constantly enhances the candidates’ analytical and logical skills. They further help them adopt challenging job roles in their career.

How much you can expect to earn?

Software engineers earn ₹562k per annum on average. As a beginner, you can expect to earn ₹274k per annum, and with sufficient skills and experience, your pay can go up to ₹2m per annum. 

Having specific skills can earn you significantly higher salaries in this field. Software engineers who are familiar with the Haskell programming language earn 199% more than the average. On a similar note, those who are experts in distributed systems earn 153% more than the average, while those familiar with software architecture earn 140% more.

Machine Learning Engineer

Machine learning is a relatively new technology. However, it has become increasingly popular as it allows companies to build intelligent solutions that can operate independently and learn with every iteration. Some of the most popular machine learning applications you see in your day-to-day life include face recognition, autocorrect, Google Assistant, and the recommendations you get on Amazon. 

The professionals who make these solutions are called machine learning engineers. They are experts in developing machine learning models and using them to solve problems. Machine learning engineers work in numerous industries, including software, transport, manufacturing, research, entertainment, etc. 

The growing industry and increased demand for machine learning engineers make it a great PCM career option. Machine learning is also an excellent after 12 PCM career option as the students exclusively have the science and mathematics knowledge required to pursue a career in it.

Machine learning engineers’ key aim is to do research and develop and design automatic AI systems for predictive modelling. Usually, they work with data engineers, data scientists, data analysts, and administrators. Moreover, they can analyse multiple data sets and develop models to optimise their implementation. The 12th PCM students need to pursue a 4-year degree in data science or computer science. Machine learning is one of the decent-paying PCM career options owing to the exceptional talents its job roles demand.

Many companies are adopting Machine learning technology to provide better services in sectors like fiancés, retail, airlines, investment, etc. Therefore, the demand for Machine learning engineers is soaring. With the AI implementation in India since 2018, ample jobs are generated in this field. Machine learning is a recommended career if you are searching for those PCM career options with salary that meets your expectations.

The demand for machine learning engineers is high in India owing to the following factors:

• Decreases the odds of human errors
• Developing smart machines decreases the stress and dependency on the operators
• Helps several companies to transit from traditional data interpretation techniques to machine learning by increasing technicians’ efficiency
• Helps cloud analysts to detect the abnormalities in real-time information so that they can review them smoothly.

The machine learning career scope is not only limited to finance, investment, and transportation. It has explored a broad range of career fields for students to excel in media, banking, entertainment, automotive, information technology, gaming, etc.

You can go through the PCM jobs list and salary to compare the salary figures of various job roles and ultimately choose the most suitable one. Machine learning engineers are researching robotics, computer vision, quantum technology, etc. So, there is a rising demand for Machine learning engineering after the 12th PCM.

How much you can expect to earn?

As a fresher, you can expect to make ₹303k per year. The median pay for this role is ₹703k per annum, and the upper limit is ₹2m per annum. 

Machine learning engineers who are experts in using Apache Spark earn 92% more than others. Familiarity with Amazon Web Services can also be highly beneficial as those with this skill earn 40% more than the average. Other helpful skills include deep learning, computer vision, and natural language processing. 

How to become Machine Learning Engineer?

Becoming a machine learning engineer requires you to be familiar with artificial intelligence, machine learning algorithms, their applications, and many related skills. The best way to go about this process is to join a machine learning course. 

These were some very common yet trending career options after 12th PCM. Therefore, it is fair to say that there are multiple career options after 12th PCM. Not only any jobs but there are several career options after 12th PCM with high salary. Below is a PCM jobs list and salary that talks about various other non-conventional yet high-paying PCM career options. This section will provide a brief discussion on such PCM career options with salary and their eligibility criteria. 

Source: Payscale

Eligibility criteria for some of these careers:

Architecture: Students who take PCM in their 12th are eligible to apply for this course. In order to get admission into a college, the applicants have to take part in the National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA), which is administrated by the Council of Architecture. 

Biomedical engineering: Similar to any other B.Tech course, the candidate has to have PCM and English in their 12th. After that, they can appear for various entrance tests such as JEE, CET etc, to get admission to prestigious engineering colleges. 

Psychiatrist: As the career falls under the medical realm, students are required to have PCM in their 12th, after which they have to complete a 5-year long MMBS degree; only then they can opt for a Master’s programme (MD) in Psychiatry. The higher the degree, the higher the value of the psychiatrist, hence they often chose to further extend their studies and do a PhD in Psychiatric social work or Psychiatric Nursing or even a Master of Philosophy (M. Phil) in relevant areas. 

Veterinarian: Veterinarians are doctors for animals; hence, it is needless to mention the vitality of the job. In order to become a veterinarian, one has to have Physics, Chemistry and Biology in their 11th and 12th. Further, they can opt for a bachelor’s degree in forensic science to start their practice. Doing a post-graduate course is optional but is definitely suggested if one wishes to upskill their knowledge and credibilities. 

Nursing: The primary eligibility for applying to a nursing course is to have physics, chemistry, maths and biology in their 10+ with an aggregate of more than 50%. However, this is only required if the person wishes to do B.Sc Nursing. There are no such criteria for GNM. Needless to say, scopes and salaries are much more vivid in B.sc nursing, and candidates can also opt for higher studies to further improve their ranks.

Agricultural scientist: The first criterion of becoming an agricultural scientist is that the candidate should have had PCM in their 10+1. Their aggregate must be higher than 50% from any well-renowned board. Then only they can appear for the common entrance test, and after successfully passing that, they can pursue B.sc Agriculture which is a four-year undergraduate course, proceeded by a 2-year long M.Sc in Agriculture to become an Agricultural Scientist. 

Pilot: After completing the 10+2 level with PCM, a candidate has to pursue a pilot training course from NDA. In order to pursue that course, they first have to qualify for the NDA entrance exam. A person as young as 17 years can also become a pilot in India if they match all the fitness and medical criteria. There are quite a few types of pilots such as Airline pilots, Commercial pilots, Fighter pilots or Charter pilots with salaries varying accordingly. 

Ethical Hacker: Ethical Hacking course is a specialised post-graduate course and not a degree course. A candidate has to complete their undergraduate in Information Technology or Computer Science in order to pursue ethical hacking as their career. Candidates can also shift to this course after completing an advanced diploma in network security. Candidates can also opt for courses such as cybersecurity and networking, and the rest depends on how much one can implement their learning. This career is rather valued based on skills than a degree. 

High Salary Courses after 12th Science PCM:

There are several courses you can pursue after completing the 12th Science PCM. But there are a few PCM career options with salary meeting their talents and expectations. The course selection depends on the employer, job profile, location, and several other factors. Here is the list of high-salary courses after the 12th Science PCM:

• B.E. Electrical & Electronics Engineering
• B.Tech  (Bachelor of Technology)
• B.Sc. Nautical Science
• B.E. Marine Engineering
• B.E. Civil Engineering
• BCA (Bachelor of Computer application)
• BS (Bachelor of Science in computer engineering)
• B.Sc in Aviation

Tips for choosing the right career

Selecting a career path after finishing your 12th science PCM can be a challenging task.  It can take several weeks or even months. However, to expedite your career selection process, you can go through the following tips and employ the one that meets your interest:

1.Course research:

Different institutions provide different specialisations and courses. You need to understand the course requirement, study scope, and career prospects.

2. Recognize your interest:

Performing a self-assessment helps you comprehend the things that inspire you the most. You can recognize your interest by analysing your skills, personality traits, and career goals.

3.Align your interests with the course:

You need to match your interests with the courses provided by the colleges. Make sure to extensively research the courses, colleges, and career prospects. Finally, categorise your options depending on your preferences and priorities.

4. Networking:

You must talk to your mentors, peers, or approach college alumni to pick the most suitable specialisation. Networking is important because 12th PCM pass outs may not be much aware of the market trends. Speaking with these people explores new course options and perspectives. Also, it gives you a detailed perspective on the PCM jobs list and salary.

Conclusion

Completing 12th is a huge achievement, and knowing what to pursue after this milestone can help you greatly in planning your career. We hope that the above list of career options and high salary courses after 12th science PCM helped you choose the right path. 

You should pick the career path according to your interests and aspirations. Determine what motivates you the most and which profession offers the same. It will help you decide better.