I remember the day I passed my 10th standard, my vision of my career path was very clear and strong. I was one of those kids who live their lives like a dream, I believed in the dreamy world. My career path was also very clear – to join Indian Army. My father was an army officer and the influence Army had on me was immense. I was clear with my career goal but my friends were confused. Our board results were out and they haven’t even started thinking about career or stream  yet, I thought how were they supposed to choose a stream that’s going to be there with them for 2  years, and a career that may stay with all of us for the rest of our life?

This task seems daunting but before making the decision we must know our options.  CBSE offers 3 stream options which determine the subjects you will study in your class 11th and  12th and the career options you would ultimately have in the future.

The 3 streams in class 11 CBSE are: 

    • Science
    • Commerce
    • Arts/Humanities

Let’s look at each of them in detail. 

SCIENCE : 

The science stream has two sub-branches, divided based on the third subject you study:

    • Medical – Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English, Optional Subject
    • Non-Medical – Physics, Chemistry, Maths, English, Optional Subject

Physics and Chemistry are common to both the branches and the primary difference lies in whether  you opt for Mathematics (PCM) or Biology (PCB). However, students sometimes go with a 
combination of the two (PCMB), choosing to study Mathematics in place of the optional subject.

A PCMB combination has its own pros and cons, and it is a decision you should take only after careful consideration. For the students of Science stream, there are no dearth of career options. One  major advantage that Science students have over non science students is that they eligible for almost all Science as well as non-Science options. A privilege that is not feasible for commerce and 
humanities students.

1. Medicine

In the medical field, you have many options in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology  industries. It is one of the most popular fields. And the students can opt for the best course after 12 science.  If you are Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (PCB) student, I have listed courses below.

Courses after 12th Science (PCB) :  

  • Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery(MBBS)
  • Bachelor of Dental  Surgery
  • Bachelor of Pharmacy
  • Bachelor of Medical Lab Technology
  • Tech/ BE in Biotechnology
  • Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry
  • Sc in Agriculture and Environment Science
  • Sc Home Science or Forensic Science
  • Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy
  • BAMS – Ayurveda
  • BUMS – Unani
  • BHMS – Homeopathy

Bachelor of Science in Nursing If you have Biology and Mathematics (bio-math) combination of subjects then you can also choose from the other options. And the students who have the slightest interest in medical courses and pursue them  for professional courses can select different options.

Opportunities for Bio-Math (PCBM) Students Other than Basic Science

Courses

    • Biomedical Engineering
    • Architecture
    • Pilot Training
    • Computer Application
    • Cognitive Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence
    • Robotics 
    • Nanotechnology
    • Healthcare Data Mining
  1. 2. Engineering

The engineering field offers plenty of career options after the 12th science. After medicine, engineering is  one of the most sought-after courses students choose. Below is the list of career options you can choose.

Career Options After 12th Science Engineering

Course

    • Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering
    • Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering
    • Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering
    • Tech Civil Engineering
    • Tech in Aeronautical Engineering
    • Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering
    • After Mechanical Engineering – One Year Graduate Marine (GME) course.
    • Bachelor of Technology In Instrumentation Engineering
    • Bachelor of Technology In Automobile Engineering
    • Bachelor of Technology In Petroleum Engineering

COMMERCE : 

Commerce is a stream that students generally have the least idea about since its three main subjects  are new to most students.

The following are the subjects you are required to study: Accountancy, Business Studies, Economics,  English, Mathematics (or optional subject)

Accountancy as subject covers concepts related to the managing of the income and finances of a  business or an individual. You study topics like transactions, expenditure, cash books, memos, trial  balance, trading, profit, etc. and learn how to make a balance sheet.

On the other hand, as part of Business Studies, you study about the types of businesses and  organizations, differences between private and public sector companies, models of business,  business finance, international trade, etc. For Economics, you study about Indian economic  development, statistical tools, demand and supply, government budget and economy, etc. 

For the fifth subject, the board gives a choice between Mathematics and other elective subjects.  Thus, if you are not very comfortable with maths, you can choose not to study it.

The optional subjects available with the Commerce stream are:

Informatics Practices, Physical Education, Computer Science, Multimedia and  Web Technology, Entrepreneurship, Legal Studies, Psychology and Fine Arts.

If you choose to take advantage of the opportunities in commerce available to you, here are some of  the job profiles you can look at:

    • Chartered Accountants
    • Chartered Financial Analyst
    • Company Secretary
    • Loans executive
    • Human Resource manager
    • Certified Financial Planner
    • Economist
    • Investment Banker
    • Venture capitalist
    • Agriculture Economics
    • Accounting
    • Banking
    • CWA
    • Economics
    • Mathematics and Statistics
    • Stock Broking

HUMANITIES :  

Humanities as a domain have been widely misunderstood and disregarded in the past, but as we  complete the second decade of the 21st century, things are changing fast. Not considered as a stream for academically weak students anymore, more and more students are looking to opt humanities for the wide range of subject and career options it provides.

Humanities is a very broad domain that covers areas related to the human society, relationships, culture and systems. These fields help you gain a deeper understanding of how the world and society around us work and how human society, laws and norms have evolved over time. From the  study of how people interact in group settings to the study of the legal rights of citizens, everything  comes under the purview of humanities.

Students who are aware and curious to learn about world affairs, social issues, historical events and  society are the ideal fit to explore humanities as their stream in class 11th and 12th.

Below is a sample list of some future choices to explore following studies in Humanities. This list is  not exhaustive but it provides a solid idea of what fellow graduates have gone on to do and what  potential careers a degree can offer.

Some options are more directly associated with specific areas  of Humanities than others.

▪ Actor

▪ Author 

▪ Brand Strategist

▪ Children’s Rights Activist

▪ Cultural Program Director Diplomat

▪ Diplomat

▪ Entrepreneur

▪ Event Planner

▪ Historian

▪ Journalist

▪ Lawyer

▪ Market Analyst

▪ Marketing Director

▪ Media Correspondent

▪ Non-Profit Organization Director

▪ Public Relations Representative

▪ Publisher

▪ Psychologist

▪ Retail Strategist

▪ Song Writer

▪ Speech Writer

As you begin the process of choosing your stream for class 11th, start first by learning as much as you  can about each stream. Use the information above as a starting point, but go beyond and read the course structure and look at the books for each subject to gain a better understanding of what you will study. Talk to family, friends, take counselling if needed. If you’re still confused feel free to take  the help of career counsellors to guide you.