Choosing the right career in commerce can result in high-paying jobs, career stability, and great growth opportunities. Finance, accounting, and management professionals are in high demand as businesses expand around the world. In this guide, we will explain the best career options for commerce students after 12th and graduation, along with their eligibility, salaries, and future scope. This list will be useful for both those looking to transition into non-traditional finance roles and those pursuing technology- or marketing-related positions in commerce.
Table Of Contents
Before jumping into the detailed blog about the top commerce career options, let’s explore high-paying job roles in India. This table includes their basic eligibility criteria that must be fulfilled to attain these positions.
| Job Role | Eligibility Criteria | Exams for the Role | Avg. Salary in India (approx.) |
| Investment Banker | Graduation in Commerce or Finance | CFA Levels: 1, 2, and 3 | INR 8-15 LPA |
| Cost Accountant | Graduation in Commerce or Accounting | CMA | INR 5-10 LPA |
| Key Account Manager | Graduation in Commerce or Marketing | None | INR 6-12 LPA |
| Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) | Bachelor’s degree in Finance or Economics | CFA | INR 8-15 LPA |
| Company Secretary (CS) | Bachelor’s degree in Law or Commerce | ICSI CS | INR 6-10 LPA |
| Chartered Accountant (CA) | Bachelor’s degree in Commerce or Accounting | CA | INR 10-20 LPA |
| Credit Manager | Graduation in Commerce or Finance | None | INR 6-12 LPA |
| Mortgage Manager | Graduation in Commerce or Banking | None | INR 6-10 LPA |
| Insurance Officer | Graduation in Commerce or Insurance | None | INR 6-10 LPA |
| Certified Public Accountant (CPA) | Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance | CPA | INR 8-15 LPA |
Top 20 Commerce Career Options
Commerce students have a wide range of options to pursue because the field actively offers multidisciplinary subjects, ensuring a stable job market, high salary opportunities, and diverse career options. With the growth of the finance, banking, and business analytics sectors, commerce graduates can secure high-paying jobs in India and abroad.
Here are some top career options for students in the field of commerce that are in high demand right now:
- Investment Banker
An investment banker acts as a financial consultant, supporting companies in raising funds and expanding their enterprises. They primarily assist companies in issuing stocks and bonds, which raises capital for companies that help them expand operations, develop new products, hire more employees, etc.
- Eligibility: Must have completed a degree in finance or commerce.
- Average Salary: ₹8-15 LPA
- Hiring Companies: Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, HDFC.
- Growth Prospects: Investment banking offers some of the highest salaries in the economy. These professionals manage mergers and acquisitions, as well as other large-scale corporate investments. It is one of the best career options for commerce graduates.
- Cost Accountant
A cost accountant is a specialized financial expert who analyzes, tracks, and reports on the various costs associated with business operations—including labor, materials, overhead, logistics, and other expenditure categories. Their analysis helps businesses make important decisions about the pricing of goods/services, identify areas to cut or control spending, determine optimal production volumes and efficiency to maintain profit margins, and promote business growth.
- Eligibility: Candidates must have received a CMA certification.
- Average Salary: ₹5-10 LPA
- Hiring Companies: Tata Group, Reliance Industries, Wipro, Infosys.
- Growth Opportunities: Major decision-makers in finance and cost management. Help businesses minimize expenses while maximizing productivity.
- Key Account Manager
In a business context, a key account manager (KAM) plays a vital role in building and maintaining relationships with a company’s most important clients. They manage relationships and sales with those key accounts.
The Key Account Manager job description typically includes responsibilities such as identifying client needs, developing long-term relationships, ensuring customer satisfaction, and driving revenue growth.
It is a good career option for commerce students because you need skills like communication, relationship building, understanding customer needs, and negotiating—things that commerce students study. With a commerce background, students understand business concepts that are useful in this client-facing management role.
- Eligibility: Must have a degree in either Commerce or Marketing.
- Average Salary: ₹6-12 LPA
- Hiring Companies: Amazon, Flipkart, Nestlé, Unilever, Coca-Cola
- Growth Opportunities: Custom and client management services provided by B2B organizations are rapidly becoming available, resulting in new job opportunities. This includes strengthening existing business relationships and forming new revenue-generating partnerships.
- Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) is a globally recognized professional designation that signifies expertise in investment analysis and portfolio management. To become a CFA, students need to pass three exams that test their skills in accounting, economics, ethics, money management, and financial analysis. The CFA certification holds the reputation of being the top-tier qualification in the investment management sector and is in high demand among employers.
- Eligibility: Must possess a bachelor’s degree and have a CFA certification.
- Average Salary: ₹8-15 LPA
- Hiring Companies: BlackRock, Fidelity Investments, HDFC Asset Management
- Growth Opportunities: Asset and investment management firms are more likely to offer growth opportunities. Those with CFA certification are more likely to analyze market economic movements and provide strategic economic advice.
- Company Secretary (CS)
A Company Secretary (CS) is a professional who oversees the company’s legal and regulatory compliance. As an expert in company law, securities law, and corporate governance, a CS plays a key role in guiding company directors on best corporate governance practices, collaborating with regulatory authorities, handling company meetings & records, preparing financial statements, as well as advising the board on corporate strategies.
- Eligibility: The candidate must possess an ICSI CS qualification.
- Average Salary: ₹6-10 LPA
- Hiring Companies: Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, L&T, Mahindra & Mahindra
- Growth Opportunities: Corporate governance roles in top companies. Responsible for following legal procedures and ensuring that corporate policies are followed.
- Chartered Accountant (CA)
Finance and accounting experts, also known as Chartered Accountants (CAs), are qualified to audit financial statements, file taxes, provide authoritative advice on financial matters, and ensure legal compliance regarding finances. Chartered Accountants offer a wide range of rewarding professional services to individuals and businesses as auditors, tax consultants, and financial advisors. A prior strong grasp of commerce subjects thus provides a helpful background for this challenging but rewarding career.
- Eligibility: Must be a CA.
- Average Salary: ₹10-20 LPA
- Hiring Companies: Deloitte, KPMG, EY, PwC, Grant Thornton
- Growth Opportunities: The position is ideal for a confirmed CA spare due to its flexibility and stability. CAs are responsible for a variety of tasks such as auditing, taxation, and economic planning.
- Credit Manager
Commerce students can build impactful careers by leveraging their analytical strengths as credit managers in diverse industries. The role of a credit manager involves overseeing policies for customer credit evaluation, accounts receivable, collections, and working capital decisions while minimizing bad debt risk. To enter this field, a bachelor’s degree in a core commerce field like accounting, finance, or economics serves as an excellent base. A Master of Business Administration course pursued after developing expertise as a credit analyst can also enrich one’s credentials for higher credit manager positions.
- Eligibility: Graduated in Finance or Commerce.
- Average Salary: ₹6-12 LPA
- Hiring Companies: ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, SBI, HDFC Bank, Standard Chartered
- Growth Opportunities: Evaluate credit applications and in some cases, pay expenses.
- Mortgage Manager
A mortgage manager is a professional who oversees the mortgage process, advising clients on loan options and terms, processing paperwork, and working as an intermediary between borrowers and lenders. For commerce students interested in banking or finance careers, understanding the mortgage industry and the role of a Mortgage Manager can provide valuable insight. Gaining exposure to mortgage operations and credit risk analysis can help strengthen core skills in accounting, financial management, and risk assessment.
- Eligibility: Graduation in Banking or Commerce.
- Average Salary: ₹6-10 LPA
- Hiring Companies: LIC Housing Finance, PNB Housing Finance, HDFC, Bajaj Finserv
- Growth Opportunities: The mortgage manager helps the client apply for a home loan and facilitates the process of loan approvals.
- Insurance Officer
Insurance officers advise clients on coverage options and choose suitable plans based on needs and budgets while selling insurance policies on behalf of insurance companies. A commerce education enables insurance officers to utilize analytical skills in assessing financial situations and risk exposures to recommend products. Knowledge of economics, accounting, finance, statistics, and marketing empowers commerce graduates to excel as insurance officers.
- Eligibility: Graduation in Insurance/Commerce
- Average Salary: ₹6-10 LPA
- Hiring Companies: LIC, ICICI Lombard, Max Life Insurance, SBI Life Insurance
- Growth Opportunities: The insurance officer extends coverage, evaluates risk, and accepts or rejects a proposal from an individual or firm.
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is a highly regarded professional designation in the accounting field. They are responsible for performing accounting services and functions such as audits, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and financial reporting. A CPA career offers numerous benefits, making it an excellent choice for commerce graduates. CPAs enjoy strong job prospects, high earning potential, and the opportunity to make a significant impact on businesses and individuals.
- Eligibility: CPA Certification
- Average Salary: ₹8-15 LPA
- Hiring Companies: Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PWC, Amazon
- Growth Opportunities: The role of the CPAs encompasses taxation, financial reporting, and auditing.
- Tax Officer
A tax officer is a government official who works for the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), which functions under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance. They play a crucial role in ensuring that individuals and businesses comply with their tax obligations, thereby contributing to the government’s revenue collection and funding of essential public services.
- Eligibility: Commerce degree + Taxation specialization
- Average Salary: ₹6-12 LPA
- Hiring Companies: EY, PwC, Deloitte, KPMG, Grant Thornton
- Growth Opportunities: A tax consultant serves the purpose of including, but not limited to, taxes that all entities must pay.
- Product Manager
In today’s fast-paced world of technology, companies are constantly working to develop innovative solutions and services. Leading this product development effort is the product manager. In the early conceptualization stage, they envision the solution, identify customer needs, and determine business opportunities. They work closely with various internal teams like engineering, design, and marketing to establish the product strategy and define the scope.,
- Eligibility: Bachelor’s in Business/Marketing/Finance
- Average Salary: 10-25 LPA
- Hiring Companies: Google, Amazon, Flipkart, Tata
- Growth Opportunities: After learning the dry procedures and terms, they progress to full product managers.
- Auditor
For commerce graduates interested in an exciting career path, consider becoming an Auditor. As an Auditor, you will assess the financial records and operations of businesses, non-profits, and government agencies. Auditors have an important role in ensuring that an organization’s finances are accurate, legal, and ethical. You will work directly with senior leadership and C-level executives to thoroughly examine income statements, balance sheets, internal controls, and more.
- Eligibility: CA/CMA Certification
- Average Salary: ₹ 6-15 LPA
- Hiring Companies: EY, Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, RBI
- Growth Prospects: Auditors examine an organization’s processes and expenditures when managing an institution’s finances to ensure that they are transparent and in accordance with regulatory requirements.
- Human Resource Manager
When hiring new talent for a company, a human resources manager is crucial. This involves creating job descriptions, advertising openings on suitable platforms, screening candidates, conducting interviews, and making final decisions on selections to extend job offers.
- Eligibility: MBA with specialization in HR/MBA with any other business discipline.
- Average Salary: ₹ 6 – 18 LPA
- Hiring Companies: TCS, Infosys, HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries, Accenture
- Growth Prospects: When managing an institution’s finances, auditors examine its processes and expenditures to ensure that they are transparent and comply with regulatory requirements.
- Data Science and Analytics
Data science and analytics are emerging as a highly promising career option, even for commerce graduates. With the exponential growth of digital data across all industries, there is a huge demand for professionals who can extract meaningful insights from vast amounts of structured and unstructured data. Commerce students with qualifications in statistics, finance, accounting, and business analytics are well-equipped to pursue careers in this field.
- Eligibility: Degree in Commerce or Finance + Data Science certification.
- Average Salary: ₹ 10-22 LPA
- Hiring Companies: Google, IBM, Microsoft, Accenture, Mu Sigma
- Growth Prospects: Assist businesses in making coherent decisions by analyzing large amounts of data and forecasting market trends.
- Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an individual who creates a new business, bearing most of the risks and enjoying most of the profits. Commerce students can become entrepreneurs by taking advantage of their business knowledge and skills to identify market opportunities and develop innovative products or services. They can also leverage their understanding of finance and accounting to manage their businesses effectively.
- Eligibility: Degree in Commerce or Finance + Data Science certification.
- Average Salary: ₹ 10-22 LPA
- Hiring Companies: Google, IBM, Microsoft, Accenture, Mu Sigma
- Growth Prospects: Assist businesses in making coherent decisions by analyzing large amounts of data and forecasting market trends.
- Retail Manager
A retail manager is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of a retail store. They manage the staff, including hiring, training, scheduling, and evaluating employees. Retail managers are also in charge of ensuring high levels of customer service, monitoring sales and inventory, setting budgets and goals, and addressing any issues that arise on the sales floor.
- Eligibility: Marketing/Business Degree.
- Average Salary: ₹5-12 LPA
- Hiring Companies: Reliance Retail, Amazon, Future Group, Big Bazaar, DMart
- Growth Prospects: Retail managers are in charge of store functions such as ensuring sales targets are met and customers are satisfied.
- Stock Broker
A stockbroker serves as an intermediary between investors and financial markets, facilitating the purchase and sale of stocks, bonds, and other securities. To work as a licensed stockbroker, one must have a strong grasp of economics, accounting, company analysis, and how financial systems function. For commerce background students, becoming a stockbroker can be a good career option. As brokers earn commissions on the trades they execute, there is potential to earn a substantial income, especially if one is able to consistently generate high trading volumes.
- Eligibility: SEBI Certification + Any degree in Finance or Commerce
- Average Salary: ₹7-20 LPA
- Hiring Companies: NSE, BSE, Zerodha, Angel Broking, ICICI Direct, HDFC Securities
- Growth Prospects: Stockbroking has been an ever-growing career due to the rise in retail participation in the stock markets and growing financial literacy. Stock brokers can specialize in equity research, investment advisory, or portfolio management, allowing them to advance to high-paying positions in financial services firms and brokerage houses.
- Bank PO
A bank PO, or probationary officer, is an entry-level managerial position in banks and financial institutions in India. A bank PO is responsible for multiple operations in a bank branch, like managing customer accounts and services, lending, deposits, investments, etc. To become a bank PO, one needs to clear exams like the IBPS PO, which tests candidates on reasoning ability, quantitative aptitude, English language, general awareness, and computer knowledge.
- Eligibility: Any graduate who must pass the Bank PO test.
- Average Salary: ₹ 6 – 18 LPA
- Hiring Companies: State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, Bank of Baroda
- Growth Prospects: Bank POs carry out a variety of banking processes and gradually get promoted to more advanced roles within the banking organizations.
- Relationship Manager
A relationship manager is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with clients or customers. They work to understand the client’s needs and goals and then develop and implement strategies to meet those needs. A commerce background can be helpful in this role because it gives the relationship manager a strong understanding of the customer journey and the factors that influence purchasing decisions. Additionally, a commerce background can help the relationship manager identify and develop new business opportunities.
- Eligibility: Graduate in Finance/Marketing.
- Average Salary: ₹5-15 LPA
- Hiring Companies: HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Citibank, HSBC
- Growth Prospects: Emphasizes maintaining and expanding client relationships with banks, insurance companies, and other financial service providers.
Conclusion
Commerce students interested in banking, finance, taxation, analytics, or entrepreneurship can pursue lucrative careers. Every Commerce graduate can find a suitable career path, whether they want to be a chartered accountant, an investment banker, or work in a growing industry like fintech or data science.
To maintain a competitive edge and secure better-paying jobs in commerce, adopting new skill sets and making the right career choices proactively is essential. With so many opportunities in accountancy and such a high demand for other finance career options, the best career options for commerce students after 12th grade are undeniably vast.