The Humanities Option

There needs to be greater flexibility in the minds of young people making career decisions to understand the value of the study of humanities subjects. The breadth of information acquired from the study of social sciences and the range of skills acquired through vocational, creative and performing arts courses equip young people for a variety of work-related options. 


Introduction
The humanities stream offers a variety of subjects for study. Social sciences, foreign and regional Indian languages, creative and performing arts and vocational subjects all open up a host of career options. Education, research, the development sectors, services sector, government jobs, politics, administration and public affairs, law, mass media, defense, investigative and protective services offer an array of career openings. There are no restrictions on entry into the commercial sector. Careers in travel and tourism, marketing services (advertising, public relations, market research), banking, insurance, human resource development, computers are some examples. The entire gamut of creative and performing arts careers open up for students from the arts stream. The options not open to students of humanities are only those related to technology, engineering, physical, biological , earth and health sciences.

The work options

Creative and aesthetic options 
Creative and aesthetic careers are meant for people who are imaginative and sensitive to the elements of art i.e. shape, color, design and harmony. There are several routes into creative careers. Art and Design courses offer the most relevant choices.
Graduates from Art Schools apply their skills in art to commercial use. Applied art encompasses fields such as advertising, graphics, animation, photography, multimedia, craft design etc. A course of Art is generally of four/five years duration and offers specialisation in commercial art, graphics, fine art, photography, sculpture . Fine artists live off the sales of their paintings. Some emerge as reputed artists with an individual style.
Design on the other hand is a comparatively new concept. Design has to do with products and objects which are used for practical purposes. Creativity is at the core of the design occupations. The concept of design blends functional convenience with visual appeal in the designing of products/furniture/textiles/accessories/garments/home appliances/ ceramic ware/automobiles. Visual communication design (graphics, animation) is another popular field of work for industrial designers. Fashion and accessory design have emerged as stimulating options changing virtually the entire scene of the garment industry. Interior Design, Exhibition design and Set design are other popular design related options.


Language related options
Learning of a language with an aim to pursue a career is gaining popularity. Globalisation has triggered off international activities in the field of economics, academics, social and cultural spheres. Career opportunities have opened up in the area of translation, interpretation and education. Interpreters and translators are required in diplomatic interaction, in travel trade and in the hospitality sector. With the stepping up of International security foreign language specialists are required for intelligence services, as well as for carrying out customs and immigration services. Indian regional languages are required for mass communication, script writing, writing and translating from works in other languages. English is a useful subject for virtually all spheres of activity.

Social Science subjects related Options
Social sciences encompasses the study of a range of subjects leading to a variety of career options - Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Political Science, History, Anthropology, Public Affairs, International Studies, Law etc. Each subject offers specialised areas of study and work. Options leading from higher studies are research and teaching. Other openings are in journalism, mass communication, business administration, human resource management, law, public service, in the development sector as well as in international relations/trade and international organisations. Social science subjects also offer specialisations. Examples are Psychology which offers specialisation in Applied branches such as Industrial psychology, educational psychology, counselling psychology, clinical psychology which in turn offer job opportunities in diverse sectors - the hospital/clinic, the industry, in schools, market research , human resource management etc.

Other professional options which students of social sciences can opt for are :
Law- The study of law is a popular choice particularly with the increasiing number of lawyers required for settling disputes in almost all segments requiring justice. Corporate, criminal, civil, human rights , international legal tangles and labour cases are just to name a few. While study of law after +2 (5 year course) is gaining popularity, graduates in all subjects can pursue the LLB (3 year ) programme. 

Teacher Training - Teaching has been an option for those who are academically inclined and who find relating to students a stimulating experience. Teachers training is offered for preschool, secondary , university level teaching. Nursery teacher training equips you for becoming a preschool teacher. B.Ed course is an intensive programme covering school teaching. The option for graduates is to pursue a regular B.Ed course or to enroll in a 4 year (BA. B. ED) programme. For university lecturership postgraduates in various subjects have to clear the National Eligibility Test (NET) or State Level Eligibility Test (SLET) for seeking appointment.

Library Science - Library and Information Science is a course offered both at the graduate and the postgraduate levels. B. Lib is a one year course graduates from any stream can pursue while M. Lib takes off as a postgraduate option after B. Lib.

Mass Communication - Journalism, Video and Film production/ direction/ scriptwriting/ acting and performing arts offer innumerable career options. Journalism requires a vast base of information and graduates from several disciplines converge for a professional training in the subject. Careers related to the audio, video and film mediums are pursued by students who receive a specialised training in film training schools or on the job. Mass Communication courses cover a wider range of subjects and are generally of 2 year duration and impart training in cinematography, production, direction and other related areas.

Marketing Services - Advertising, Market Research, Public Relations have made tremendous impact as marketing functions. The most desirable subjects are behavioural sciences, sociology and business related vocational subjects for entering these fields. After pursuing these subjects at the graduate level entry into professional course of ones choice can be made. 

Government Jobs - Civil Services have attracted youth who wish to be part of the government. Union Public Service Commission conducts Civil Services examinations. The examination is open to graduates from all disciplines though the most scoring options have been social science subjects. Selected candidates join the Indian Administrative Services, Indian Foreign Services, Indian Police Service and all Group 'A' Services. States Services also offer alternative options. 
Pursuing the Humanities discipline offers opportunities in Banks, Defense (Army-Infantry, Supply corps, Ordinance, Education, Legal, administrative, logistics, Intelligence branches; Air Force and Navy - Logistics, Administrative, Intelligence, Educationl branches), all protective services (BSF, ITBP, Coast Guard, CISF, Home Guards), Doordarshan, All India Radio and various Public Sector Undertakings, Insurance, travel corporations, etc.

Vocational Course Options
Vocational subjects emphasise on a specific vocation and provide professional and practical hands on experience. The vocational study differs in content at its various levels- post school or as post graduate options. A graduate course in a vocational subject is more extensive than a diploma/ certificate course after Class XII. Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, Business Data Processing, Office Management, Secretarial Practice, Computer Application, Family and Child Welfare, Insurance, Banking etc. are offered as graduate degree courses in several universities. 
Hotel Management, Travel Tourism, Physical Education, Beauty Therapy, Computers, Multimedia are options which can be pursued after XII with the Humanities subjects. There are postgraduate diploma/ degree courses for the hotel and travel sectors also. 


Courses
Premier Institution offering Art/Design courses 
* National Institute of Design, Paldi , Ahmedabad 380007
* Indian Institute of Craft and Design, B-16/A,Bhawani Singh Road, Opposite Nehru Shahakar Bhawan, C-Scheme, Jaipur 302005 
* Zica Studios, Coral Island, Borivali (W)Mumbai 400091( for animation)
* National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hauz Khas , New Delhi- 110016 . The Institute has campuses in Mumbai, Calcutta, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore.
* School of Interior Design and Institute of Environmental Design, Vallabh Vidya Nagar, Gujerat- 388120 
* Indian Institute of Interior Designers , Sulbha Niwas, Pt., J. Purohit Road, Mumbai- 400016
* Sir JJ. Institute of Applied Art , Dr.DN Road, Mumbai.
* Faculty of Art , MS University, Baroda 
* College of Art, Tilak Marg, New Delhi- 110001
* College of Art, Sector 10 C, Chandigarh
* Faculty of Fine Art, Benaras Hindu University, Varanasi 


Universities Offering Foreign Language Degree Courses
* Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi 110016 offers graduate and postgraduate degree in foreign languages.
* Benaras Hindu University, University of Delhi, Punjab University , Chandigarh 160014 
* Punjab University , Sector 14, Chandigarh- 160014
* University of Delhi, Delhi110007
* Punjabi University, Patiala- 147002
* Guru Nanak Dev University , Amritsar - 143005

Premier Law School
National Law School, Janana Bharti , Bangalore- 560056
Other 5 year Law courses
* Kurukshetra University , Law Faculty, Kurukshetra 136119
* Maharishi Daya nand University , Law College ,Rohtak, Haryana 124001

Premier Teacher Training Institutions 
Regional Institutes of Education at Mysore, Bhubashewar, Cuttak and Ajmer ( Under National Council of Educational Research and Training, Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi. )
Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Udaipur and Barkatullah University, Bhopal conduct BA. B. Ed courses.

Premier Mass Communication Programmes
* Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi
* Film and Television Institute, Law College Road , Pune 411004
* Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Aruna Asif Ali Road, JNU Campus , New Delhi- 110067
* Xaviers Institute of Communications, St. Xaviers College, Mumbai -400001
* Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Aruna Asif Ali Road, JNU Campus , New Delhi- 110067 conducts Advertising and Public Relations programmes

Some Hotel Management & Travel Programmes
* Indian Institute of Hotel Management Catering and Nutrition, Pusa, New Delhi-110012
* Welcome Group Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Valley View, Manipal- 576119
* Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021