Career After BCA

BCA Specialization options

Bachelors in computer science is a vast field and offers a multitude of specialisations for students. Some of the popular specialisations resulting from a BCA course are:

• Computer Graphics
• Internet Technologies
• Accounting Applications
• Animation
• Music and Video Processing
• Personal Information Management
• Programming Languages
• Database Management
• Systems Analysis
• Word Processing

These are just some of the specialisation popular among students. However, with the rapidly expanding domains of this field, a lot of new specialisations are also opening up.

After BCA

One question that troubles almost every graduate irrespective of their academic backgrounds is 'what next?' There a wide range of options available to a student after pursuing a course in Bachelors in Computer Science. Let's look at some of the options that students have post completing their BCA degree: 

Higher Studies

After successful completion of their studies, BCA graduates can opt for higher studies. Some of the higher studies courses they can pursue are as follows:

MCA

As far as higher studies after BCA are concerned the next stop for students after successfully completing their BCA is to go for MCA, it's a postgraduate level course in computer application. The course helps students dwell deeper in the field and equip themselves with the set of tools and knowledge essential to succeed in the field. In order to secure admission in an MCA course, they have to appear for MCA entrance exams.

MBA

Another popular course option for higher studies after BCA is to opt for an MBA course to earn a management degree. A lot of BCA graduates take up an MBA course after their graduation. However to secure admission in an MBA course students will need to appear for MBA entrance tests such as CAT, XAT, MAT etc.

CCNP or CCNA Certifications

A Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) is an IT Professional who has achieved a professional level of Cisco career certification, that is a type of professional certification created by Cisco Systems. It is for best for Network Operations Specialist, Network administrators & engineers. There are six areas of the professional Certifications namely, CCNP Cloud, CCNP Collaboration, CCNP Data Centre, CCNP Routing and Switching, CCNP Security, CCNP Service Provider, CCNP Wireless.

Career Prospects

The IT industry is growingly rapidly and with this, the demand for BCA graduates too is increasing every passing day. BCA graduates have good job prospects both in the government and private sector companies.

Private Companies

After successfully passing their BCA course, students can easily find lucrative job opportunities in leading IT companies like Oracle, IBM, Infosys and Wipro. Some of the roles that one can bag after completing a BCA programme is that of a System engineer, software tester, junior programmer, web developer, system administrator, software developer etc.

Government Sector

BCA graduates also have good employability opportunities in public sector organizations. Government organizations like the Indian Air Force(IAF), Indian Army, and India Navy hire a large bunch of computer professionals for their IT department.

Some popular job profiles for a BCA graduate are: -

• System engineer - A system engineer develops, tests and evaluates software, circuits, and personal computer.

• Programmer in various software development firms - The duty of programmer is to write code for software. A programmer is primarily working in the computer language such as Assembly, COBOL, C, C++, C#, Java, Lisp, Python, etc.

• Web developer - A web developer is a programmer who specializes in the development of world wide web applications. The role of a web developer is to build and maintain websites. A web developer must have skills in HTML/XHTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript , etc.They find good career opportunities in various web designing companies and online digital marketing companies.

• Software developer - The sole responsibility of software developer is to develop software that eases the tasks of the people and enable to perform work efficiently. A software developer also installs test and maintains the software.

BCA Entrance Exams

BCA entrance exam is generally an objective type questionnaire and its syllabus is based on class 12th subjects. Some of the popular universities that conduct BCA entrance tests are:

• Indira Gandhi National Open University -
• Symbiosis University -
• Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
• Banaras Hindu University
• Panjab University
• Christ University, Bangalore

Some of the popular BCA Entrance Exams are as follows:

• CET (GGSIPU) BCA
• AIMA UGAT
• KIITEE BCA
• LUCSAT BCA

What does BCA course cover?

BCA courses mainly comprise of subjects like the database, networking, data structure, core programming languages, software engineering, object-oriented programming, web scripting, and development etc. The courses open up opportunities for students interested in the field of computer science and information technology. The BCA course curriculum is somewhat similar to a B.Tech in computer science or information technology.

Top BCA Colleges in India

Numerous colleges in India offer BCA programmes. However, here are some of the best colleges to pursue a BCA course:

• Christ University, Bangalore
• Department of Computer Applications, SRM University, Chennai
• Institute of Management Studies, Noida
• Madras Christian College, Chennai
• Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi
• Presidency College, Bengaluru
• University College-Kurukshetra, Kurukshetra
• Symbiosis Institute of Computer Science and Research
• St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore

BCA – Admission Process

A large number of institutes across the country offer a course in Bachelors in Computer Application. However, each institute has its own admission criteria. Like for example, some colleges admit students purely on merit basis (class 12th marks) some others requires students to appear for entrance exams and personal interviews. While on the other hand some universities even conduct their own entrance tests.  Some institutes also offer students the choice of lateral entry i.e. direct admission in the second year of the BCA course.

To be eligible for this admission criteria the student must have passed their class 12th along with a computer course of 6 months. Also, students with a three-year diploma in IT from State Board of Technical Education are also eligible for lateral entry to BCA program. The application process for a majority of BCA courses starts around the month of May and June. Depending on the students choice of institutes they will need to fill out application forms in both online and offline mode.

BCA – Eligibility Criteria

Unlike the B.Tech or B.E. course in Computer Science and Engineering or Information technology students aspiring for a BCA course do not need to have Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as compulsory subjects in their Class 12th examinations. Students from the field of arts and commerce are equally eligible for joining the course as the ones from the science background. However, some basic eligibility criteria for pursuing a BCA course are as mentioned below: 

• Candidate can be from any stream: science, arts, commerce

• They should have passed their class 12th with English as a compulsory subject with minimum 45% aggregate marks.

• Some universities admit students purely on merit basis (class 12th examinations) while some others admit students based on personal interviews and entrance examinations.

• Some universities conduct their own entrance tests as well.

• The candidate should be a citizen of India.