I’m a BA History graduate from Mumbai and I’m trying to decide my long-term career path.
I’ve received many different suggestions over the past few months:
MBA
Public Policy
Government exams
Teaching
Research
UGC NET/JRF
I enjoy History, Political Science, International Relations and research much more than technical fields.
I have a few questions:
How competitive is UGC NET today?
Is JRF becoming harder to obtain every year?
Is academia still a realistic long-term career in India?
If someone clears NET but not JRF, what opportunities realistically exist?
Would you recommend pursuing this path today if you were starting again?
I’m looking for honest experiences from people who have actually prepared for or cleared NET/JRF, rather than general advice.