Your Career After Doing a Course in Commerce

Class 12 commerce students have a range of career options to choose from after completing graduation or even before that. They can go for ICAI, ICSI, CMA, CFA after completing class 12. 

Apart from Humanities and Science, Commerce is one of the three main academic streams. This field of study deals with business or trade, nature and fluctuations in market, basics of economics, fiscal policies, and industrial policies etc. It also includes a broad range of interdisciplinary branches such as Accountancy, Business Administration, E-Commerce, Finance, Economics, Marketing, Advertisement, etc.

There are a number of job-oriented and professional courses one can opt for after completing higher secondary level education in this stream. Apart from Chartered Accountancy, Cost Accountant, Company Secretary, Chartered Financial Analyst, or ICWA, one can pursue a career in fields like advertising, marketing, banking, law and mass communication among many others. Most sought after courses in this field are B.Com and CA.

After BCom, one can look forward to a career in private or government organisation as a specialist in any of the streams of commerce, such as economics, accountancy, finance, taxation etc. or work as a management executive, accounts executive, junior accountant or pursue a career in auditing or banking.

Other avenues open for you include Chartered Accountancy (CA), Certified Financial Analyst (CFA), Cost Accountancy (from ICWA), Company Secretary-ship (CS), Stock Broking or MBA, etc. The salary package varies from one job profile to another but one can be sure of getting a lucrative pay package after CA, CS, CFA and MBA. In this article, we will shade a light on popular career options after class 12 commerce.

Also Read: 21 Courses After 12^th Commerce

Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com)

Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) is the most popular undergraduate course after class 12 commerce. This course opens up the gateway to a range of career options including teaching, consulting, bank jobs, accounts jobs, sales and marketing executives, etc. Many candidates opt for BCom to be eligible for many competitive exams at state and national levels.

BCom course is offered by all the central, state and private universities in India. Students can choose from BCom General and BCom (Honours) courses on the basis of their calls 12 marks. Various topics and subjects taught in this course include Accounting and Taxation, Statistics, Ecoomics, Applied Economics, Accounting, Mathematics, Banking & Finance, Management Accounting, etc.

Also Read

• All About BCom Course
• BCom Entrance Exams
• BCom Colleges in India

Cost and Management Accountant (CMA)

Cost and Management Accountant (CMA) is a very popular career choice among class 12 students studying Commerce. CMA is a certification given by the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAI), India after a candidate completes three levels of the course. The CMA course was earlier known as ICWAI. The exams are conducted biannually –June and December.  

Three levels of CMA

1. CMA Foundation
2. CMA Intermediate
3. CMA Final

Eligibility Criteria for CMA:

• Candidate must have completed class 12 with commerce
• If a candidate wants to pursue after graduation, they are can directly appear for CMA Intermediate.

Also Read

• All About CMA
• CMA Exam

Chartered Accountancy (CA)

Chartered Accountancy (CA) is the most popular options among commerce students as the course opens the gateway to a lucrative career in taxation, business law and auditing. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) gives the CA certification after completion of the three levels of the professional programme. The exams are conducted biannually in –June and December.  

Three levels of CA

4. CA Foundation
5. CA Intermediate
6. CA Final

Eligibility Criteria for CA

• Candidate must have completed class 12 with commerce
• If a candidate wants to pursue after graduation, they are can directly appear for CA Intermediate.

Also Read

• All About CA Course
• ICAI CA Exam

Company Secretary (CS)

Company Secretary (CS) is yet another popular career option after class 2 commerce. The course is imparted by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). On completing of the course, students are certified by the ICSI as competent Company Secretary ready for professional practice.

Three levels of CS

• Foundation Programme (now replaced with CSEET)
• Executive Programme
• Professional Programme

Eligibility Criteria for CS

• Candidates must have completed class 12 with commerce
• Candidates who wish to pursue CS after graduation, can directly register for Executive Programme but need to clear CS Executive Entrance Test (CSEET).

Also Read

• All About CS Course
• ICSI CS Exam

Certified Financial Planner (CFP)

Certified Financial Planner or CFP is a professional course under which certification is given by the Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB) to students who wish to take up financial planning as a profession. There are six modules that the candidate needs to clear to be able to practice financial planning professionally.

CFP Modules

Module 1: Introduction To Financial Planning

Module 2: Risk Analysis & Insurance Planning

Module 3: Retirement Planning & Employee Benefits

Module 4: Investment Planning

Module 5: Tax Planning & Estate Planning

Module 6: Advanced Financial Planning

Eligibility Criteria for CFP

There are two modes of CFP certification – Regular Pathway and Challenge Status Pathway. Given below is the CFP eligibility criteria of both the modes.

• Regular Pathway Eligibility: Under this pathway, the candidate must have passed class 12^th. Such candidates have to clear all the six modules.
• Challenge Status Pathway Eligibility: Candidate who have cleared CA/Intermediate level, CFA, ICWA, CAIIB, CS, LLB, PhD, MPhil, PG, Licentiate/Associate/ Fellowship of Life Insurance, Actuary, FFSI & FLMI from LOMA, Civil Service Examinations by UPSC have to clear only the fifth exam (Advanced Financial Planning) to earn the certification.

Also Read: All About CFA Course

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)

Another popular option after Class 12 commerce is Bachelor of Business Administration or BBA. This course is ideal for future managers and entrepreneur. The BBA course is taught in India in full-time as well as part-time mode. The course covers all the aspects of business management and administration required to become a successful manager. BBA course is available with several specialisations such as HR, Marketing, Operations, Sales, Finance, Digital Marketing, etc.

The ideal pathway for a successful career in the field of management will be to pursue MBA after BBA and then go for job. However, students can start working after BBA too and pursue MBA alongside.

Eligibility Criteria for BBA

• The candidate must have completed class 12 with minimum 50 per cent in aggregate or equivalent
• The candidate must have also appeared for the relevant BBA entrance exam for admission

Also Read:

• All About BBA Course
• BBA Entrance Exams
• BBA Colleges in India

Other Bachelor’s Courses and Career Options

Commerce stream is a good option for those candidates also who wish to make a career in non-technical fields such as advertising, media, travel, tourism, hospitality, showbiz, fashion, entertainment and art & culture. After completing class 12 with commerce, students can also opt for courses in Mass Communication, Journalism, Law, Hospitality & Travel, Hotel Management, Fashion Designing, Animation, Arts & Humanities, etc.