Generally, a short-term computer course lasts for duration of 3 months which could be less or more depending upon the course structure involved and the teaching criteria employed in various institutes.
Some important short-term computer courses which students can join after the CBSE class 12 board exams are given below
1 DIGITAL MARKETING
Digital Marketing is a vast and wide field. It covers topics such as- SEO, Content writing, Content marketing, Social Media, Email marketing, Affiliate marketing, Lead generation, Analytics, A/B testing, SMO, Brand management etc.
When it comes to Digital Marketing course, there are two popular formats available in India- online and offline. Online course can be pursued right from your own home. All you need to do is purchase the course material (e books, PDF files, audio and video material etc) from online education portals and study the trade using them. Offline course means the traditional classroom approach. Classroom course may last for a period of 3-6 months. Diploma and certificate courses are offered by Digital Marketing institutes in India.
After completing the course, one may take up the following job posts and roles-
- Digital Marketer (independent)
- Digital Marketing professional (working for agencies)
- Online Brand management professional
- Social Media manager
- SEO professional (independent/working for agencies)
- SEO consultant
- Digital Marketing instructor
- Entrepreneur
Since Digital Marketing is a vast field and covers many topics, mastering a specific topic may become a bit difficult. This is why there are individual courses available, like the one mentioned below-
2 SEO COURSE
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is all about using techniques to boost the rank of websites and other web entities in the search engine results page. It is one such field that is evolving constantly. Ranking techniques and methods become outdated quickly. New techniques are introduced frequently. This is the main reason why skilled SEO professionals are in huge demand and are paid well.
Like Digital Marketing, there are two main formats of SEO course available in India- online and offline. Online course consists of e books, PDF files, Audio and video study material. Traditional classroom course lasts for 3-6 months. Institutes in India usually offer certification program only.
After completing the course, one may take on the following job posts and roles-
- SEO professional (independent/working for agencies)
- Project manager
- SEO Consultant
- Website auditor
- Entrepreneur
3 GRAPHIC DESIGN COURSE
This course will suit the creative ones! Graphic design is one such discipline which has applications in many other fields. Typical short term graphic design course lasts for a period of 6 months. There are shorter versions of the course available too (like 3 months long certification course).
The course usually covers topics such as- image editing and enhancing, editing software programs (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator etc), sketching, logo designing, UI designing and printing technology.
There also exists courses focusing on the subsections of graphic design field. An example of such a course is- Photoshop specialist course. It focuses on the editing software Adobe Photoshop. Other notable specializations are- Animation and Multimedia, Digital photography etc.
After completing this course, one may take on the following job posts and roles-
- Graphics designer (independent)
- Graphics designer (Corporate team)
- Brand identity manager
- Printing specialist
- Creative director (at MNCs)
- Entrepreneur
- Graphic designer (at Digital magazines and other publishing firms)
4 ANIMATION AND MULTIMEDIA
Animation and Multimedia has become a field of specialization these days. It is a part of the Graphics design field. But, as of now, more and more students are pursuing Animation and Multimedia as a specialization course!
The long term Degree course related to this field is- B.Sc. in Animation and Multimedia. For those interested in short course format, there exists Diploma and certification programs too!
Animation and Multimedia course covers topics such as- VFX and VFX Pro, Basics of Animation, Film Design and Animation, Game Design and Animation, Multimedia design etc. Note that the course material may vary from one institute to another.
After completing the course, one may take on the following job posts and roles-
- VFX Professional (independent)
- VFX Professional (at Studios)
- Film Animation professional (at Studios)
- Visual Effects Artist
- Instructor
- Entrepreneur
- Advertising agencies
- Art and Creative Director
- Digital publishing firms
- E Commerce sector
5 CREATIVE WRITING
Creative writing can be said to be a part of the Digital Marketing field. This short term course focuses on improving the writing skills of the student. It aims at developing a writing style that will come handy in Digital Marketing endeavors.
Creative writing course covers the following topics- English Grammar, Content layout, marking and highlighting etc. After completing the course, one may take on the following job posts and roles-
- Content writer (independent/for agencies)
- Content editor
- Content marketing professional
- Digital publishing platforms (as Content writing professional)
6 WEB DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT COURSE
This short term course (3-6 months long) deals with creation and maintenance of websites, blogs and E commerce sites. The two main topics that this course deals with is- web scripting and graphics & multimedia. The course also covers other technical aspects like CMSs, Hosting and Servers etc. Both these sections are important in creating visually stunning and high performing websites and other web entities.
Web scripting section covers topics such as- web editors, HTML, CSS, PHP, PERL, Java and JavaScript. Graphics section covers the basics of Graphics design, animation and multimedia.
With the importance and penetration of internet rising in India, the web designing trade is all set to get a big boost! More and more e commerce sites and businesses are entering the world wide web space in a bid to enhance the size of their businesses. In this scenario, skilled web designers will be able to find good jobs in design agencies. They may also work as freelancers.
Pursuing a long and detailed web designing course will help you land a job in good companies. Short term course will help you gain new skills and you may start taking up freelancing gigs after completing the course. Some job posts and roles available for students who have completed this course are-
- Web designer (independent)
- Web designer (Agencies/MNCs)
- Designer at Tech startups
- E Commerce sites
- Online publishing platforms
- Design consultant
7 APP DEVELOPMENT & DESIGN COURSE
This is the age of mobile internet and smartphones. Over the past few years, the use of smartphone in India has increased at an impressive rate. Apps (short name for applications) are the life and soul of smartphones. With the increase in smartphone use and internet penetration in India, businesses big and small have realized the importance of having their own apps. This trend has resulted in huge demand for skilled and creative app designers and developers.
Short term app development and design course lasts for 6 months. The course duration may vary from one institute to another. The course covers topics such as UI design, programming languages, app testing, multimedia integration, graphics design etc. The course content varies from one OS (Operating system) to another. For example there are app development courses dedicated to major Operating Systems, like- App development for Android, iOS app development course, Windows app development etc. One may choose to specialize on one particular field or may do all of them together also!
After completing this course, one may take up the following job posts and roles-
- App designer
- UI designer
- App developer (independent/agencies)
- E Commerce sector
- Entrepreneur
- Game designer
- App tester
- Game tester
8 CADD (COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN AND DRAWING)
This short term course suits students hailing from a technical background. But even 12th standard students may pursue this course, since it will add to their skill set! Engineering students and graduates will benefit from this course. Especially Engineering folks from trades like Electrical, Mechanical and Civil will find CADD course beneficial.
Earlier, drafting used to be done manually. Nowadays, drafting is done using computers. CADD is all about making the process of drafting simpler, more accurate and efficient.
The CADD course covers training related to various CAD software and programs. Some of the prominent ones are- AutoCAD, Fusion 360 and Infraworks.
9 MS Office certificate program
Microsoft Office is a collection of applications, which makes office work more productive. Some of the prominent and most used applications, which are part of MS Office are- MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access and MS PowerPoint.
MS Office certificate program aims at providing knowledge and use of these apps to students. The short term course lasts for a period of 3 months. A longer, 6 months long version of the course is also available.
Students are taught to make use of the above mentioned apps, as part of this program. Making use of the applications in day to day and office activities is taught.
After completing the course, one will be able to take on front end office jobs involving a computer. Some examples of such jobs are- in hotels, shops, restaurants, offices etc. In short, this certification course opens doors leading towards office jobs involving basic computer usage.
10 Hardware engineering/technician course
For a computer to function properly, along with the software, its hardware must also be in top condition. Due to wear & tear and other problems, computer hardware may malfunction and cause problems to the user. Under such conditions, a computer technician who knows stuff about hardware is called to repair it and fix the issue!
Hardware engineering/technician course is a program that helps students to take on the above mentioned role of the ‘problem fixer’. This course deals with computer hardware and provides technical knowledge about the working of hardware, their components etc. A good example is printer. The course shows how the printer works, its main components, common problems occurring in it, solutions to this problem etc. In a similar fashion, the course also deals with other parts of the computer.
After completing the course, one may start working as a technician/engineer for computer sales and repair agencies. One may also start up a computer hardware repair shop and work independently. With the right contacts, one may even land a job in authorized shops & factories of major computer hardware manufacturing firms.
11 Programming Languages
In simple terms, a computer programming language is a language used to write computer programs. So many computer programming languages exist that it is difficult to list them all here. I’ll point out some popular and most used programming languages though. They are- C, C++, Java, Python, JavaScript, Hack, ASP.NET, Perl, Ruby, PHP, SQL etc.
Learning a programming language has many advantages. You may specialize in one language or try your hands at more than one language! The first job opportunity that comes to my mind is that of a software developer. Short course related to this field exists. They last for 6 months. But short course will provide only basic knowledge. It is better to go for a much more detailed course!
Skilled programmers will be able to find a job in many areas such as tech startups, Companies belonging to the technology sector, teaching jobs, independent software development etc. After completing the course, one may take on the following job posts and roles-
- Software developer
- Software tester
- Companies in technology sector
12 Computerized Accounting
Accounting, in simple terms, means collection of payment transactions. It includes payments received, amount paid, balance etc. Accounting is involved in almost all businesses (big and small). Earlier, accounting used to be done manually, using account books. Thanks to computers, keeping accounts has become easy, time saving and much more accurate now.
There are different software available for accounting. Some businesses have also developed their own custom software for keeping record of financial transactions. One of the most popular software used for accounting in India is Tally.ERP. Certificate course in tally is being offered by large number of computer institutes in India. Tally certified professionals will be able to find account keeping jobs at various organizations and businesses ranging from small shops and hotels to medium sized enterprises! Diploma in Computerized Accounting is another such course, where additional accounting software are introduced apart from Tally.
