Top 10 Rewarding Courses after B. Com

If you are a Bachelor of Commerce, you are probably aware that a B. Com degree alone isn’t usually enough to land a well-paying, promising job. Because of this harsh reality, many commerce graduates have to pursue a master’s degree. If you too have just completed B. Com or are worried about possible job prospects after acquiring any bachelor’s degree in commerce, this post is for you. Today, we are going to list the top 10 rewarding courses that B. Com graduates can consider pursuing.

Top 10 Rewarding Courses after B. Com

There are 2 reasons why a B. Com degree is not sufficient to live your dream life:

1) No practical exposure

Both B. Tech and B. Com are undergraduate courses, then how do people having only a B. Tech degree go on performing way better than individuals possessing a B. Com degree only? We are pretty sure that you must have pondered upon this question often.

This answer is quite straightforward – B. Tech graduates gain a lot of practical exposure through mandatory industrial training, projects and college workshops/labs. On the other hand, B. Com graduates have mere theoretical knowledge which doesn’t impress top recruiters who are always on the lookout of talent that can work under pressure and perform well in practical environment. Unfortunately, B. Com doesn’t provide the required practical exposure to students.

2) Low number of jobs

Millions of graduates pass out with a B. Com degree every year, but there are only a limited number of jobs that require the skills learned during the degree. Hence, all graduates must upgrade their skills either through a master’s degree, such as MBA, or through other relevant qualifications such as Chartered Accountancy.

Top 10 Rewarding Courses after B. Com

You can choose a course according to your passion or long-term goals. Still, here are a few top rewarding courses for B. Com graduates:

1) Chartered Accountancy (CA)

Many people aspire to become a Chartered Accountant but because of the difficulties involved, they often give up mid-way. However, we must remember that the tougher the battle, the sweeter are the rewards. Perseverance is the key.

You must clear three stages – CPT, IPCC and CA Finals – along with an internship in order to become a certified chartered accountant. It will take at least 3 years for you to become a chartered accountant. Once you achieve this qualification, you can either set up your own firm or work with reputed national and international accounting companies. Notably, the average annual salary of a chartered accountant in India is INR 7,90,662.

2) Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Most of the B. Com graduates pursue an MBA degree. However, the degree will prove valuable only when received from a well-reputed, notable university. As an MBA, you will learn to manage every aspect of a business for the specialization of your choosing.

There are as many as 9 national-level MBA entrance exams for which students can appear. They include:

• CAT
• CMAT
• MAT
• XAT
• NMAT
• SNAP
• ATMA
• GMAT

Besides these, there are also many state-level and university specific exams, where one may find lower competition. There is a decent demand of skilled MBAs at both national and international companies.

3) Digital Marketing

Another top rewarding course after B.com is digital marketing. B. Com graduates can enrol in any of the digital marketing courses; all you need to know is how to use basic Google search and social media. Modern-day companies spend a lot on their digital ad campaigns and social media (including YouTube). Post the coronavirus pandemic, almost all businesses have moved online, which implies that there are numerous well-paying roles in this relatively new field.

You can specialize in one or more of the following vertices of digital marketing:

• Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads
• Social Media Marketing/Management
• E-commerce Marketing
• YouTube Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Content Marketing
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Affiliate Marketing

There has been huge growth in the field of digital marketing post the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, it is the only industry where the number of employment opportunities has increased ever since the coronavirus outbreak!

4) Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)

The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) is an internationally recognized professional designation. The CFA course comprises many topics such as corporate finance, probability theory, economics, statistics, financial analysis, security analysis, fixed income, derivates, portfolio management, etc.

The CFA course takes 2.5 years to complete and the exam consists of 3 tiers. As a CFA, you may find a place with dream companies such as Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Royal Bank of Canada, UBS, BlackRock, etc. The remuneration too is quite overwhelming at INR 6.6 lakh per annum.

5) Company Secretary (CS)

In case you aren’t aware, a company secretary is in charge of all the legal aspects of an organization. They are the ones tasked with taking care of an organization’s tax returns, keeping records of all paid taxes, providing suggestions to the board of directors, and ensuring that the organizations continue to meet all legal and statutory regulations.

Now you must be wondering, what degree or course you are required to complete in order to become a company secretary. Well, if you aspire to be a CS, you must study corporate law, which is a 3-year long degree. It consists of 3 stages, namely Foundation, Intermediate and Finals. You can earn anywhere between INR 4-10 lakh in this profession.

6) Certified Management Accountant (CMA)

This course is for those B. Com graduates who are looking to settle abroad. You are supposed to clear 2 stages of examination and gain a work experience of at least 2 years. Please note that CMA is a professional certification offered by the Institute of Management Accountants based in the United States. Financial management and management accounting are the two fields that the course focuses on.

The best part about being a CMA is that you can find a job in all companies – small, medium and large-scale; public and private firms; educational institutions and not-for-profit organizations.

7) Business Accounting and Taxation (BAT)

Here’s a course that has been designed by industry experts to give you 100% practical experience so that you are industry-ready for all kinds of accounting roles. Since the course is designed to give you a complete industry exposure, you will master many accounting tools and software used by companies across the globe.

The BAT course modules comprise the following topics:

Financial reporting using ERP

• GST
• Direct Taxation
• Finalization of financial statements
• Excel and MIS reporting
• Payroll Components ESIC

Once you have completed this course, you can choose any role – finance manager, tax consultant, company law assistant, corporate legal assistant – according to your preference. As a BAT professional, you may earn anywhere from 3.5 – 4 lakh annually.

8) Financial Risk Manager (FRM)

The designation of Financial Risk Manager (FRM) is considered gold standard in the financial risk management industry. This certification – which is only 9 months long — is offered by the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP). Obtaining this certificate will ensure that you have practical in-depth understanding of risk management concepts in the present financial world.

In order to become an FRM-certified professional, you must complete both the parts of the exam, which are conducted in the months of May and November respectively. Your roles and responsibilities as a financial risk manager will include identifying and  

analyzing threats to the company’s earning capacity and assets. This is a highly lucrative job – a Financial Risk Manager may earn anywhere from INR 8-16 lakhs annually in India.

9) Certificate in Investment Banking (CIB)

Certificate in Investment Banking is another rewarding course that B. Com graduates can pursue. It takes no longer than 6 months and adds great value to your skill set. Upon the successful completion of the CIB course, you can choose from a plethora of fields, namely equity research, investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, private wealth management and asset management.

Investment Bankers in India enjoy good remuneration, considering the fact that their average annual salary is INR 9 lakhs.

10) Certified Financial Planner (CFP)

If you wish to become a financial consultant or an insurance consultant, this certification is a custom pick for you. However, you must meet these 4 criteria to earn this certification:

• Education
• Performance in the CFP exam
• Relevant work experience
• Demonstrated professional ethics

Once you become a CFP after B. Com, you can set up your own company and help clients on matters like insurance decisions, investment plans, tax issues and financial advice. CFPs earn anywhere between 3.5 – 4 lakh/annum in India.

The Bottom Line

We hope that this blog post has given you some decent knowledge about the top rewarding courses and certifications that you can pursue after your B. Com. The first step, however, would be to identify your key interests. It is not wise to take up a course or certification only for the monetary benefits that it brings. B. Com alone usually doesn’t fetch an individual a well-paying job – this is indeed the harsh reality. That is why a master’s degree or an additional certification is always needed.

Of all the above-mentioned courses, one course that you must consider in today’s scenario is digital marketing. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed all businesses to the online platform. No company, whether small or large, would now run the risk of operating only offline. This shift in landscape has opened up millions of job opportunities for the youth, which are only going to increase with time. A digital

marketing course doesn’t cost much and adds real value to your CV!