Tips To Select The Best Stream After 10th Standard

10th standard is an important point in the life of an Indian student. It is at this point that a student has to decide about his/her future. This is a question that pops up in front of many students- ‘which stream to select after 10th?’. Talking about streams after 10th, there are three main ones available- Science, Commerce and Arts. It is quite natural for students to get confused at this juncture. This article will guide you and help you select the right stream. Here, I’ve mentioned some tips and advice, using which, you will be able to find the stream that suits you the best!

You must be wondering about why the task of selecting a stream after 10th is such an important task. Yes, it is quite an important task. It is important because the stream that has been selected by a student, to an extent, will influence the professional course that he/she will pursue after completing 11th and 12th standards. And the professional course, in turn, will decide the career that he/she may build after graduation!

Also check – Part time courses in UK after 12th

See, directly or indirectly, the stream that a student chooses after 10th standard is capable of influencing the career (and thus life) of a student! This is why it is an important decision. Much thinking and research must be made, before one decides to select a particular stream after 10th. Below mentioned are some tips and advice, which will be useful to students and parents alike.

Tips to select the best stream after 10th standard

Please go through all the entries. Let us start with point number 1

1 Give attention to your aptitude, strengths and personality

One must be realistic while making a choice regarding streams after 10th. Adequate attention must be given to one’s aptitude. If you are very weak in science subjects (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology), you will have a tough time facing the subjects present in science stream! This is why choosing a stream according to one’s aptitude is necessary! One may take help of online as well as regular aptitude tests to find out one’s ‘range’ and ‘abilities’.

To play to one’s strengths is another good strategy. If you are very good at Economics and Statistics, choosing commerce stream will prove beneficial for you! Find out more about your strong points (academic) and choose streams based on such strengths.

Well, just knowing details about your aptitude and strengths won’t be of any use, until you implement the second point-

2 Know and understand the streams inside out

Okay, so you know everything you need to know about your personality, aptitude and strengths. But without knowing details about the streams (such as subjects, difficulty level, career paths etc), you won’t be able to find out which one of them suits you best!

Thus, it becomes necessary to grab as much details about the streams as possible. Find out details like education boards, important subjects, career paths available, scope and difficulty level. When you have both sets of data ready, you may sit down, analyze and arrive at a conclusion!

For your convenience, I’ve gone through the task of compiling details about the three main streams (PUC) available in India. They are-

1. Science Stream
2. Commerce Stream
3. Arts Stream

You may click on the above provided links and check out important details about these 3 streams.

3 Make use of educational counselling service/website

A qualified educational counsellor will be able to understand you and find a stream that suits you best! If you have access to good counselling facilities, make use of them. It will also help your parents get an idea about the whole process. Both students and their parents must get involved in this process.

If you don’t have access to a good educational counsellor, you may seek help of your teachers. Teachers certainly know more about you than just your name! They, through constant interaction with you for a long time, may know details about your strengths, personality and traits. Based on this knowledge and their teaching background, they may be able to guide you further!

4 Give attention to your passion/area of interest

They say- ‘Do what you love’. Yes, this is a good policy to follow. Doing so will guarantee to keep us happy for the rest of our lives! Sit down, keep paper and pen in hand. Now think about your area of interest. What are you passionate about? Jot it down on paper. Of course there could be more than just one entry. Jot them all down. After that, make the list shorter. Eliminate entries other than the ones you really care about. At last, you will be left with one entry that you are most passionate about.

[alert-announce]Are you interested in machines, their way of working and design? You must then go for applied science courses like Engineering, Diploma in Engineering or B.Sc. Science is the stream that you should take.[/alert-announce]

[alert-announce]Do you want to become a sculptor? Want to become a renowned artist? Arts stream will help you out![/alert-announce]

[alert-announce]Are you interested in economic trends and policies? Want to become a well known Economist? Arts or Commerce stream will be of use to you.[/alert-announce]

Those were some examples about how your area of interest will help you take up a certain stream.

Now, if you follow point #2, you won’t have much trouble finding the appropriate stream that will lead you towards a career revolving around your area of interest. Giving attention to area of interest is a good thing. Along with that, also give attention to the next entry-

5 Check career prospects, scope and possibilities related to a stream

If you are an academically bright student and building a rewarding career is your prime motive, you must give adequate importance to this point. Analyze each stream and check out career prospects associated with it. Now, some streams give access to diverse job opportunities. The key is to find out what the future in that field will be like. Will its demand reduce in the future? Is it highly vulnerable to recession? You must try to find answers to these questions.

6 Make use of field trips

I’m not talking about a fun trip! Field trip is a trip to the work place related to the career you’re interested in. I think an example will make things more easy to understand.

For example- suppose you want to become a Doctor. Field trip will help you find whether the work environment will suit you or not. Visit nearest hospital and take note of the work environment of a Doctor. You may also take note of his/her schedule. If necessary, you may also indulge in a chat session and learn more about the trade from the Doctor!

This will help you find out whether the job of a Doctor suits you or not! At first, it may seem silly. But there have been cases where field trips have helped students take the right decision. You may also check – List of best courses after 10th.

At the end of the field trip, if you are satisfied with the work environment and nature of the work, you may go ahead with the stream that will lead you to that career. If you are not satisfied (reasons could be many- personal, medical etc), do consider other streams.

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Arun Kallarackal

Educational consultant at Courses After 10th

Arun is a passionate educationalist who started this blog in 2016. He has been helping students, their parents, and teachers through his posts, guides, and articles on this blog. He has 10+ years of work-experience in the field of education, career counseling, and training.

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