Home Science has been slowly gaining acceptance as a mainstream degree in India.
Home science is the science of a home and it includes all the things that concern the person, home, family members and resources. It is the education for “better living” and the core of this education is the family ecosystem. It also deals with reciprocal relations between the family and its natural and man-made environments.
Here is a list of the best career options that one can pursue after completing a BA in Home Science in India.
Nutrition Expert
A fantastic choice for you if you recently graduated with a BA Home Science degree is to work as an Nutrition Expert. Decent pay, plenty of room for advancement, the chance to put all of your skills that you learnt during graduation to good use, and some travel thrown in for good measure. What more could a home science graduate possibly require?
If you’re not sure, this is what a Nutrition Expert does – Nutrition specialists may be dieticians or nutritionists, many of which require different certification and education for diagnosing nutrition issues and problems. They must be well trained in a field related to physiology, biochemistry, food service management, or culinary arts.
They are basically health professionals who specialize in diet, food, and nutrition. The job profile varies depending on the business and your place in the organizational chain, but these will be your primary responsibilities. If leadership and management are essential factors for you in choosing a profession, opportunities are easily once you reach a certain level of experience.
Growth and leadership opportunities can be difficult to come by at first, but if you persevere, you will be rewarded with increased responsibilities (and of course; better pay). Work-life balance can be ridiculous at times, but it’s not impossible to achieve if you have good relations with your superiors.
Let’s get to the good stuff. Starting salaries are in the INR 6 to 7 Lacs range, but there is a lot of room for development. Also, bear in mind that this is an estimate; if you live in a major city or tier-1 city, your salary would be much higher.
Food Scientist
For students of BA Home Science, Food Scientist is a slightly unusual or odd career choice. However, being special does not imply that the work is of poor quality or that the pay is low. It simply means that, for whatever reason, there aren’t many people who walk this route.
Food scientists are responsible for researching how to improve existing methods of food packaging and processing. This focuses on the manufacturing aspect of food and determines how best to process and store food products.
This work profile also includes studying a food’s nutritional content and investigating alternative sources of food and ways to purify foods containing additives. The role is dynamic, which means that no two days will be alike. You’ll still be a problem solver if you’re an Food Scientist. Plus, if you’re a ‘creative’ problem solver, you’ll get bonus points.
In this sector, salaries vary greatly. And they are based on a variety of unrelated variables, but one thing you can count on is that you will be paid what you are worth. Starting salaries will range from INR 5 to 8 Lakhs, but keep in mind that this is just an approximation.
The potential for growth is strong, but the competition is fierce. The job can be difficult and stressful at times, but if you like food and the various technicalities related to it, you will enjoy being a Food Scientist. To stand out, you’d have to be exceptionally good at your work. The sky is the limit for the fortunate few who make it.
Child Care Taker
Another career option that’s been on the rise lately is child Care Taker, or a daycare worker. You can work for an existing day care or preschool, or you can start your own establishment.
So, what does a Child Care Taker actually do? Very simple. Care Takers are responsible for providing safe and temporary supervision and care of young children. Some qualified practitioners may work in state facilities, private day care centers or their own homes.
They also engage children in age-appropriate play activities and plan simple lessons, organize outings and teach basic social skills such as discipline and personal hygiene.
For achieving this, they need to have complete knowledge of child psychology, along with creative problem-solving skills.
Salaries are highly variable in this profession (like most others), but on average, you can expect to earn anywhere around INR 2 to 3 Lakhs (per annum) in the beginning of your career.
Food Analyst
If you’re undecided about all of the above choices, Food Analyst could be the best option for you. The demand for this profession has been skyrocketing recently, so now would be an excellent time to enter it. If you’ve recently opened LinkedIn, you’ll notice that it’s flooded with employers looking for Food Analysts.
That’s fine. But what exactly does a Food Analyst do? Here’s the fix.
Food analysts are responsible for applying their knowledge of chemistry, biology, and engineering to develop and improve foods. They generally work for food processing companies, federal government agencies, and academic institutions.
They may also alter a food product’s nutritional flavor, value, texture or appearance, as well as its packaging and production processes. Your duties can vary from time to time, but in the end, it all boils down to making food better. So, if you think you’d like to do that, becoming a Food Analyst could be the best choice for you.
As for salaries, you can expect to earn somewhere between INR 4 to 5 Lacs at the start of your career.
So these were some of the highest-paying professions that you can go for after completing a B.A. in Home Science. Did you like the article and found it informative? Then please share it with fellow home science students so that they can make well-informed decisions about their professional life. Subscribe to our newsletter to get a weekly update about the different career options added on the website.