CareersCareer paths
Twelve paths, each with what the work is, the steps, the examinations, the time it takes and honest notes.
- Engineering Four years after 12th. Six years after 10th by the diploma route (three years of polytechnic, then entry into the second year of B.Tech).
- Medicine (doctor) Five and a half years for MBBS. With specialisation, expect nine to twelve years of study and training after 12th.
- Nursing and allied health Two to four and a half years after 12th, depending on the course.
- Law Five years after 12th, or three years after a degree.
- Chartered accountancy and commerce professions About four to five years after 12th if every stage is cleared at the first attempt. Many students take longer.
- Teaching Two years after 12th for D.El.Ed. Four years for the integrated degree. Five years by the degree plus B.Ed route.
- Civil services One examination cycle takes about a year. Most selected candidates needed more than one attempt.
- Defence forces NDA training is three years at the academy and one at the service academy. Agniveer service is four years.
- Banking and insurance A recruitment cycle takes a few months from examination to joining.
- Design and architecture Four years for B.Des. Five years for B.Arch.
- Computers and IT without engineering Three to four years after 12th. Five with MCA.
- Skilled trades: ITI and polytechnic One to two years for ITI. Three years for a diploma.
How to read these pages
Each page follows the same order, so two careers can be compared side by side. First comes what the work is like on an ordinary day, because that is what you will live with. Then the steps from school to the first job, the examinations and the bodies that hold them, and the number of years. The line under each name above is that time, counted from Class 12 or Class 10.
The sections called "Honest notes" and "Is this path for you?" matter most. They say what college brochures leave out: where seats are few, where cost is high, and what kind of person tends to be content in the work. Each page also sets out other roads to take if the main entrance does not go your way.
A way to shortlist
- Read three pages that interest you, not one.
- Cross out any path whose daily work you would not want, however good it sounds.
- For what remains, note the stream it needs in Class 11 and the one examination that decides entry.
- Talk to one person who does that work.
We give no salaries, cut-offs or rankings here, on purpose: they change every year and are the figures most often made up.
Guides
Check the official notice. This page describes how the path works in general, as understood in November 2026. Age limits, eligibility, exam patterns, dates and fees change. Before you apply or pay for anything, read the current notice on the official website named on this page. This is general information, not personal career advice.