Is a career as an engineer your ultimate dream? If yes, you might be familiar with the most sought-after entry-level engineering exam IIT JEE. Almost every engineering aspirant in our country prepares for the IIT JEE exam. 

 If you get through it, you need to sit in the JEE-Advanced and finally get into the college of your dreams. However, is that the only career option after the JEE Main exam? We are sure you are thinking about this too, as you cannot be 100% sure that you will get into an IIT until you get your JEE Advanced result. 

 So, is relying on the exam the only option, or are there other career options after JEE main? If you are the one stuck with this question, you are in luck for today, as our blog post has come to your rescue.  

Here, you will find out all you can do after the JEE main exam. Let us get started. 

 Are There Any Career Options after JEE Main Exam? 

 Sure, clearing the JEE exam means that you can get your most desirable engineering college. However, let us discuss this in a more practical way – What if your JEE Mains score does not meet the cut-off or is low? In such a case, is there any career option left for you? 

Well, the straightforward answer to this is – YES.  

 Appear for JEE Advanced – Your Next Step to Success! 

 If you manage to meet the cut-off for the JEE main and come under the top 2.24 Lakh candidates, the right thing for you is to prepare for JEE Advanced wholeheartedly.  

 Are you wondering when the cut-off for the main exam will be out? Well, it usually happens after the main result. For instance, if you give your exam in 2022, you will know the cut-off only after the JEE results in 2022 to determine if you should appear for advanced. 

 Then, once you give the second exam for IIT JEE, you will have to wait for JEE advanced results 2022 to find out if you stand a chance of getting into your desired IIT. If you wish to have a second option, just in case, read ahead to find them out. 

 Time management tips

 Go for the NITs – Do Not Miss Out Your Chance on Them! 

 If engineering branches interest you, IITs are not the only engineering institutes you can get into. While IITs may be your dream, you can get into an NIT with a relatively lower JEE score if you do not wish to waste a year. There are 17-18k seats in these institutions that fill through JEE results. So, if you have below-average marks, take a stand, and do not miss out on this golden chance. Some of the NIT colleges you can aim for include: 

  • NIT Rourkela 
  • NIT Warangal 
  • NIT Durgapur 
  • NIT Calicut 
  • MNIT Jaipur 
  • NIT Surathkal 
  • NIT Kurukshetra 
  • NIT Allahabad 

 Give a State-level Engineering Entrance Exam 

 You can even get into some best engineering branches through state-level exams. However, like JEE, even these are not easy to crack. You will have to put in your best effort to get through them and score the best.  

 Once you can crack these, you can gain entry into some excellent government engineering institutes if you manage to meet the domicile requirements. Therefore, when you fill in your JEE Main exam form, do not forget the state-level exams. These can be your back-up plan. Some of them are:

  • CG PET – Chhattisgarh 
  • JEECE – Jharkhand 
  • AP EAMCET – Andhra Pradesh  
  • Assam CEE – Assam 
  • JKCET – Jammu, and Kashmir 
  • GCET – Goa 
  • GUJCET – Gujarat 
  • HPCET – Himachal Pradesh 
  • KCET – Karnataka 
  • TS EAMCET JNTU) – Hyderabad 
  • UPSEE – Uttar Pradesh 
  • KEAM – Kerala 
  • MHT CET – Maharashtra 
  • TJEE – Tripura 
  • WBJEE –West Bengal 
  • BCECE – Bihar 

Grab the Seats in Private Colleges 

Don’t panic if you cannot get into the IIT colleges or any of the above options. You can always opt for private engineering institutes and choose your desired engineering branches. Various top-rated colleges accept JEE Main scores and are up to IIT and NIT standards. Here are some private colleges you can pick to fulfil your engineering dream: 

  • Amity University 
  • Thapar University 
  • Lovely Professional University 
  • Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology 
  • SRM Institute of Science and Technology 
  • Birla Institute of Technology 
  • Shiv Nadar University 

Re-Appear for JEE Main with Better Preparation 

The JEE Mains Eligibility Criteria gives you two attempts to clear the exam. So, if you cannot clear your JEE main exam in attempt 1, you still have an attempt 2. Go for it if IITs are your ultimate dream, and give it your best shot.  

For this, learn from your previous mistakes, focus on your weak areas and prepare more attentively. You can even go for JEE coaching. Turito, an online educational platform, offers affordable crash courses, curated by experienced faculty, along with the test series and previous years’ questions to fill any loopholes in your preparation. While for this, students often opt for a gap year, you can enrol in another course if you wish to.  

This way, you will not have wasted a year if you fail the second time. However, if you decide to drop a year, know that it is not a mistake and will not negatively affect your career. Treat it as your effort to achieve your dreams.

Previous years question papers 

Things to Be Mindful of Before Picking an Engineering College 

There are many engineering institutes in our country, and what if you get an offer from two of them? How will you choose the right one? Is there a way to find if the engineering college is a perfect fit for you? Well, with us, there is! Simply follow these points: 

 The reputation of the college 

Is your college accredited by the NBA or NAAC? If yes, it has an Academic delivery Standard and is the right college for you. 

Curriculum 

The engineering institute must offer a curriculum as per the industry demands & norms. If not, skip it. Also, make sure a University approves it. 

Faculty 

Once you are sure of the curriculum of the college, learn about its faculty. After all, they will be responsible for teaching you. For this, research about their qualifications and experience level. 

Infrastructure 

Make sure that your college has all the things an ideal engineering student will need, ranging from laboratory equipment, computer labs, libraries, well-built classrooms, hostels, and a lot more. 

Placement Record 

Once the engineering institute fulfils all the above criteria, consider its placement record. Learn about the companies that visited it in the past and the salary packages they have offered. If you find all of this suitable, take admission immediately. 

Consider Choosing Other PCM Career Options 

If you do not manage to get into IITs, NITs, or other engineering institutes, do not lose hope. After all, you are a PCM student, and this is one of the most versatile streams. Here are the best career options you can go for other than engineering: 

  • Research & Teaching 
  • Architecture 
  • Ethical Hacking 
  • Forensic Science 
  • Merchant Navy 
  • National Defence 
  • Aviation 
  • Computer Applications & IT 
  • Physical Sciences 
  • Arts & Humanities 

A Final thought

So, this is all you need to know for the career options you can choose after the JEE main exam. In case you are firm in your resolve to join an IIT, prepare for IIT JEE with utmost dedication. However, if things go south, there are plenty of options ready for you.