Courses that fetch jobs top chart

Lure of the lucre

Engineering and medicine apart, the next best that a PUC pass-out is asking for is commerce and management-related courses. A reason why colleges have more seats for commerce-related subjects and also have a high cut-off for intake, ranging from 80 per cent to 93 per cent.

Mount Carmel College got 398 applications for 60 seats in the BBM course, and plans to screen students on the basis of an entrance examination.

The demand is felt even at the PUC level. BMS PUC College has set aside around 370 of its 705 seats for first year PUC for commerce subjects. 

Topping the chart in the arts stream is the English, psychology and journalism/ communications/ economics combo. The demand is so high for the course that colleges have entrance examinations to filter the intake.

The demand for journalism could be due to the booming media industry and the pay of Rs 1.2 lakh to Rs 2 lakh that fresh pass-outs are now taking home. In the science stream, computer science and electronics-related streams are way up in demand, though pure sciences are going through a slump. Admissions to science courses are sought by students as reserve, just in case they do not clear engineering and medicine entrance tests.

“Most of the seats go vacant and hence we give admissions on the spot. There is no cut-off marks or list put up,” says Prof S P Chudamani, principal of BMS Degree College for Women.

As though reading the mind of the youngsters, some colleges have come up with new courses. Christ College has started a degree course combining performing arts, English and psychology. It has also begun evening courses for BCom. Mount Carmel College has a new BCom course that promises industrial exposure in all the six semesters of study.

The major reason is the heavy pay packet (Rs 7-8 lakh per annum) a fresh management graduate takes home, according to industry figures.

With recession showing signs of receding, the demand for computer-related courses at the PUC level has picked up, says Suresha P H, the principal of BMS PUC college. “This year, with the market showing signs of picking up, the demand is back on track,” he says.

Yet it is the Physics, Maths Chemistry, Biology combo that reigns. The group is selected by science students to qualify them to appear both for engineering and medicine entrance examinations.