BA vs BSc vs BCom: Where Are They Now?

Instead of another comparison table, let’s do something different. Here are six graduates — two from each degree — who finished their undergrad between 2018 and 2020. One from each pair made choices that leveraged their degree powerfully. The other drifted. Their stories reveal what actually matters more than the degree name on your certificate.

Profile 1: Meera — BA Political Science, Delhi University (2019)

The Setup: Meera chose BA because she was genuinely interested in governance and public policy. Her family wasn’t thrilled — they wanted her to at least do BCom. She joined Lady Shri Ram College, one of DU’s top arts colleges.

What She Did During College: Meera treated her BA as a launchpad, not a destination. She interned with a Member of Parliament’s office in second year. Started writing for an online policy journal. Joined the college debate society. In her final year, she began UPSC preparation alongside her coursework — her Political Science syllabus overlapped significantly with the UPSC GS papers.

Where She Is Now (2026): After one unsuccessful UPSC attempt, Meera pivoted. She joined a public policy think tank (Centre for Policy Research) as a research associate at ₹6 LPA. Simultaneously, she completed a diploma in Data Analysis. By 2024, she moved to a government advisory role at NITI Aayog at ₹12 LPA. She’s now pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy at NLSIU while working.

The Lesson: Meera’s BA wasn’t a dead-end degree — it was the foundation for a specific career in governance and policy. She succeeded because she knew why she was doing a BA before she enrolled.

Profile 2: Arjun — BA History, Random State University (2020)

The Setup: Arjun took arts because he scored 68% in 12th and science/commerce were closed to him at most colleges. He enrolled in a BA History program at a local university because that’s what had seats available. No particular interest in history.

What He Did During College: Attended classes inconsistently. Didn’t intern anywhere. Spent most of his time preparing for SSC exams on the side, but without structured coaching. Graduated with a 55% aggregate and a BA degree that he hadn’t enjoyed earning.

Where He Is Now (2026): Arjun has cleared SSC CGL after three attempts and works as a Tax Assistant in the Income Tax Department at approximately ₹5.5 LPA (including DA). It’s a stable government job, but the BA degree itself played no role in getting it — the SSC exam did. He could have reached the same outcome with any graduation.

The Lesson: A BA without purpose becomes just a checkbox for “graduate” status. Arjun’s outcome had nothing to do with his degree and everything to do with his competitive exam preparation. The three years of BA were essentially a waiting period.

Profile 3: Kavitha — BSc Physics, Loyola College Chennai (2019)

The Setup: Kavitha loved physics in school and chose BSc Physics hoping to eventually pursue research. Her parents supported the choice, though they gently suggested she keep “backup options” open.

What She Did During College: Kavitha excelled academically (university rank holder). She participated in IISER and IISc summer research programs in her second and third years. Published a co-authored paper on condensed matter physics. Built strong relationships with professors who later wrote recommendation letters.

Where She Is Now (2026): Kavitha cracked the IISc Integrated PhD entrance and is now a funded PhD student in Physics at IISc Bangalore. Her monthly fellowship is ₹37,000 (JRF level), which comfortably covers her expenses. She’s working on quantum materials research with international conference presentations already under her belt. Post-PhD, she’s looking at postdoc positions abroad or scientist roles at ISRO/DRDO.

The Lesson: BSc becomes extraordinarily powerful when treated as the first step of an academic research trajectory. Kavitha’s success came from actively using the BSc years to build a research profile — not just passing exams.

Profile 4: Rohan — BSc Chemistry, Tier-3 College (2020)

The Setup: Rohan took PCM in 12th hoping for engineering, didn’t clear JEE at a satisfactory rank, and enrolled in BSc Chemistry at a nearby affiliated college as a “temporary plan.” He’d figure out next steps later.

What He Did During College: Rohan coasted. The college had minimal lab infrastructure and no research culture. He passed his exams (second class) and his three years were largely uneventful. He applied for MSc programs but didn’t crack JAM (the entrance exam for IIT MSc programs). He didn’t develop any practical skills outside his coursework.

Where He Is Now (2026): After graduating, Rohan spent a year preparing for various government exams. He then joined a pharmaceutical QC lab as a quality analyst at ₹2.8 LPA. After two job switches, he’s now earning ₹4.5 LPA at a mid-size pharma company. He’s considering an MBA from a Tier-3 college to “switch to management,” adding another ₹8–10L in costs.

The Lesson: BSc without a follow-up plan — MSc, JAM, GATE, skill certifications — leads to a very limited job market. The degree alone doesn’t signal employability. Rohan’s initial failure wasn’t choosing BSc; it was not having a clear next step while doing BSc.

Profile 5: Sneha — BCom Honours, St. Xavier’s Kolkata (2018)

The Setup: Sneha was always good with numbers and chose commerce deliberately. Her plan from day one: complete BCom, then pursue Chartered Accountancy.

What She Did During College: Sneha registered for CA alongside her BCom. She cleared CA Foundation in her first year, CA Intermediate during her second and third years. Her BCom coursework in accounting, business law, and taxation directly complemented her CA studies. She interned at a Big 4 firm (Deloitte) during her articleship period.

Where She Is Now (2026): Sneha cleared CA Finals in her first attempt (2021), one of the approximately 10% who do. After completing articleship at Deloitte, she was absorbed as an Assistant Manager at ₹12 LPA. By 2025, she moved to EY as a Manager in the tax advisory practice at ₹22 LPA. She’s 25 years old.

The Lesson: BCom + CA is one of the most powerful professional combinations in India. Sneha’s BCom wasn’t a standalone degree — it was integrated into a larger professional qualification strategy. The key was starting CA early and choosing a college that supported parallel preparation.

Profile 6: Vikram — BCom, Average Commerce College (2019)

The Setup: Vikram chose commerce because “that’s what everyone in my family does.” No specific career goal. He enrolled in a BCom program at a mid-tier college affiliated to his state university.

What He Did During College: Vikram briefly considered CA but dropped out after failing the Foundation exam. He attended classes, passed with 58%, and graduated without internship experience, skill certifications, or competitive exam preparation. He had vague plans about “going into business.”

Where He Is Now (2026): Vikram joined his uncle’s wholesale textile business after graduation, handling accounts and logistics. He earns approximately ₹3 LPA (informal salary from family business). He’s enrolled in a distance MBA program hoping it’ll help him “professionalize.” He’s not unhappy — the family business provides stability — but the BCom degree itself has been largely irrelevant to his daily work.

The Lesson: BCom without a professional qualification (CA, CS, CMA) or competitive exam goal is one of the most underutilized degrees in India. The coursework alone doesn’t build job-ready skills for the corporate market.

The Patterns Across All Six Stories

Look at the three who succeeded — Meera, Kavitha, Sneha. They share three traits:

1. They chose the degree with a specific next step in mind. BA for policy/UPSC. BSc for research/PhD. BCom for CA.
2. They actively built credentials during college — internships, research, professional exams, publications — not just after.
3. They attended colleges with strong ecosystems — peer groups, professor networks, institutional reputation — that amplified their efforts.

Now look at Arjun, Rohan, Vikram. Their common threads:

1. The degree was a default choice, not a deliberate one. They enrolled because they needed to be somewhere.
2. They treated college passively — attend, pass, graduate. No extracurricular professional development.
3. They expected the degree to create opportunities on its own. It doesn’t. None of these three degrees do.

What This Means for You

If you’re choosing between BA, BSc, and BCom, stop asking “which degree is best?” That’s the wrong question.

Ask instead:

• What do I want to be doing at age 25? Work backward from there. If the answer involves law, civil services, or media, BA makes sense. If it involves research or technical roles, BSc. If it involves finance, accounting, or banking, BCom.

• What will I do during college to make this degree count? If the answer is “just attend classes and pass,” the degree choice barely matters — all three will produce similar mediocre outcomes.

• Can I get into a strong college for this degree? A BA from St. Stephen’s and a BA from an unknown affiliated college are technically the same degree. In practice, they produce wildly different outcomes because of ecosystem, peers, and opportunities.

The degree is a three-year container. What you put inside it determines everything.