5 in-demand courses to choose in 2021

P.C. Chhabra 

Education has completely moved on from its traditional setup and reskilling is vital in a post pandemic scenario. COVID-19 has opened up a new way of studying and therefore, returning to normal comes with multiple challenges. It also presents an ocean of opportunities to improve skills. Ongoing global pandemic brought to light various issues, and concurrently created a sense of urgency for both students and professionals to accelerate their growth towards the future.

As Class XII board result is out now, it is a crucial time for students as the choices made at this stage may shape their careers. At this point of time approximately 80% students feel pressured to take up a course just because their parents think it is best or just because their friends are going for it. Before investing your time, money and efforts into pursuing a course, you should keep a steady head and weigh all the options carefully.

As the world is adopting the digital paradigm, there is a growing need to polish the old skills and learn new ones. Before finalizing the admission in any course, here are some demanding courses with alluring career options for students.

Cyber Security

Governments and organisations are facing cyber threats increasingly as hackers target government agencies because its interwoven systems contain vast amounts of information from citizens. Not only government but private or public organisations are also at risk.

As per the source, country's demand for cybersecurity professionals is likely to rise 200 per cent by 2024. Cybersecurity has become one of the most in-demand careers for students. Those are interested in working as cybersecurity professionals will have no dearth of opportunities. To kickstart a career in cybersecurity, one needs to start off with a background in Information technology. The options of courses are:

BTech (Information Technology)

BTech (Information Science & Engineering)

BTech (Cyber Security and Forensics)

BE (Information Technology)

BSc(Forensic Science)

Diploma in Cyber Security

Artificial Intelligence

India will play a pivotal role in the AI revolution and nowadays AI is being used across various industrial sectors (Healthcare, agriculture, automobile, education and transport) etc.  AI enters our professional lives and it entails the amazing career opportunities for freshers and professionals. To be part of the AI profession, you will know about the future growth of Artificial Intelligence and its various aspects that can be inculcated in a machine using Artificial Intelligence. 

The advancements in technologies also fuel the future scope of Artificial Intelligence in India in subsets of AI like Deep Learning, Machine Learning, etc. One can opt for a course in AI after Class XII:

BTech. in Computer Science

BTech. in Robotics and Automation

BTech. in Electronics Engineering

BTech. in EC Engineering

BTech. in Electrical Engineering

 Pharmaceutical Science

In India the pharmaceutical market is one of the few sectors that have shown double-digit growth rate (CAGR) in the past few years. India's presence in the global pharmaceutical industry is growing rapidly. In the ongoing pandemic, the demand for medicines is increasing day by day, so employment in the pharmaceutical sector is also increasing.

The pharmaceutical sector in India is offering great career opportunities to thousands of students. After completing Class XII, interested candidates can opt for various courses mentioned below:

Bachelor in Pharmacy

Bachelor in Pharmacy (Lateral Entry)

Bachelor of Pharmacy (Ayurveda)

Diploma in Pharmacy

 Nursing

Nursing is one of the most lucrative career options for students because there are no restrictions for students irrespective of their academic background. As medical facilities are rising in India, the demand for Nursing courses has also increased immensely. Nurses are one of the pillars of the Healthcare systems and Indian nurses are the most trusted health care professionals in the world.

Nursing courses:

BSc. Nursing

ANM

GNM 

Data Science

Data has become an essential part of our life. In the current scenario each and every industry has opened its doors for data analytics professionals. The scope of Data Science is wide and has emerged as an attractive and top most career option in India because of its vast future offerings and opportunities. 

Candidates who are passionate about research and computers through data analytics, will find the option of pursuing Data Science as a lucrative career option. For this interested candidate needs to opt for one of the courses mentioned below:

BSc Data Science

BTech  Big Data Analytics

BCA Data Science

IBM Data Science professional Certificate

Applied Data Science with Python Certifications

 Before making your decision, keep on searching the top most courses and demand of courses in your desired fields.

The writer is Executive Director, Sanskriti University