The road to opportunities gets unlocked once you pass out your 12th commerce. However, this same road can often lead you to a confused state if the opportunities aren’t fully explored. Today, economics is where the world is headed. The number of businesses are surging tremendously, increasing the demand for more and more commerce professionals.
However, the students must understand how to commence their professional careers. The world has drastically changed, and today skills and knowledge are valued way above any course, diploma, or degree. But it is also important to nurture yourself through the right course to develop those intended skills.
So, this blog will cover some of the best professional courses you can opt for after 12th commerce that will set your career path in the right direction.
What are the Top Courses to Pursue After 12th Commerce?
Here is the list of some of the best professional courses to pursue to kickstart your career after 12th commerce.
- Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
It is one of the best professional courses with lucrative salaries that entice most candidates towards this course. A CFA is a financial expert who is considered gold in the investment analysis domain. The course is centred around everything related to finance.
After opting for this course, the candidate becomes an expert in all financial areas of an organisation, from procurement to management. Countries such as the USA, UK, Canada, China, and Australia highly demand CFA professionals due to their unmatched market skills and practical experience.
- ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)
Students interested in accounting and wish to learn tools to manage the accounts of organisations must consider this course. It is one of the top professional courses that offer deep and practical knowledge of various subjects in the financial field.
ACCA-qualified students are considered the best of all, which raises their demand from top-level business enterprises. They start their career with job positions like an accountant or business analyst and can go up to the position of CFO, CEO, etc., in just a couple of years.
- CFP (Certified Financial Planning)
It is a popular course in today’s time that can open up multiple high-earning opportunities for candidates. It is an internationally-recognized course, and those looking for a career in the financial sector must explore this course. The course teaches wealth, asset management, taxes, financial planning, and much more.
Apart from that, it polishes your skills to an international level, setting you apart from other competitors during job interviews. Becoming a financial planner is a highly secure job with several income gains.
- IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards)
IFRS is a course based on accounting standards and principles set by the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB). Today, IFRS has become a global standard for preparing financial statements.
It means that IFRS-certified professionals will have the opportunity to work at the biggest MNCs and manage their financial reporting. As more countries adopt IFRS as a common financial standard, job opportunities worldwide would multiply, paying out to certified professionals significantly.
- Financial Modelling
You might have heard of various business models companies opt to run their operations and manage their businesses. Similarly, there are certain financial models that each company have to circulate their money and manage their enterprise finances.
Financial Modelling is a course that prepares you for the field of Financial Planning & Analysis, Investment Banking, Portfolio Management, Equity Research, Project Finance, Credit Research, etc. The course sharpens your skillset to such a level that once you are done with your course, jobs will come to you automatically to gain from your expert financial knowledge.
Learn More About Financial Modelling
- Investment Banking
We all have heard stories about how someone invested in a share and got x times multiplied the amount as ROI. It is what the field of investment banking presents to you. Investment banking is one of the fastest-growing fields of today’s time. Investment bankers can make significant gains in this field by combining the knowledge of finances and analysing the growth prospects of companies.
It is a tremendous course that teaches you real-life skills to deal in the real economic world. Being an investment banker, you surely can earn multiple opportunities to build a safe and lucrative career.
Learn More About Investment Banking
- Chartered Accountant
It is a field related to managing the finances and accounts for a corporation. The course is highly popular and is pursued by many individuals. However, there has been a substantial drop in its demand over the years because of the availability of new and more practical courses.
But still, a significant number of candidates go for this professional course that helps you gain knowledge of finances, taxation, auditing, and accounts. The job opportunities after this course are plenty with good earning salaries.
Learn More About Chartered Accountant
CFA Examination: Glancing at the Key Characteristics
Though all the above-given courses after 12th Commerce are great to flag off your career in the field, CFA certainly has its merits in many ways. So let us start by first looking at some of its characteristics.
CFA Exams
Candidates need to clear three CFA levels to become a CFA-certified professional. Level 1 tests the candidate’s knowledge of ethics, financial accounting, investment theory, and portfolio management. It is conducted four times a year, February, May, August, and November.
The levels get harder and harder as you move forward. The Level 2 of CFA is held thrice a year and covers subjects such as Quantitative Methods, Equity Investments, Derivatives, Portfolio Management, etc.
The third and the last level of CFA is conducted only twice a year and is certainly the hardest level of all. You need to master subjects such as Corporate Finance, Assets, Equity Investments, Financial Reporting, etc., to clear this exam.
Exam Pattern
The CFA Level 1 exam happens in two sessions of 2 hours and 15 mins each, with 90 questions each in both sessions.
The CFA Level 2 exam also happens in two sessions of 2 hours 12 mins each, with 88 multiple choice questions in each exam.
Similarly, the Level 3 CFA exam is also conducted in two sessions with an optional break and has 88 questions in each exam.
Here are the links to get detailed knowledge of CFA, all three levels:
To sum it up, to clear all levels of your CFA examinations, you have to dedicate study for over 3000+ hours and gain knowledge of all related financial areas. However, the pay-off for that will be significant, and you would be able to make a safe and sound career out of it.
Is CFA Better or CA?
Which is better, CFA or CA? Many students have this question in mind after passing their 12th commerce. So to get the right answer to this question, let us contemplate both these courses.
Chartered Accountancy (CA)
CA is a professional course on clearing which you can work in all fields of finance such as taxation, consultancy services, auditing, financial management, and many more. The main job responsibilities of a CA are:
- Looking after the financial process
- Preparing monthly financial reports
- Preparing budgets
- Complying with the tax provisions
- Auditing the financial statements
- Coordinating with income statements
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
CFA is a more niche specific course and makes you highly proficient in investment management. As the course is internationally-acclaimed, it provides better and swift job opportunities than the CA. The main job responsibilities of CFA are:
- Investment banking
- Keeping a track of the financial position of a company
- Building investment-related strategies
- Researching and analysing risks
- Managing the portfolio of the company
Difference Table for CFA Vs CA
| Characteristics | CA | CFA |
| Core Areas | Accounting, law, taxation, finance, and audit | Finances |
| Course Duration | Three levels with practical training of three years | Three levels with practical training of four years |
| Examination Type | Subjective | Objective |
| Minimum Qualification Required | Class 12 | Graduation (You can opt for the course in last year of your graduation) |
| Organisation Conducting the Exam | The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India | Chartered Financial Analyst Institute |
| Average Income | Rs. 6-8 lakhs | Rs. 7-8 lakhs |
| Job Prospects | CA’s can get a job in any organisation, from private to public, as they have dynamic job duties. | CFA’s have a higher demand in MNC’s and have many opportunities to go abroad. |
In summarising, CFA and CA both have their merits and disadvantages. So the choice depends entirely on the interest of candidates and what kind of job roles they prefer in their career.
How to Prepare for the CFA Exam?
Preparing for the CFA exam is certainly the most important aspect of it. A candidate must have a regular routine of studying and understanding the concepts of the subjects. On average, you must study for over 300 hours to clear each CFA exam level.
You can also enrol in The CFA program from IMS Proschool where experienced teachers will teach you in a streamlined manner. The course helps you manage your time with perfection and guides you on how much importance and time to give to each topic.
Though self-study is always an option, the stats show that candidates who pursue this course professionally have better chances of clearing their examinations in the first go.
The Bottom Line
CFA is a great choice to pursue after your 12th Commerce as it provides you with the right knowledge of tools and subjects that you can directly apply to your job. As your skills would be sharpened as per the industry standards, getting a job will be a piece of cake once you clear the examination. So if you too wish to become a financial professional that earns a high-end salary, start you CFA course with IMS ProSchool.
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