Top 15 Career Options After 12th Arts That You Should Know in 2025

Deciding what to do after 12th arts high school can be quite overwhelming as there are a plethora of options for you to choose from. But you can simplify your choice by aligning your career path with your interests and inclinations. 

The most popular career options after 12 arts are in law, psychology, journalism, digital marketing, design, teaching, fashion, management, social work, civil services, animation and more.

In this article, we shall take a look at the top career options after 12th arts, so that you have a range of options to assess and choose your desired path. So, if you too are wondering what to do after 12th arts, read along to find what diverse options await you! 

Take charge of your career early on! Explore industry-relevant courses like Digital Marketing and Management and gain relevant skills to secure your career!

Top High Paying Career Options After 12th Arts

If you come from a humanities stream, you can enter diverse career opportunities. With its vast applicability across streams, an arts background can offer you employment opportunities in some of the most sought-after professions in India.

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1. Law

Law offers a range of career opportunities for students after 12th. As a lawyer, you can specialize in criminal, corporate, or civil law. Legal professionals are in high demand, offering a rewarding career in terms of both prestige and financial compensation.

Top Career Roles and Average Salary

Source: Glassdoor

Top Courses for a Career in Law

• LLB (Bachelor of Laws) 
• 5-year Integrated Law Course (BA LLB or BBA LLM)

2. Psychology

Psychology is the study of the human mind and behavior. Psychology careers include roles in counseling, therapy, research, or organizational psychology. This field offers rewarding roles that help people improve their mental health and well-being.

Top Career Roles and Average Salary

Source: Glassdoor

Top Courses for a Career in Psychology

• BA/MA in Psychology
• MSc in Counseling Psychology
• Diploma in Clinical Psychology

3. Journalism & Mass Communication

A career in journalism and mass media allows you to work in news reporting, editing, and producing content for television, print, and digital platforms. With the rise of digital media, this field offers diverse and dynamic opportunities.

Top Career Roles and Average Salary

Source: Glassdoor

Top Courses for a Career in Journalism 

• BA in Journalism
• MA in Mass Communication
• Diploma in Media Studies

4. Digital Marketing

Digital marketing involves promoting products or services using digital channels like social media, SEO, SEM, email marketing, and content creation. This rapidly growing field offers immense career opportunities due to the rise of online businesses and e-commerce.

Top Career Roles and Average Salary

Source: Glassdoor

Top Courses for a Career in  Digital Marketing

• BBA in Digital Marketing
• Diploma in Digital Marketing
• Certification in SEO/SEM

5. Graphic Design / UI-UX

Graphic design is a creative field where professionals use visual elements to communicate messages, create branding, and design layouts for digital or print media. Designers use various tools and techniques to craft visually appealing designs for websites, advertisements, logos, and more.

Top Career Roles and Average Salary

Source: Glassdoor

Top Courses for a Graphic Design Career:

• Bachelor's in Graphic Design
• Diploma in Graphic Design
• Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)

6. Fashion Design

Fashion design is a creative and dynamic field where you design clothing, accessories, and footwear. It’s a great career for those passionate about style and innovation, offering opportunities in both the domestic and international fashion markets.

Top Career Roles and Average Salary

Source: AmbitionBox

Top Courses

• Bachelor of Design (Fashion Design)
• BA in Fashion Design
• Diploma in Textile Design

7. Foreign Languages & Translation

Foreign language experts are in demand in sectors like translation, international business, tourism, and education. Mastery in languages such as French, Spanish, Chinese, or German opens up global career opportunities.

Top Career Roles and Average Salary

Source: Glassdoor

Top Courses for a Foreign Language Career

• BA in Foreign Languages
• Certificate in Translation
• Diploma in Language Studies

8. Management

Management involves managing and overseeing business operations and processes. This is well suited for those interested in leadership roles, organizational management, and running companies or departments.

Top Career Roles and Average Salary

Source: Glassdoor

Top Courses for a Management Career:

• BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration)
• MBA (Master of Business Administration)
• Diploma in Business Management

Business administration offers a range of career opportunities for those interested in managing and leading organizations. Professionals in this field oversee business operations, strategy, and management across various industries. 

Creative & Academic Career Options After 12th Arts

Got a knack for creative roles? Here are the top career options in various domains and specializations:

9. Writing and Content Creation

The writing field has a range of career opportunities for you if you have a passion for penning down creative magic and expression. There are opportunities to work in domains like content writing, journalism, technical writing, and copywriting. 

Top Career Roles and Average Salary

Source: Glassdoor

Top Courses for a Writing Career:

• Bachelor of Arts in English
• Diploma in Creative Writing

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10. Social Work / NGO Sector

Social work focuses on helping individuals, families, and communities improve their well-being. Social workers can work in various settings, including NGOs, hospitals, schools, and government agencies.

Top Career Roles and Average Salary

Source: Glassdoor, AmbitionBox

Top Courses

• BA in Social Work 
• MSW (Master of Social Work)

11. Teaching and Education

Teaching and education careers are best suited for students who are interested in teaching, mentoring, and guiding others. This could involve mainstream traditional teaching roles as well as corporate training roles.

Top Career Roles and Average Salary

Source: Glassdoor 

Top Courses

• B.Ed (Bachelor of Education)
• MA in Education
• D.El.Ed (Diploma in Elementary Education)

12. Civil Services 

If you are inclined towards public service roles in policymaking and administration, civil services might be the right choice for you. You need to clear competitive exams conducted by the UPSC in India for central government roles and specific state public service commission exams for state level roles.

Top Career Roles and Average Salary

Source: Glassdoor

(* These are entry-level salaries and exclude additional pay in DA, HRA etc., as per the 7th pay commission)

Top Courses to prepare for Civil Services

• BA Sociology
• BA Political Science
• BA History

13. Photography 

Photography is both a creative and technical career that involves capturing moments through a camera. From photojournalism to fashion or wedding photography, it offers flexibility and the opportunity to work as a freelancer or with agencies. 

Top Career Roles and Average Salary

Source: Glassdoor, AmbitionBox

Top Courses for a Career in Photography:

• Diploma in Photography
• BA in Visual Arts
• Certificate in Digital Photography

14. Filmmaking

Filmmaking is an exciting career witnessing industry growth with demand for production roles. It involves directing, producing, and editing films, documentaries, or web series. 

Top Career Roles and Average Salary

Source: Glassdoor

Top Courses For a Career in Filmmaking

• BFA in Film Production
• Diploma in Cinematography
• Certificate in Filmmaking

15. Animation

Animation has great demand in the entertainment, gaming and advertising sectors.Here you can be involved in visual graphics, mobile games, motion graphics etc to create visual art by using 2D or 3D tools.  

Top Career Roles and Average Salary

Source: Glassdoor

Top Courses for a Career in Animation

• Bachelor in Animation
• Diploma in Multimedia
• Bachelor's in Graphic Animation

How to Choose the Right Course After 12th Arts 

After completing high school, you are required to make some carefully thought-out decisions and career paths that suit you the best. It is a serious decision that requires you to consider your aspirations, your dream job, and your inclinations towards a particular career field. 

By considering these factors, you can choose the right course after 12th arts: 

• Aligning Course With Interests and Strengths: You can analyze your academic strengths, different fields, and skills you are interested in and accordingly align them with your choice of course to begin your undergraduate studies.
• Researching Career Prospects Before Choosing: Before finalizing your course, you need to make sure that you are well aware of your career prospects post completing that course. Try to educate yourself about the course demand, popular job roles, growth prospects as well as earning potential.
• Industry trends and future-proofing choice: As the work landscape advances, a lot of job roles inculcate transferable skills and a lot of them require continuous learning due to emerging trends in them. You should consider if your field of choice is expected to see a growth in demand rate or a decline in terms of course relevance.
• Consider job flexibility and skill development: This is quite a crucial component in today’s job scenario. It is not imperative that you only stick to one job role in a set field. You can opt for courses that have a rather broad scope and can allow for smoother job transitions, in case you acquire newer interests in your career progressions.

How can upGrad Help You?

At upGrad, we offer specialized courses that are carefully designed to help you gain in-depth, practical knowledge in fields like Digital Marketing, Business Administration, and more.

Here are some of our popular courses you may like: 

• Advanced Writing and Editing for Print Media
• Complete Guide to Content Marketing
• Academic Writing
• Understanding Culture and Its Various Components
• Soft Skills for Lawyers

If you’re unsure about higher education after 12th arts, you may book a free 1:1 counseling session with us, and we will help you out.

You can also visit your nearest upGrad center for in-person guidance and support in selecting the right course to achieve your career goals.

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