Five popular courses after Class 12 that may not be worth the money

Choosing the right course after passing Class 12 is not an easy task. Glossy college brochures and big advertisements often present such an attractive picture of a course that students take admission without thinking it through. But the real truth comes out only after getting the degree, when there is no job in hand. In today's time, having a degree alone is not enough; it is important to see how much demand that degree has in the market. Many old courses have fallen far behind the needs of today's job market.

Doing any course costs lakhs of rupees and precious years of life. In such a situation, if this time and money go to waste, anyone can be disappointed. To give the right direction to a career, it is best to stay away from courses whose market value has now almost ended. Here are five such popular but now outdated courses, about which one should think a hundred times before taking admission.

The first is a general BA without any specialisation. Even today, a large section of the country takes admission in a general BA course without any special skill. Just studying theory and memorising old books does not get anyone a job in today's corporate sector. If skills like digital marketing, data analysis or content writing are not added along with this degree, it remains just a piece of paper.

The second is a basic BCom without advanced skills. Commerce students have always had a craze for BCom, but in today's age of automation and AI, it has become very difficult to get an accountant's job on a basic BCom degree alone. Until a student learns professional courses like CA, CS, CFA, taxation and financial modelling, or short-term certified skills, relying only on this degree can be dangerous for a career.

The third is a Diploma in Event Management with a heavy fee. Seeing the glamour of television and films, many young people choose an event management diploma course. The fees for these courses are very high, but in this industry, more than a degree, what matters is your contacts, experience and ability to handle the pressure that comes with the work. Surviving in this field on the strength of just a paper diploma, without any practical experience, is almost impossible.

The fourth is a basic computer diploma and O-Level course. There was a time when having basic computer knowledge was considered a big deal, but in today's digital age, where every child can operate a smartphone and computer, the value of old diplomas like basic computer applications or O-Level has become nominal. Companies now demand advanced skills like coding, data science and software development instead of basic knowledge.

The fifth is mass communication and journalism without digital and tech skills. Seeing the attraction of the media field, lakhs of young people come into this sector. Many colleges and institutes are still teaching the same old traditional syllabus, which does not match today's era of digital media, AI tools and video editing. Until students have practical knowledge of multimedia, social media algorithms and data journalism, surviving in this field becomes very difficult.