What next after Class 10?

Now that your Class 10 exams are over, what will be your next course of action?

You may be finding yourself at the crossroads, with no idea on which way to turn. It’s about making the choice of your life, or more appropriately choosing your life. Selecting the right PUC course and the ideal college to make the grade is the first step in chalking the career plan. It’s crucial since after the choice is made, there will be no turning back. But the problem is there are too many options.

You may witness persuasions coming in from all directions, but to make the most crucial decision, you need to be well informed. Seek expert opinions. Counselling may also help.

After that, all you need to do is ask yourself the right questions: What are you good at and interested in? What do you want to pursue as a profession?

Based on the answers, you can decide whether to choose the science stream of the PUC course, commerce, arts or other options. While many would have already decided on what to do after Class 10, the rest may be completely clueless. Educationists and counsellors term this as the crucial period of one’s career.

Manjula Raman, career counsellor and principal of the Army Public School in Bangalore, says: “After Class 10 exam, students should be clear about their choice of subjects in plus-two level. They should be well-informed about various options available after Class 10 and hone their skills in that direction to help themselves in shaping their career.”

Which is the most popular stream? Is it science? Experts feel It is high time to do away with the ‘myth’ that only students who pursue science land in well-paying jobs. “Students should follow their hearts and choose subjects according to their interests and calibre. In today’s time, sundry options are available for a tenth pass-out. Science is not the only option, students should understand that. Opportunities galore in unconventional fields as well… like languages and mass communication,” she adds.

Counsellors appreciate the maturity the youngsters of today show and feel they are pretty-much clear about what they want to do with themselves.

“These days, children plan their own career. Some start planning as early as Class 9 itself. Parents aid them in supplying the information, but they are not really involved in the decision-making,” says M Srinivasan, principal of Gear Innovative International. Hardly they succumb to parental and peer pressure while choosing their career, he adds.

“As I see it, they are in constant touch with their seniors who advise them to decide their future well in advance. They are very expressive and informative, and carefully choose what they want after taking all matters into consideration,” says he. Students have already started visiting colleges to enquire about the options available. Amitha Kamath, who just completed her ICSE examination, is all set to join the National Public School (NPS) in Rajajinagar in June. Before that, she will be joining coaching classes for the Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination (IIT -JEE). She has chosen the electronics and communication stream. She is also hoping to make it to IIT-Madras, after which she plans to go to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US for her post-graduation. “It’s purely my decision and this is what I’ve always wanted to do and have been interested in.”

Brendan D’sa, another ICSE student from Vidyashilp Academy, is all set to pursue his pre-university in science at the Deeksha Academy for Learning.

“Together with my parents, I’ve given these issues a thought for over a couple of months now. After elaborate research, I zeroed in on this place, because I felt it is a successful one,” says he.

Anuradha P from Sri Kumaran’s Children Home wants to get into the best PUC college in the city. But she doesn’t know how. “I want to pursue science in PU. For that, I should score at least 90% in my Class X and I am confident of scoring the required cut-off,” says Anuradha.

A good lot of students who want to make a career in engineering, medical and law have already enrolled themselves in coaching classes to help them crack the tough entrance examinations.