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My Son Wants to Study Physics: What Are His Options After 12th?

Dr Dipankar

Dr Dipankar Dutta  |1850 Answers  |Ask -

Tech Careers and Skill Development Expert - Answered on Oct 15, 2024

Dr Dipankar Dutta is an associate professor in the computer science and engineering department at the University Institute of Technology, the University of Burdwan, West Bengal.
He has 27 years of experience and his interests include AI, data science, machine learning, pattern recognition, deep learning and evolutionary computation.
Aside from his responsibilities at the college, he also delivers lectures and conducts webinars.
Dr Dipankar has published 25 papers in international journals, written book chapters, attended conferences, served as a board observer for WBJEE (West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination) exams and as a counsellor for engineering college admissions in West Bengal. He helps students choose the right college and stream for undergraduate, masters and PhD programmes.
A senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (SMIEEE), he holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from the Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College and a an MTech degree in computer technology from Jadavpur University.
He completed his PhD in engineering from IIEST, Shibpur (formerly BE College).... more
Asked by Anonymous - Oct 15, 2024Hindi
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Career

My son is in 12th standard. He wants to study physics and pursue a career in academics/research. What are options after 12th. How should he prepare.

Ans: It's great that your son is interested in pursuing a career in physics research and academics! He can do
B.Sc. in Physics, Integrated M.Sc. in Physics, Dual Degree Programs, B.Tech. in Engineering Physics or Applied Physics.
Top Institutes for Physics in India:

Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs)
Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore
IITs (particularly IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay, and IIT Madras offer strong physics programs)
University of Delhi
St. Stephen's College, Delhi
Banaras Hindu University (BHU)
Presidency University, Kolkata
These universities/institutions took admission through different exams. Your son should prepare for those exams
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Sushil

Sushil Sukhwani  | Answer  |Ask -

Study Abroad Expert - Answered on Mar 22, 2024

Asked by Anonymous - Mar 18, 2024Hindi
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My Son did his B. Tech in engg physics from iit Guwahati in 2018. He is very intelligent. Got Bits Pilani high marks, Bengal Joint Rank 70.He had Jest rank 2.Did PhD in physics 2023 subject string theory from TIFR. Now got in southampton uk as post doc. What I find that the general academia is a very long journey and scope is very limited. The income stream also not very encouraging compared to other streams available for a student like my son. My son in love of physics. Let me know what should a person like his caliber do and if wants to switch what should be the direction.
Ans: Hello. It is good to hear that your son has a good academic score and background. It is understandable that you are concerned about your son’s career prospects and income potential in academia, especially in fields like physics. However, given your son’s complete background with a focus on physics and the fact that they release the scope is less, still he can choose to change
1. Your son can choose to work in the R&D departments of companies in technology, aerospace, defence, energy, and finance. The sectors offer competitive salaries.
2. Given your son’s physics background, he can have a smooth transition in the data science and analytics fields. The field has huge demand and can help in leveraging analytical skills.

3. Also, your son can consider entrepreneurship, the science and technology sector, where he can work with complex science concepts., and quantitative finance, where he can put his mathematical and analytical skills to use. The popular roles include financial engineer, risk analyst, quantitative engineer, etc.

4. Apart from this, your son can continue to pursue his education by pursuing postdoctoral research, publishing papers, and choosing to be a professor.

The ideal choice for your son would be totally based on his strengths, career goals, aspirations, and priorities. Talking about transferring to different fields would require a whole new skill set or credentials.

For further assistance, you can get in touch with us.

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Nayagam P

Nayagam P P  |10901 Answers  |Ask -

Career Counsellor - Answered on Feb 19, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Feb 18, 2025Hindi
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My son is 12th appearing for his board exams right now. He has scored 96.5 percentile in JEE January attempt. He is planning to give second attempt in April and also JEE advanced. Actually his percentile went low due to Maths in which he scored 70. Physics and Chemistry he scored above 98 He really likes studying Physics. What branch can he opt for in future??
Ans: Congratulations to your son for achieving a 96.5 percentile in his JEE-Main examination. (Based on his score of 96.5, his rank may be approximately between 4200 and 4700 (as you have indicated in single decimal). Here are some highly effective strategies and recommendations for your son: He should concentrate on weak topics and questions answered incorrectly in his mock and practice tests from his coaching center. It is essential to keep revising and practicing those chapters and topics. He should continue to revise Physics and Chemistry as well. He can begin practicing questions from the JEE-Advanced exams of the last 20-30 years. As nearly all the chapters of PCM are addressed in his Coaching Centre, he is able to effectively and strategically manage the preparations for both his Board exams and the JEE-Main-April Session as well as JEE Advanced. To determine which National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and branches she might be eligible for, consider the following steps: Identify Preferred Branches: Discuss with your daughter to understand his interests and preferred engineering disciplines. Check JoSAA Opening and Closing Ranks of 2024: The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) provides detailed information on the opening and closing ranks for NITS and branches. To access this information: Visit the official JoSAA website. Navigate to the "eServices" section and select "Opening and Closing Ranks 2024". Input the desired parameters such as counseling round (preferably the last round for comprehensive data), institute type (e.g., NIT), specific institute names, academic programs (branches), and your daughter's category. Review the displayed data to identify institutes and branches that align with his percentile and preferences. For a broader perspective, consider exploring opening and closing ranks from previous years, which can provide insights into trends and help set realistic expectations. While his current score is commendable, it's prudent to have alternative options. Encourage his to appear for additional entrance examinations to keep multiple pathways open. All the Best for your Son's Prosperous Future.

Follow RediffGURUS to Know more on 'Careers | Health | Money | Relationships'.

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Reetika

Reetika Sharma  |541 Answers  |Ask -

Financial Planner, MF and Insurance Expert - Answered on Feb 12, 2026

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Sir, How can we reduce the Commision on Regular MF ?What is Steps to avoid the Tax if wants to Switch from Regular to Direct?.
Ans: Hi Amit,

Your concern regarding commision in regular funds is quite genuine and common these days due to the misleading content shared by some people.
You should understand that a whilst regular funds have comparatively lower expense ratio than direct funds, and this has risen to the direct fund popularity. But in actual a direct fund portfolio is only good if you know all ins and out of the market, have proper knowledge and knows the correct way to invest perse your individual profile.

There are few benefits of regular fund portfolio which is highly overlooked:
- a professional builds your portfolio keeping in mind your detailed profile, funds selction are done based on your risk profile
- a professional knows the best time to invrease your investments, to hold and to shift. They constantly monitor the same and periodically review them

And a regular fund portfolio definitely beats the direct fund portfolio made with random tips and zero or less knowledge.
Hence I would not suggest you to switch from regular to direct funds if you are working with a professional.

Also switching from regular funds to direct will attract tax, there is no way to avoid the taxation.

However, you can get your portfolio reviewed from another advisor and ask them to guide you to make necessary changes.

If you do not have an advisor, connect with a professional Certified Financial Planner - a CFP who can guide you with exact funds to invest in keeping in mind your age, requirements, financial goals and risk profile. A CFP periodically reviews your portfolio and suggest any amendments to be made, if required.

Let me know if you need more help.

Best Regards,
Reetika Sharma, Certified Financial Planner
https://www.instagram.com/cfpreetika/

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Naveenn

Naveenn Kummar  |249 Answers  |Ask -

Financial Planner, MF, Insurance Expert - Answered on Feb 11, 2026

Asked by Anonymous - Dec 11, 2025Hindi
Money
Hi there, I am 53 years and retiring on 31/12/2025. I hvae a daughter and son, both studing and un-married. I am curently holding mutual fund (investment only) of around 15lacs. I am doing a SIP of 12000/- PM. Beside this, i have an equity investment of 15.50 lacs. I do have 65lacs in FD and the same amunt is expected upon retirement. I have a own house and there is no loan obligations currently. i have another 50lacs given to relatives and there is no timeline when I will be receiving this amount. I have around 100000 monthly expense and ofcourse the marriage expenses of my daughter and son in next 3-4 years. Kindly advise the best strategy and utilization of funds. Thank you.
Ans: Hi sir ,
You are entering a very sensitive financial phase where protection of capital becomes more important than aggressive growth. At the same time, you still have 30 plus years of life expectancy to fund, along with two large near-term goals children’s marriages and ongoing household expenses. So the strategy has to balance income, liquidity, and moderate growth.

Let me break this down in a practical way.

1. Where you stand today

Assets available / expected

Mutual Funds approx 15 lakh

Direct Equity approx 15.5 lakh

FD 65 lakh

Retirement proceeds expected approx 65 lakh

Money given to relatives 50 lakh uncertain timeline

Own house no loan

Total financial assets (excluding relatives money)
~160 lakh

If relatives repay, corpus rises to ~210 lakh but we should not depend on it for planning.

2. Monthly expense reality check

You mentioned ?1,00,000 per month = ?12 lakh per year.

Assuming 6 percent inflation, this expense will double in ~12 years.

So retirement planning must create income + growth, not just fixed income.

3. Immediate financial buckets to create

Think in 4 separate buckets instead of one pool.

A. Emergency + Liquidity bucket

Keep 18–24 months expenses.

?20–25 lakh
Park in:

Savings + sweep FD

Liquid / money market funds

Purpose: medical, family, urgent needs without breaking investments.

B. Marriage funding bucket (3–4 years)

Do not keep this in equity markets due to time risk.

Estimate requirement realistically. Suppose:

Daughter marriage 25–30 lakh

Son marriage 20–25 lakh

Total say 50 lakh

Park in:

Short duration debt funds

Bank FD ladder

RBI bonds

Capital safety is priority here.

C. Income generation bucket

This is the most critical post-retirement engine.

From your corpus, allocate ~70–80 lakh.

Options mix:

Senior Citizen Saving Scheme (SCSS)

Post Office MIS

RBI Floating Rate Bonds

High quality Corporate FD

Debt mutual funds with SWP

Target blended return: 7–8 percent.

This can generate ?45k–?55k monthly income.

D. Growth bucket (Long term)

You still need equity to beat inflation.

Allocate 25–30 lakh minimum.

Continue SIP (even post retirement if possible).

Suitable allocation:

Large Cap funds

Balanced Advantage / Dynamic Asset Allocation

Multi Asset funds

Time horizon: 10–20 years.

This bucket funds late retirement and healthcare inflation.

4. What to do with existing investments
Mutual Funds (15 lakh)

Keep invested. Review fund quality. Shift to:

Balanced Advantage

Large Cap / Flexi Cap

Avoid small cap concentration now.

Direct Equity (15.5 lakh)

Gradually reduce risk.

Move profits into hybrid funds or debt over 12–18 months. Do not exit in one shot to avoid tax and timing risk.

5. Retirement corpus deployment illustration

Here is a simple structure using your ~160 lakh corpus:

Bucket Amount Purpose
Emergency 25 L Liquidity
Marriage 50 L 3–4 yr goals
Income 60 L Monthly cashflow
Growth 25 L Inflation hedge

If relatives repay 50 lakh later:

Add 20 lakh to growth

Add 15 lakh to medical reserve

Add 15 lakh to income bucket

6. Monthly income gap

Expense: ?1,00,000

Income possible:

SCSS + MIS + Bonds: ~?50,000

SWP from debt / hybrid: ~?20,000

Equity dividends / growth withdrawal later: ~?10,000–?15,000

Gap may still exist initially.

So you may need:

Part time income / consulting (even ?25k helps)

Delay large withdrawals till age 60 when senior schemes expand

7. Important risks to manage
Healthcare

Take a family floater + super top up if not already.

Longevity risk

Plan till age 90, not 75.

Relatives money

Treat as “bonus”, not retirement funding.

Document repayment if possible.

Inflation

Do not over-allocate to FD.

That is the biggest mistake retirees make.

8. Action checklist

Finalize marriage budget realistically

Create 2-year emergency fund

Invest in SCSS immediately after retirement

Restructure equity to hybrid orientation

Continue SIP from surplus if feasible

Arrange health insurance buffer

Write a will and nominations

...Read more

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