List of Careers Options & Occupations in India

Guide to jobs in Finance, Technology, Marketing, HR & many more

ou are going to spend a lot of time playing the careers game. Before you jump into the ring (or even if you’ve already taken the plunge), it might be a good idea to know what the game is all about, the rules that apply and how you can make the most of it and come out a winner.

For most students, a career is something that happens abruptly after their fun-filled academic life gets over. And most aren’t prepared for it.

The general approach is to apply randomly to a bunch of companies that come for campus recruitment, go through the grind of aptitude tests / interviews and select the highest paying job.

There are plenty of complications that can arise because of this approach. Here are a few:

– The novelty of the company’s brand and high salary wears off very quickly.

– Job satisfaction drops because there’s a disconnect between the job requirements and your personality.

– There are productivity and efficiency issues at work because the academic life never really gave you the technical skills you needed.

Read this first: How to choose a career.

List of popular career options in India

The job opportunities sections of newspapers and employment websites advertise thousands of positions all over India and abroad.

Among the huge list of jobs to choose from, there are a few career categories that are more popular than the others.

What are some of the commonly advertised positions in the careers section? What are the hot jobs? Here’s a quick look.

Finance Careers

If the rich and the famous characters portrayed in Hollywood aren’t businessmen they are more likely to be investment bankers, traders, asset / portfolio managers & financial analysts.

Jobs in corporate finance, project finance, insurance management or regular (retail) banking may not be as glamorous, but they have their own rewards.

While Wall Street might seem to be the epicenter of financial activity, there are plenty of high paying jobs in finance available across the world.

Learn more about Careers in Finance.

Technology Careers

The geeks will inherit the earth they said. While that prophecy may not have fully fructified yet, technical wizards are surely controlling how lives and business operate on the planet.

Whether you are an application programmer, project manager, software test engineer there’s a lot of power you can wield on technology products that’ll have a big influence on those around you.

Learn more about Careers in Information Technology.

Also read these articles:
– Technology (IT) careers in the financial services industry
– Downside of being a software engineer in India

Marketing Careers

You may not be able to sell ice to an eskimo, because you’ve never tried. When a regular desk job isn’t your cup of tea, marketing jobs in sales, marketing strategy, pricing and advertising may be right for you.

Learn more about marketing careers.

Operations Careers

What the customer sees is the final product or service delivered by the company. What stays behind the scenes is the tremendous effort that goes into creating / manufacturing it. There’s usually an army of workers, operations managers, quality control professionals who are working towards ensuring a superior customer experience.

Human Resources (HR) Careers

In spite of all the automation that we see around us, the not-so-lowly employee still calls the shots. It’s still a while before machines will take over from humans. Which means there’s plenty of work for HR professionals. You could look at jobs in recruitment, compensation structuring, training and a host of other human resource management roles.

Learn more about careers in human resources (HR).

– How the recruitment process works
– 4 Top Recruitment and Selection Myths Busted
– Role of Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) in Hiring & Recruitment
– Referral recruitment programs vs other hiring strategies

Accounting Careers

Q. Apart from his bank statements, what else is the top boss (CEO) of the company worried about?
A. Financial statements i.e. balance sheet and profit & loss statement.

That’s his performance report which reflects how the business he leads has done over the previous financial year. And he could use a little help from accountants, auditors, tax consultants to ensure that his report card looks good and a fair reflection of the business.

Learn more about careers in accounting.
– My career as an Indian female IT auditor
– My career change from an Indian Railways TTE job to Chartered Accountant

Legal Careers

The law of the land has made it possible to keep society civilized. But it can get quite complex for the lesser mortals to comprehend what these laws mean. You could specialize in corporate law, criminal law, tax law and a host of other categories and help other navigate the complex maze of ever-changing rules and their interpretation.

NGO, Non-profit and Developmental Careers

Too much money isn’t the root of all evils. There are other primary issues that need to be tackled – education, poverty, human rights, child development, health.

Whether you decide to work in a non-governmental organisation (NGO) or within the corporate social responsibility (CSR) department of a private company, you could help in solving the most basic issues that plague mankind. These are among the few meaningful jobs that focus on social and economic impact.

Learn more about:
– NGO careers in India
– United Nations (UN) jobs in India for freshers and experienced professionals
– How to Become a School Teacher in India
– How and why I got into a non-profit (teaching) career

Healthcare and pharmaceutical Careers

When all the other jobs mentioned above (along with a whole lot of environmental, genetic and lifestyle reasons) are causing stress and illnesses among your brethren, you could take up jobs that ensure that they live happy and healthy lives. As a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, surgeon, this is among the few professions where you can be a superhero and save lives.

Entrepreneurship Careers

This can be ultimate dream for most corporate slaves stuck in a regular, monotonous office job. But the lure of a monthly salary (and the perceived security and stability of a well-paying job) is too much to resist for most. There’s also the fear of a radical career change.

If you need a little help managing the transition from a 4X4 feet cubicle to something bigger in life, here are a few articles to help and inspire.

– Why brand IIT is better than IIM for startups in India
– Serial Entrepreneur from IIT turned Venture Capitalist has advice for startups
– 4 Must-Have Skills and Traits for any Entrepreneur
– Unexpected lessons from my life as an entrepreneur

Explore other free career management resources on Careerizma.