Top 10 Career Options After 12th PCM

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That said, it is important to know that your passion is important when selecting careers in a specific area. Understanding the future salary potential of each career can make it easier to make an informed decision. Let’s dig into some of the most demanding PCM career options with salary, general skills required for each role, and companies hiring for those roles.

1. Digital Marketer

We are all experiencing the digital transformation, and this will continue to grow in the coming years with more advanced solutions. This is why digital marketing is one of the fastest-growing and most in-demand PCM career options. A digital marketer designs and manages marketing strategies for businesses to help their audiences connect across platforms – whether on social media, email marketing, paid ads, or search engines with search engine optimisation (SEO). 

How to Excel in this Role:

• Education: Earn a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, or a Communication program (3 years). Also, you can get practical experience and knowledge through short-term digital marketing online certification courses. 
• Skills: SEO, Google Analytics, Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, social media strategy, content creation, and marketing automation.
• Certifications: Google Ads, HubSpot Content Marketing, and Facebook Blueprint.
• Top Recruiters: TCS, Accenture, Zomato, Infosys, Flipkart.

Average Annual Salary (India):

• Entry-level: ₹2L – ₹8L
• Mid-level: ₹8L – ₹17L
• Senior-level: ₹17L – ₹22L

2. Finance Manager

A finance manager is one of the most suitable PCM career options for those who enjoy numbers and like to perform analysis. Finance Managers manage a company’s finances, risk management, and budgeting.

How to Excel in this Role:

• Education: A Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, or Accounting (3 years) and a graduate degree of either a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) or professional finance designation, such as a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst,) is a typical educational experience for finance manager positions.
• Skills required: Financial modelling, budgeting, Excel, risk management, and leadership.
• Certifications: CFA, ACCA, FRM.
• Top Recruiters: Deloitte, PwC, Goldman Sachs, ICICI Bank, HDFC.

Average Annual Salary:

• ₹3L – ₹30L (depending on company and experience).

3. Software Engineer

Software engineers are the drivers of our digital landscape. They design, build, test, and maintain the programs that power everything from smartphones to video games to artificial intelligence and cloud environments. In fact, in India, this is one of the most demanding PCM career options that every student opts for. 

How to Excel in This Role:

• Education: Get a degree in computer science, information technology, or software engineering (four years).
• Skills Required: Programming languages like Java, Python, and C++, as well as excellent analytical skills, debugging skills, and knowledge of the software development life cycle.
• Certifications: AWS Certified Developer, Google Cloud Certification, Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer.
• Top Recruiters: Google, Microsoft, Infosys, TCS, IBM.

Average Annual Salary from Different Companies:

• TCS: ₹3L – ₹14L
  
• Microsoft: ₹13L – ₹51L
  
• Google: ₹18L – ₹35L
  
• Infosys: ₹3L – ₹13L

4. Journalist

Not all PCM students need to be bound by numbers or coding! If you’re a great communicator, love to tell stories, and stay on top of the news cycle, you could find Journalism to be one of the best PCM career options. 

A journalist investigates and shares stories of fact, meets with people, and disseminates accurate and fair information to their audiences either through newspapers, television, radio, or digital platforms. 

How to Excel In this Role: 

• Education: Bachelor’s (3 years) in Journalism or Mass Communication, or English.
• Skills Required: Writing, researching, interviewing, and maintaining social media.
• Certifications: Journalism Fellowships, Media Credentials.
• Top Recruiters: Times of India, NDTV, The Hindu, India Today, Zee News.

Average Annual Salary:

• ₹2L – ₹8L depending on the media house and experience.

5. Machine Learning Engineer

If you have ever wondered how Netflix recommends shows or how self-driving cars work, the answer is machine learning (ML) within the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Being one of the highest-paying career options after 12th PCM, Machine Learning Engineers create algorithms that will enable systems to “learn” from data and improve automatically.

They are involved in complex projects like facial recognition, predictive analytics, and intelligent automation.

How to Excel in This Role: 

• Education: 4-Year B.Tech in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or Data Science.  
• Skills Required: Python, R, machine learning algorithms, data modelling, TensorFlow, and cloud computing. 
• Certifications: AWS ML Certification, TensorFlow Developer, IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate.
• Top Employers: Google, Amazon, Adobe, Facebook, Accenture.

Average Annual Salary:

• ₹4L – ₹32L (can go as high as ₹90L in top firms like Google).

6. Doctor (MBBS)

If you have opted for Biology as an elective subject with your PCM, then MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) could be the stepping stone towards a reputable and rewarding PCM career options as a doctor. Physicians diagnose diseases, undertake surgical procedures, and devote their careers to saving lives.

How to Excel in This Role: 

• Education: MBBS – 5.5 years including internship. 
• Requirements: NEET exam. 
• Skills Required:  clinical knowledge in medicine, surgical skills, empathy, and decision-making. 
• Top Recruiters: Apollo Hospitals, AIIMS, Fortis, and Manipal Hospitals.

Average Annual Salary: 

• ₹4.8L – ₹8.4L (increases significantly with specialisation).

7. Architect

Architecture is where creativity meets engineering. Architects are responsible for designing, planning, and overseeing the construction of buildings and making sure each building is functional and beautiful. As one of the most popular PCM career options, their work shapes how cities and civilisations change and develop. 

How to Excel in this Role: 

• Educational requirements: the B.Arch (Bachelor of Architecture), a 5-year degree, is required, with the NATA entrance exam taken.
• Skills Required: Creativity, 3D visualisation skills, CAD (computer-aided design), project management skills, and structural knowledge. 
• Required certifications: M.Arch and LEED Certification.
• Top Recruiters: Larsen & Toubro, DLF, Gensler, HOK, Perkins+Will.

Average Annual Salary: 

• ₹2L – ₹4.8L for beginners
•  ₹10L+ for Senior architects 

8. Cybersecurity Expert

As companies are moving into the online spectrum, cyber threats are now one of the top concerns in the world. Cybersecurity experts safeguard networks, systems, and data against attacks and unauthorised access. In these vast PCM career options, professionals are the unsung heroes of ensuring an organisation’s and an individual’s digital safety.

How to Excel in This Field:

• Education: B.Tech in Cybersecurity or IT (3-4 years).
• Skills Required: Ethical hacking, network protection, cryptography and risk analysis
• Certifications: CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker), CISSP, CompTIA Security+.
• Top Recruiters: IBM, Cisco, Deloitte, Accenture, Wipro.

Average Annual Salary: 

• ₹5L – ₹12L

9. Robotics Engineer

If you’re interested in machines that act and think independently, Robotics Engineering may be the best PCM career options for you. Robotics engineers design and build robots to help in manufacturing, health care, defence, and space exploration. Robotics combines mechanical engineering, electronics, and computer programming to create intelligent machines that complete tasks that humans may do.

How to Excel in This Field:

• Education: You’ll need to complete your B.Tech in Robotics Engineering (4 years); you’ll also need to take the JEE exam for admission to top institutes. 
• Skills: Programming, mechanical design, AI integration, sensor technologies. 
• Certifications: Robotics; AI Programming; PLC Automation Courses.
• Top Recruiters: Boston Dynamics, ABB Robotics, iRobot, NVIDIA.

Average Annual Salary: 

• ₹4L – ₹8L.

10. Scientist

If you’ve always been curious about how things work and enjoy experimenting, career options after 12th PCM as a scientist could be your calling. Scientists carry out research, build theories, and invent solutions to real-world problems. Scientists work in fields such as physics, chemistry, biology, and environmental science. 

Their discoveries may result in innovations that can change someone’s life, for instance, space missions or renewable energy resources, and improvements in medicine.

How to Excel  in This Field: 

• Education: B.Sc. in Physics, Chemistry, or Biology, M.Sc., and PhD. 
• Skills Required: Analytical thinking, interpreting data, problem-solving, and research methods.

Average Annual Salary: 

• ₹5L – ₹15L (can rise sharply with specialisation).

To stand out and secure high-paying roles in today’s job market, having the right skills and certifications is essential. That’s where Jaro Education comes in.

We offer cutting-edge online degree courses and programmes that can help you build expertise in highly demanding sectors like cybersecurity, Data science, marketing, management, and many more.

Thus, if you are still in doubt which path to take after 12th, enrol for Jaro Education’s career counselling services and get personalised guidance. We are here to help you identify the best career options after 12th PCM based on your interests and goals.

After the 12th grade in a PCM stream, choosing the right profession can be confusing and overwhelming. But the good news is that there is no one way to have a career. The ideal career for you will be based on your skill set, talent, and long-term goals.

No matter which PCM career options you take, whether it’s software developer, architecture, or digital marketing, as long as you are learning, that’s what really matters. Our world is changing quickly, and being knowledge-based will allow you to stay ahead.