Must Explore Career Options in Commerce

Commerce is one of the evergreen streams that students opt for in class 11th. There are several career options in commerce after 12th that have huge scope in future. This article will educate about the various career options in commerce after 12th and graduation. You can choose them as per your qualification and career choice.

Table of Content

• Why choose commerce?
• Career options in commerce after 12th
  • Chartered Accountant
  • Stock Broker
  • Company Secretary
  • Certified Financial Planner
  • Insurance Broker
  • Corporate Entrepreneur
  • Material Management Professional
• Career options in commerce after graduation
  • Cost Accountant
  • Investment Banker
  • Actuary
  • Financial Advisor
  • Accountant
• Tips To Build A Successful Career in Commerce

Commerce is one of three streams that students opt for after the 10th standard. Depending upon the marks and career choice, you can choose commerce as your mainstream. Those who want to do something related to finance can opt for this stream. Before you explore the career options in commerce, you must learn about the importance of this stream. 

The following subjects are taught to commerce students in 11th and 12th standards:

• Accountancy
• Business Studies 
• Economics 
• English
• Mathematics/ Informatics Practices 
• Entrepreneurship (optional)

Explore finance courses

Why Choose Commerce Stream?

Before learning about career options after 12th commerce, we need to know how commerce courses help in getting into high paying careers and what is the future scope in these career paths.Through commerce course after 12th, you learn about Economics and Finance which are very important subjects on macro and micro levels. The following reasons encourage students to opt for commerce after the 10th standard:

1. Multiple Opportunities

After commerce, there are a number of high-paying and white-collar jobs that can provide you with a secure and growing career. You can pursue professional courses after the 12th directly without the need to have a degree. Even if you do not want to continue in commerce, you can choose courses related to humanities. The vice-versa is not possible. In further sections, we will discuss the job opportunities in commerce.

2. Real-Life Applications

Commerce has real-life applications. Its impacts are visible on the macro level in life. Whether it is accountancy or business studies, each subject in commerce is useful. Through commerce, you develop financial literacy and how to manage your finances. Commerce is useful in simple yet effective activities such as budgeting.

It also helps you in learning how major decisions, fiscal policies and central bank guidelines impact our finances. In fact, you do not even require a degree for making a career in designations such as Chartered accountants. Through commerce, one can further analyse the growth of individuals and the country.

3. Better Business Sense

One of the biggest benefits of learning commerce is having a better business sense than most people. Those who want to build their own business are able to have an in-depth understanding of the processes if they have a background in commerce. You will be better able to identify the processes of the business that require more attention. 

4. Financial Management

Through commerce, you will be able to learn financial management which is very important these days. This skill helps in becoming wise with the money. Once you opt for career options in commerce, several job profiles are based on financial management.

Career Options in Commerce After 12th

Take a look at the career options after 12th commerce if you want to get a job right after finishing school.

1. Chartered Accountant

These professionals are financial consultants, auditors and taxation management advisors. They help businesses, individuals, financial institutions, etc. This profile does not compulsorily require a graduation degree. With a background in commerce, you can easily learn about chartered accountancy.

How to Become a Chartered Accountant?

To become a chartered accountant, you can take direct entry after the 12th. You will have to pass the following examinations:

• CA Foundation course: This course includes four papers. You can appear in this course:
  • For May/June examination:  on or before January 1st 
  • For November/December examination: on or before July 1st 
• Intermediate: Register with the Board of Studies for this 8-month study course.
• ICITSS: Complete the 4-week long integrated Course on Information Technology and Soft skills before the start of your practical training.
• Articleship: This is a 3-year mandatory practical training that you must complete.
• AICITSSL: Complete the four-week-long Advanced Integrated Course on Information Technology and Soft Skills before you appear for the final course. This training must be taken during the last 2 years of your articleship.
• Final Course: This is the last level of CA for which you have to appear in two groups: Group I and Group II.

Learn Chartered accountant courses

2. Stockbrokers

These are the investment consultants who buy and sell securities on behalf of their clients. They can work with firms or have individual clients based on their experience. A stock broker has the following responsibilities:

• Offering investment advice to clients.
• Managing investment portfolios of clients.
• Trading on behalf of their clients.
• Devising trading strategies based on market conditions.
• Diversifying clients’ investment portfolios to minimize risk.

How to Become A Stockbroker?

To become a stockbroker, one must register with a stock exchange to become its member. Once registered, these professionals can act as agents and purchase and sell stocks. With a registration ID, you can start trading for your clients. After that, you can register with SEBI to obtain a Certificate of Registration (CoR). 

You can immediately start trading stocks on the behalf of your clients once you have the CoR. Some broking firms require stockbrokers to obtain National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) certifications to learn more about the stock market. A degree is not compulsory to become a stockbroker. However, companies prefer candidates who have a bachelor’s level degree.

Check out jobs that do not require a degree

3. Company Secretary

A company secretary is a person who ensures smooth administration within the company. They ensure that the company is compliant with statutory requirements. They ensure that the company’s director operator within the law. Following are the responsibilities of a company secretary:

• Register and communicate with shareholders.
• Ensure that dividends are paid.
• Maintain company records such as annual accounts.
• Induction of non-executives and trustees.
• Management of employee benefits such as pensions and employee share schemes.
• Negotiation of contracts.

How to Become a Company Secretary? 

Anyone who wants to become a Company secretary must take up the ICSI foundation course after the 12th standard. Candidates must pass this foundation course within three years of their admission. After qualifying for the course, students must enrol on the intermediate course. 

In case, you have done your graduation, then you can bypass the foundation course and get admission into the Intermediate course. During the intermediate level and after the final level, students must undergo practical training to obtain associate membership of ICAI. Post-training and final level, students are eligible as the Associate Company Secretary. 

Check out company secretary courses

4. Certified Financial Planner (CFP)

CFP is a certified expert who works in the area related to financial planning, insurance, taxes, estate planning and retirement. They help individuals with financial management. The most important aspect of these professionals is to be fiduciary of your assets. 

This means that they will make decisions in the best of your interest. They have an in-depth knowledge of financial planning and are upgraded and certified financial advisors. Their responsibilities include:

• Assess their client’s financial health.
• Plan out investment goals for the client.
• Evaluate the current finances of clients and develop an idea of your net worth.

How to Become a Certified Financial Planner (CFP)?

To become a Certified Financial Planner, you can follow this career path:

1. Bachelor's degree from a college. Preferably a degree in finance, accounting or economics can help you have a strong background in the fundamentals required for becoming a CFP.
2. Complete the CFP Board-Registered Education Program (REPTM) to learn about financial planning coursework.
3. 3 years of full time work experience in financial planning.
4. Pass the CFP certification examination.
5. Submit an application to the CFP board to apply for CFP certification. Once the application is approved, you will become a certified financial planner.

5. Insurance Brokers

These are licensed professionals who offer insurance broking services to their clients. They are licensed to offer policies from any insurance company based on your requirements. There are three main types of insurance brokers: Direct insurance brokers reinsurance brokers and composite brokers. 

Direct insurance brokers act as intermediaries between clients and insurance companies. Reinsurance brokers intermediate between insurance and reinsurance companies. Composite offer the services of both direct insurance and reinsurance brokers. 

Insurance brokers have the following responsibilities:

• Gathering client information to assess their insurance needs
• Building the risk profile of the client.
• Researching policies and negotiating with underwriters to find the suitable insurance policy for your client
• Ensuring that the clients are fully aware of the terms and conditions of the policy.
• Foreseeing client’s insurance needs such as requirements for any amendments in the policy or renewals. 
• Advising clients on the claim requirement.
• Arranging for a specialised type of insurance cover in unusual cases.

How to Become an Insurance Broker?

To become an insurance broker, you will need capital as follows. 

• Direct Broker: Rs.75 Lakhs
• Reinsurance broker: Rs.4 Crores
• Composite Broker: Rs.5 Crores

Those who have the required capital and IRDA license can become an insurance broker after the 12th standard.

6. Corporate Entrepreneur

Corporate entrepreneurs are the professionals working in any established company who identify and seek innovative commercialization of the ideas within an organisation fostering a culture of innovation and risk innovation. Commerce courses provide a strong background for the financial analysis, market research, and strategic planning. These courses teach about the principles of accounting, economics, and commerce that assist in making decisions. Professionals within corporate entrepreneurship have the following responsibilities:

• Discover new business opportunities within the organization itself.
• Develop and implement new and creative projects or products.
• Analyze the market situation and competition.
• Source resources and support entrepreneurial initiatives.
• Bring about entrepreneurship culture throughout the organization.

7. Material Management Professional

Material management experts ensure a company receives, stores, and distributes materials and resources needed for the production or delivery of its services. It is one of the career options in commerce after 12th that closely aligns with procurement, supply chain and logistics management. 

Commerce courses provide knowledge of financial management, analysis of cost, and budgeting. These help in acquiring skills such as data analysis, decision-making, and demand forecasting that are necessary in inventory management. Commerce courses also provide ethics and legal principles essential in supplier relations and contracts.

Material management professionals have the following responsibilities:

• Procuring materials and resources on a cost-effective basis.
• Optimizing inventory levels at the least carrying costs.
• Supplier negotiation and supplier relationship management.
• Timely availability of materials required for production or services extended.
• Compliance with all the legal and ethical standards in material management.

Check out courses for insurance brokers

Career Options in Commerce After Graduation

Following are the most popular and opted for career choices after 12th commerce:

1. Cost Accountant

A cost accountant is a professional who analyses product costs that are manufactured and sold by the organization. They inspect the cost in the production network and perform productivity examinations.

Following are the job responsibilities of a cost accountant:

• Bookkeeping reports for accommodation to the executives. 
• Creating quarterly reports on a stock hold investigation. 
• Proposing changes to approaches for expanding the income of the association. 
• Setting up standard expenses of the items and administrations; refreshing as suitable dependent on related costs. 
• Assessing overall record and asset reports.

How to Become a Cost Accountant?

Those who want to become Cost Accountants must complete the Cost and Accountancy (CWA) course from ICWA. 12th passed outs are eligible to appear for the foundational course. For the intermediate level, one must have education in 10+2+3 and the candidate should be at least 18 years old. After the completion of this course, you will become a certified cost accountant.

Check out cost accountant courses

2. Investment Banker

It is one of the high paid career options after commerce. These are financial advisors who work towards raising capital for their clients. As an investment advisor, you will have the following responsibilities:

• Facilitating large scale financial transactions.
• Issuing securities to raise capital.
• Creating documents required for the company to go public.
• Assisting with pricing the financial instruments.

How to Become an Investment Banker?

To become an investment banker, you will need a degree in courses that have mathematics, economics and finance as subjects. Along with a degree, you should do internships with investment banks. During your professional pursuit, you can gain qualifications as a CFA to upscale your profile.

Check out investment banker courses

3. Actuary

An actuary is a business professional who estimates the financial impact of uncertainty and helps in minimizing risks. There are two types of actuaries: Life actuaries and non-life actuaries. Life actuaries are those professionals who are either health or pension actuaries. This is one of the high-profile career options in commerce.

They deal with morbidity risk, mortality risk and investment risk. Non-life actuaries are either property, casualty or general insurance actuaries. They deal with legal and physical risks that affect people and their property. Their job responsibilities include:

• Assessing financial security systems.
• Analyzing data to estimate the probability and cost of any event such as sickness, death, injury, etc.
• Formulating insurance programs by analysing figures, facts and trends.
• Determining the rate of interest for insurance policies. 
• Designing financial policies. 

How to Become an Actuary Professional?

The candidate must have completed their 12th with mathematics as a compulsory subject. At least 70% aggregate in Mathematics is required for admission in this course. You should have a graduation level degree to pursue a career as an Actuary.

4. Financial Advisor

Financial advisors are the professionals are hired by fund managers as well as investment banks. These experts:

• Help clients with fulfilling their short and long-term financial goals
• Offer financial advice to wealth management, insurance, tax savings and retirement planning.  

How to Become a Financial Advisor?

Once you have obtained a bachelor's degree in finance, you can start applying for an internship. Once the internship is completed, you can register with SEBI and get more certifications related to finance. Further, you can start applying for jobs as a fresher financial advisor. 

5. Accountant

An accountant is a professional who records business-related transactions, issues financial statements and reports on company performance. An accountant is involved in the creation of various processes related to the business. There are cost accountants, tax accountants, inventory accountants, payroll clerks, etc. They have the following responsibilities:

• Participating in budget meetings and offering information for better financial and investment opportunities. 
• Balancing accounts and preparing financial documents periodically.
• Entering data related to profits, sales taxes, payables, etc.

How to Become an Accountant?

You will require at least a graduation degree to become an accountant.

Check out accountant courses

Tips To Build A Successful Career in Commerce

To build a successful career in commerce, you can do the following:

1. Choose the right career path: While deciding on a career path for yourself, you should choose it based on your qualification and needs. Suppose, you have a financial urgency and need to do a job directly after completing your 12th. In such a case, you may need a job that does not require high-level degree. In such conditions, you can do skill-based courses and certifications to get a job.
2. Choose the right course: While choosing a career path is important, it is equally important to choose the appropriate course to build that career. The degree course or the certification must be aligned with your career aspirations. 
3. Gain industry experience: During the course, you can get an internship to gain experience in your profile. This will boost your chances to get better jobs once you have completed your course. 
4. Upgrade your skills: Once you have joined the industry, you must upgrade your skills from time to time. You can choose online courses offered in your domain to learn about the latest trends and skills. These will be not only an add on to your resume but also will help you to overcome challenges in your work. 
5. Stay consistent: While all the above steps are important to build a successful career in commerce, staying consistent is important. Even if you feel dejected or demotivated, you can stay consistent and see the results in the long run.

Learn more about Career in Accounting and Finance

Conclusion

These were the career options for commerce students that will help them build a successful career. There are other career options in journalism, hotel management, digital marketing, content writing, etc. You can choose these career options if you do not want a job related to commerce. These career paths have an enormous scope and are in no way less successful.