Only 9.5% non-technical students among internship seekers; huge scope of career opportunities for B.A, B.Com, B.Sc, and B.B.A students
As per MHRD’s All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) report of 2019, 62% of the Indian students come under the category of non-technical students aka degree students which broadly includes students from undergraduate degrees like B.A, B.Com, B.B.A, and B.Sc. Unlike engineering and management, these degrees aren’t considered as professional courses. Professional degrees are called the same as these are meant to train students for specific careers. For instance, if a student is pursuing a B.Tech in computer science, she is basically being trained for a career in the field of computer science that might offer jobs in programming, software development, web and mobile app development, and so on. If not this, engineering students often go for higher education in management, research, or other engineering jobs with the government.
Degrees like B.A, B.Com, B.B.A and B.Sc may not set out specific career paths but still offer tons of opportunities to the students. After completing their graduation, degree students often don’t give much thought to their options and go straight for post-graduation. They sometimes plan a career in either teaching or pursue government jobs or in case of B.B.A, directly go for an M.B.A. Nonetheless, the scenario is changing now.
With the advent of technology, the internet, and the rise of social media, students are becoming more informed and aware. The following graph presents one such trend which shows how B.Com, B.B.A, and B.Sc students are now actively pursuing internships which until a few years ago were deemed for engineering and management students only.
Comparison of overall degree students in India versus percentage of degree students pursuing internships in 2019
Another major detail to note in the graph is that there is still a massive lack of awareness among students, especially from the B.A degree programmes which standing at 50% dominates over other degrees in terms of the percentage of students enrolled. This particular trend shows that there is a huge opportunity for all the stakeholders involved including parents, faculty, industry, and students themselves to spread more awareness among this section and introduce these students to the plethora of opportunities in the corporate world as well.
Not only B.A students, but B.Com, B.Sc, and B.B.A undergraduates could also use encouragement to pursue more internships in order to skill themselves and gain practical experience to kickstart their professional journey. Standing at 62%, students pursuing these degrees hold the bigger share in higher education pursuing population. However, when it comes to their pursuing internships, only 9.5% of the students applying for internships are from these degrees.
Now, let us take a look at the various types of internships these students are applying to. In addition to content writing and data entry, various management profiles including business development & marketing, digital marketing, and human resources are extremely popular among students of all four degrees.
Popular internships among B.Sc students: In addition to management internships, these students are actively pursuing internships in web development and mobile app development. In addition to this, these students are actively pursuing opportunities in graphic designing and data science.
Popular internships among B.A students: Content writing is highly popular among B. A. students followed management and law internships.
Popular internships among B.Com students: Students pursuing B.Com degree have shown high interests in management roles including business development, marketing, digital marketing, human resources, accounts, and finance.
Popular internships among B.B.A students: Similar to B.Com students, B.B.A pursuants are also actively pursuing management internships including business development & marketing, human resources, and digital marketing, followed by content writing and finance.
Students pursuing professional courses have a comparatively better-defined career journey — pursue their degree, take up relevant trainings, and gain necessary internship experiences during the college thereby building their resume and landing a decent job. Unfortunately, when it comes to non-professional degrees, we can’t say the same. However, this does not mean that degree students have any lack of opportunities and career aspects for them. They simply need to explore more options and choose a career that suits their interests.
Courtesy: Internshala, an internship and training platform (internshala.com)
