Psychometric Test vs Skills Test: Which One is Better?
Career Options for Arts Students After 12th

Between Science, Commerce, and Humanities/Arts, Arts is the only stream that is less respected amongst the three streams because obviously, what good can Arts students achieve anyway. If you are surrounded by people who think the same, then this is your sign to get away from them. Arts or Humanities has always been one of the best streams as it opens a thousand career options after 12th. It is after choosing the Arts stream that you can either be a journalist, writer, economist, designer, or a pastry chef, whatever seems the best to you. With all these options still available and giving you the chance to follow a field you are passionate about, deciding the right career options for Arts students after 12th can be a bit challenging. To help all the confused lads out there, there are career counselling experts for your help.
Today, in this blog, we are going to explore what are the best career options for Arts students after 12th and how career counselling experts help them in picking the right path. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
Top Career Options for Arts Students After 12th
As mentioned earlier, there are thousands of career paths you can pursue after completing your 12th with an Arts background. However, figuring out which one is right for you can feel like being stuck at a crossroads. Every option may seem appealing, but it’s always wiser to understand them all before making a choice.
In this section, we’ll explore the various career options available to Arts students after 12th , including the top five most promising paths you can consider. So, let’s dive straight in!
Top 5 Career Options for Arts Students After 12th
1. Psychology
One of the most popular career options in today’s time for Arts students is Psychology. Imagine to be able to read someone else’s mind and to actually understand why they behave the way they do. Psychology is all about understanding minds and building a career in mental health, a path that is gaining importance in the recent times in India and abroad. If you are curious about human behaviour, emotions, and decision-making then psychology is one of the most rewarding career paths for you to pursue after 12th.
After 12th, you can pursue a BA in Psychology, followed by an MA in Clinical, Counselling, or Organisational Psychology. Career roles that you can explore after pursuing psychology is clinical psychologist, therapist, counsellor, HR specialist, or research associate. The entry-level professionals earn around ₹4-6 LPA, whereas experienced psychologists or corporate consultants can make ₹10-20 LPA or more. With additional certificates or a degree from abroad can even increase the salary range.
2. Law
The next prestigious path for Arts students after 12th is to become a lawyer. If you are passionate about justice, critical thinking, and debate, then Law is the best career path for you. Offering both prestige, financial security, and a sustainable career path, Law is one of the most popular and high demanding career paths for Arts students after 12th. After 12th, you can enrol in a BA LLB (5-year integrated course) from a reputed university in India or abroad.
After graduation, you can specialise in any of the following fields: corporate, civil, criminal, environmental, or international law. With a BA LLB degree, you can explore career opportunities like an advocate, a corporate lawyer, a legal consultant, legal analyst, or even a judge (after qualifying exams). Talking about the earning potential, fresh graduates from a top law school can earn ₹6-10 LPA, while the experienced corporate lawyers or partners in firms can earn ₹20-50 LPA or even more.
3. Journalism and Mass Communication
Another popular career option for Arts students to pursue after 12th is Journalism and Mass Communication. It is one of the careers where you get a chance to shape the world by crafting stories that are true to the core. If storytelling excites you and you enjoy expressing your ideas through words, visuals, or speech, then Journalism and Mass Communication is a thrilling career option for you.
After 12th, you can pursue a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication (BAJMC) or a Bachelor’s in Media Studies. Throughout your degree, you will learn writing, reporting, film production, and digital communication. Career roles that you can explore after graduation in Journalism and Mass Communication includes like journalist, news anchor, content writer, PR specialist, filmmaker, or digital marketer. In India, beginners earn around ₹3-5 LPA, but experienced journalists, editors, or communication managers in top media houses can make ₹10-25 LPA.
4. Design and Fine Arts
A career path that everyone thinks suits best to an art student is design and fine arts. Now guess what, if you do love sketching, fashion, interiors, or digital art, then Design and Fine Arts are the best way to turn your creative passion into a full-time profession. While many think that Design and Fine Arts is not a stable profession, it is the only career path that offers vast creative and financial opportunities, making it ideal for creative thinkers as they get free hand on doing and creating what seems the best to them, helping them thrive in the design industry through innovation and individuality.
After 12th, you can pursue a degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), BA in Design, Fashion Design, Interior Design, or Graphic Design depending on your interests. Career roles you can explore here includes graphic designer, fashion designer, fashion stylist, interior designer, illustrator, animator, or creative director. The starting salaries are around ₹4-6 LPA, but experienced designers in fashion, UX/UI, or advertising can earn ₹15-30 LPA or more, especially with international exposure.
5. Economics
The Arts stream gives you an infinite number of career options and it can be anything without you even knowing. One such career option for Arts students after 12th is Economics. If you are someone who enjoy numbers, logic, and understanding how economies function, then Economics is an excellent high-paying field for you. You can pursue a BA in Economics, followed by an MA in Economics or MBA in Finance/Economics. This course builds strong analytical and qualitative reasoning skills applicable to business, policy, and research.
Some of the core career roles you can explore with a degree in Economics include economist, data analyst, investment researcher, policy advisor, or banker. The initial salaries typically range between ₹5-7 LPA, and experienced economists or analysts in finance, consulting, or government sectors can earn ₹15-25 LPA or higher. With global demand for economic experts, especially in multinational organisations, your job is stable and thriving.
How Career Counselling Experts Provide Clarity Amongst Confusion?
With all these lucrative career options for Arts students after 12th, it is obvious to get a little confused in picking the right path. While many students blindly pick Law or Fine Arts as their career paths, some even follow the trend and ends up picking Psychology. Amongst all the top career options that Arts stream has to offer, to know which one seems the best fit for you, here is how career counselling experts help.
Step 1: The Psychometric Test
Before the career counsellors can help you pick the right path, they analyse your strengths, skills, interests, and potential through a psychometric test. The psychometric test is a scientifically designed test assess your strengths, interests, and abilities to reveal which career option truly fits your potential the best.
Step 2: Personalised Guidance
The next step in the career counselling process is to get personalised counselling and guidance. After analysing your psychometric test’s results, the counsellors have one-on-one interactive sessions with you where they understand what aspirations are. After analysing your expectations and skills, the counsellors suggest what is the best suited path for you.
Step 3: Market Insights
After you have shortlisted a couple of career paths, the career counselling experts provide you with market insights. This step includes sharing information such as real-world job trends, industry demands, growth potential, and career sustainability. It is through this step that the counsellors ensure to align your choices with future opportunities and career success.
Step 4: Skill Development
Once finalised what you are going to be, the next step is to be job ready with the right skills, knowledge, degree, and experience. This is where the career counselling helps you the most. The counsellors suggest you the right skills to develop, experience to gain, knowledge to enhance, and which college would be best suited for your degree and future career aspects.
Step 5: Career Road Mapping
In order to make your career future-proof, the last step in the career counselling process is to provide you with a personalised career roadmap. In this, the counsellors provide you with a step-by-step guide on what should be your next step, your short- and long-term goals, and how you will eventually grow in your career.
MetaApply Career Counselling Helping Arts Students Pick the Right Career Path
As the blog comes to a close, we have tried to include all the crucial information on this topic. As you are someone who is looking for career options for Arts students after 12th, there is a world of opportunities open for you. The question here is, what you want to be and how you are going to shortlist the right path. As there are thousands of options and the confusion might end up with you making a mistake, it is the career counselling experts who help. Now, when you look for one such trusted counsellor then who is better than MetaApply Career Counselling.
Whether it is about enlightening you about your superpowers or helping you find the right career path, our counsellors are here to help you at every step. The MetaApply IE Career Counselling only initiates after you take the MetaApply Psychometric Test and from that minute forward, our counsellors are here to provide you with personalised guidance.
So, if you want a personalised career road map after completing your grade 12th with an Arts background, then connect with our counsellors today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Psychology, Law, Journalism, Design, and Economics are among the best careers after 12th Arts. These fields offer strong career growth, global opportunities, and align with diverse skills like creativity, communication, and critical thinking.
Economics and Law are the highest-paying courses in Arts. Graduates working as economists, corporate lawyers, or financial analysts can earn between ₹10-25 LPA with experience especially in top firms, MNCs, or government research roles.
Yes, Arts is an excellent career option. It offers flexibility, creativity, and wide opportunities across law, media, design, and international relations. With proper career counselling, Arts students can achieve high paying, fulfilling, and globally recognised careers.