Engineering is a very popular and in demand course, but the fact that every year millions of students try to clear the competitive exams, and for the rat race it has become, it is not necessary for you to become a part of this race. If you don’t want to be just another goat in the herd, you don’t need to be. In fact, there are a hell lot of career options one can pursue after completing their senior secondary education with PCM (Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics).

I would try to include as much as courses I can, but my apologies if I miss some. Now buck yourself up, because the number of courses is going to boggle your mind.

Also Read : What are the books that every Mechanical Engineer must read?

BCA (Bachelor of Computer Applications)

If you are interested in computers and have good problem-solving skills but don’t want to go for engineering, you may want to choose this 3-year course. There are great colleges in India which offer this course, and you may consider it as the non-B.Tech degree in Computer Science. However, you get to learn a lot about computers, both in hardware and software and have the option to go for further studies and do a Master’s course. A lot of IT companies hire BCA students, so job opportunities are vast. And who knows, you may even be able to land a job on Google!

The best colleges in India that offer this course are –

• Christ University, Bengaluru
• SRM University, Chennai
• Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research, Pune

B.Arch. (Bachelor of Architecture)

If you have ever wondered how buildings are built and want to become an architect, this is the course for you. Career opportunities are vast in this course and you can even get a chance with the top names in the country. However, it is a long course as its duration is 5 years, but if it suits you, go for it.

Some colleges offering this course are –

• School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi
• Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
• Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee
• Jadavpur University, Kolkata

Merchant Navy

For someone who loves to travel, this may be the perfect course. If you don’t have a problem in staying away at sea for long periods of time and have a good eyesight and a healthy body, don’t hesitate to take this 3-year long course. Also, this is one of the highest paying jobs (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a fat paycheck). Keep your bags packed and travel around the world!

Know Also : If I start as a Computer Engineer, where should I see myself after five years, given that I keep working in same field?

The best colleges that offer courses in Merchant Navy are –

• Tolani Maritime Institute, Pune
• Indian Maritime University, Chennai
• Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies, Mumbai

Commercial Pilot Training
If ships and sea aren’t your things, you can also go for training to fly commercial planes, and you can aim for the sky, literally! However, the training procedure is very rigorous and you need to have a very good eyesight and physique. Apart from that, the training is expensive too.

Some of the institutes are as follows –

• The Bombay Flying Club, Mumbai
• Government Aviation Training Institute, New Delhi
• Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology, Kerala

Fashion Technology and Design related courses

You love fashion, this is the perfect field of study for you, and there are various courses out of which one may be suited to your abilities. From designing the product to deciding the fabric, to involving new and advanced manufacturing techniques, you’ve got it all covered. You may even opt for Interior Designing courses.

The best colleges in India that offer various courses are –

• National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Patna and Hyderabad
• Pearl Academy, New Delhi

Tourism and Hospitality Industry

If you are the extrovert kind or have good communication and interpersonal skills, then this industry may attract you a lot. There are various jobs that you may be able to land which include Hotel Management, Travel Counselling, Operations and/or Supply Chain Managers, and many others.

Colleges that offer courses in tourism, hospitality and hotel management are –

• Indraprastha University, Delhi
• Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Chennai
• Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

Also Read : What are the books that every Mechanical Engineer must read?

Other courses

Apart from these courses, there are a bunch of other courses that you may pursue

• BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration)
• Pharmacy
• Sc. (offers a lot of courses)
• NDA (National Defence Academy)
• Biotechnology
• Filmmaking and Video Editing
• Multimedia and Animation
• Graphic Designing
• Web Designing and Development

Even if you are not content with all these courses, you may also opt to switch streams, however, it will cause difficulty in getting along the course because the course material will be completely new.