25+ Highest Paying Arts Stream Jobs in 2025

After completing school and college, many students who take up arts as their choice of stream are often confused about what to do next. There are so many different arts stream jobs that one can choose from.

In this article, let’s discuss the many careers for arts students with the help of downloadable infographic of highest paying jobs that they can explore and their salary ranges in India.

What is Arts Stream?

When a student chooses arts as a stream, it is thought that the options available are lower than those who take up science or commerce. Breaking this myth, arts courses and career options have increased over time, and hence today, many individuals are making their names in prominent arts stream jobs.

Many subjects one studies during their journey in arts include history, psychology, economics, political science, geography, philosophy, Hindi, and others. Studying these varied subjects helps explore arts stream jobs like law, journalism, hotel management, literature, and fashion designing, to name a few.

These subjects in classes XI and XII work as a foundation for students to gain mastery later in their careers. Subjects like visual arts open the door to learning music, drama, and dance, whereas literature opens the door to specializing in languages and philosophy and corresponding arts stream jobs such as editing or proofreading. Arts is as challenging as any other stream and requires the correct mindset and aptitude to perform well, as these subjects help students prepare for the Civil Service Exams.

List of High-Paying Arts Stream Jobs

Below is the arts stream jobs in India list which can make you good money and a great career:

1. Lawyer
2. Judge
3. Graphic Designer
4. Art Dealer
5. Illustrator
6. Game Designer
7. Film & Video Designer
8. Fashion Designing
9. Art Museum Curator
10. Event Planner
11. Digital Marketer
12. Photographer
13. Musician
14. Choreographer
15. Hotel Manager
16. Social Worker
17. Teacher
18. Government Sector
19. Mass Communication
20. Journalism
21. International Relations
22. Economist
23. Sales
24. Freelancing with Chegg

Now let’s explore arts stream jobs list with salary below in detail.

Top Highest Paying Arts Stream Jobs

Below is a 12th arts stream jobs / arts subject jobs list that would help determine the interest area and combine it with the expertise to excel depending on the niche one wants to choose.

A. Legal Jobs for Art Stream Students

Choosing law as a arts career options will help one gain expertise in the legal affairs of India. The profession requires commitment and confidence in providing expert advice in matters about law and order, dealing with individuals, organizations, and the government, from drafting documents to maintaining contracts and visiting the court for client representation. It is one of the go-to arts stream jobs.

1. Corporate Lawyer

A corporate lawyer deals with companies rather than individuals who need legal representation, filing cases in different courts against customers, suppliers, individuals or other competitive corporates as required and defending the cases filed against their client. The field is considered to be one of the best arts stream jobs.

2. Criminal Lawyer

A criminal lawyer deals with cases that involve crimes. The representation can be for a criminal or for the aggrieved party. The crimes can be sexual offences, domestic violence, fraud, assault, and many more.

3. Civil Lawyer

A civil lawyer deals with cases that are more civil in nature, like property disputes. The motive of a civil case is to ensure out-of-court settlement, and the punishments in civil matters in India are generally fines or penalties.

4. Intellectual Property Lawyer

An Intellectual Property lawyer works with trademarks, patents, and copyright of a client’s original work, helping them get the credit they deserve and saving them from getting cheated.

5. Judge

A judge is responsible for serving justice to whosoever steps in and preserves the law and order of the country.

The salary a lawyer can expect ranges anywhere between ₹3.0 Lakh – ₹12.0 Lakh per year, depending on the choice of field, specialization, and experience.

Related Read :- How to Become a Lawyer – A Complete Guide

B. Creative Jobs for Art Stream Students

Apart from legal jobs in arts stream, there are many such careers where one can explore their creativity. Some of the careers include:

6. Graphic Designer

A graphic designer’s job requires them to create graphics, illustrate, create logos, pictures, and more. The responsibility includes creating the visual side of a book, website, magazine, and more, including social media for their clients.

The salary of a graphic designer varies between ₹20,000 – ₹39,000 per month, with an average of ₹3.0 Lakh per annum.

Related Read :- How to be a Successful Freelance Graphic Designer

7. Art Dealer / Art Curator

Another exciting Arts Stream Job is that of an art curator. He is responsible for cataloguing, assembling, presenting, displaying, and managing artefacts and collections from different cultures. At the same time, an art dealer helps bridge the gap between the artist and the buyer, helping them with the best rates. Knowledge and passion is the utmost requirement in this field.

The salary ranges from ₹19,000 – ₹39,000 per month with an average of ₹2.2 Lakh – ₹4.6 Lakh per year.

8. Illustrator

The profile of an illustrator requires one to understand clients’ needs and accordingly use a design medium such as sketching, photography, or a digital platform to illustrate images to cater to the target audience.

The average salary ranges from ₹20,000 – ₹40,000 per month with an average of ₹2.4 Lakh – ₹4.8 Lakh per year depending on their profile.

9. Game Designer

One of the most interesting and high salary jobs after 12th arts stream for Arts students is to be a game designer. The profile requires them to design video games and create their mechanics. Building stories, characters, props, and rules using different program languages.

The average income ranges from ₹33,000 – ₹1,00,000 per month with an average of ₹4.0 Lakh – ₹12.0 Lakh per year, depending on their niche and quality of work.

10. Film & Video Designer

A film or video editor has the major responsibility to put together different pieces of a film so that the audience sees the whole movie without noticing which parts were filmed and when. The job requires a lot of research, communication with the directors, and reading the script.

The average salary is ₹1.2 Lakh – ₹6.1 Lakhs per year.

Related Read :- How to become a Freelance Video Editor

11. Fashion Designing

One of the vast areas while determining careers for Arts students is to become a fashion designer and create original pieces of clothes, accessories, or footwear. One can explore their creativity by indulging in traditional, corporate, or even casual design.

The average salary of a fashion designer ranges from ₹0.6 Lakh – ₹7.5 Lakhs per year.

12. Art Museum Curator

An art museum curator works for a museum or a gallery and takes care of all the art collected and displayed. Besides caring for and cataloging the art, they also work with clients to hold exhibitions and end-to-end planning.

The average salary ranges between ₹8.0 Lakh – ₹9.0 Lakh per year, depending on experience.

13. Event Planner

One of the most diverse and creative jobs in an art career is being an event planner, who plans, manages, organizes and coordinates various events. These events range from birthday parties to weddings to fashion shows and more.

The important skills required here are relationship building and communication to understand the client’s needs and execute their vision.

An event planner can charge anywhere between ₹0.3 Lakh – ₹8.5 Lakhs depending on the budget and labor involved.

14. Digital Marketer

Digital marketing is another great field for Arts Stream Jobs that gives vast creative space to develop, implement and strategize marketing on the digital platform to promote the brand of a company or its products through social media, website, emails, and google ads.

A digital marketer can charge anywhere between ₹0.5 Lakh – ₹10.0 Lakhs per year.

Recommended Read :- 2024 Guide to Become a Freelance Digital Marketing Professional

15. Photographer

A photographer works as a professional and is required to manage photo shoots, image processing, editing, and deliver the highest quality pictures to the clients.

Photography requires understanding the client’s requirements and putting in their creative inputs and knowledge for the best outcome. One can also choose a niche such as fashion, portrait, wedding, food, and many more they want to become a professional in.

A photographer can charge anywhere between ₹0.3 Lakh – ₹7.3 Lakhs per project.

16. Musician

A career in music is also very dynamic where the artist is involved in writing songs, playing instruments, singing, recording, and performing on stage.

A musician can charge a minimum price of ₹1500 per hour and more depending on their genre and experience, as well as the scale of the event. This is one of the arts stream jobs pursued by people with passion in music.

17. Choreographer

A choreographer is responsible for creating original dance moves and practices taking inspiration from the existing dance forms. They get to showcase their creativity by making dance steps and making others dance. Joining dance groups or going solo is up to the choreographer.

The average salary of a choreographer ranges from ₹0.3 Lakh – ₹8.0 Lakhs per year.

C. Popular Arts Stream Jobs

18. Hotel Manager

A person who joins the hotel management industry can work in many different genres such as hotels, cafés, resorts or clubs. The domain in these genres also differs; one can work in the front office, the food and beverage section, or in housekeeping.

The area of interest, qualification, and experience helps candidates earn handsomely while meeting new people daily.

The average salary of a hotelier ranges from ₹0.2 Lakh – ₹10.0 Lakhs per year and more, depending on the experience and profile chosen. This a definitely one of the lucrative arts stream jobs.

19. Social Worker

A social worker is one of the best jobs for arts students and requires them to give unbiased advice, resources, and support to individuals to resolve issues. You can work with individuals from different backgrounds, children, and senior citizens as a social worker.

This jobs in arts steam can be full-time or part-time, depending on you as an individual. It brings maximum job satisfaction and blessings.

A social worker can provide their services for free and can also charge. The average salary of a social worker is up to ₹0.2 Lakh – ₹9.1 Lakhs depending on their experience.

20. Teacher

A teacher is one of the most easiest jobs for arts students as the individual is responsible for shaping the life of their students. Apart from teaching the specialized subject, a teacher also assigns assignments and home works, grades exams, and coordinates with the parents to measure the progress of the students.

The average salary of a teacher in schools is ₹0.6 Lakh – ₹5.8 Lakhs at the beginning of the career and rises with experience.

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21. Government Sector

If a student is looking for jobs in Arts stream and doesn’t want to go to the private sector can prepare for government sector jobs while completing their education. UPSC exams are the most known when it comes to arts stream jobs government sector, but there are many opportunities offered by the state and central departments.

Some of the best jobs for Arts students in the government sector include:

• Indian Railway Recruitment Board (RRB)
• SSC Combined Higher Secondary Level (CHSL)
• National Defence Academy (NDA)
• SSC Stenographer
• SSC Multi Tasking Staff (MTS)
• Forest Guard
• Indian Coast Guard

22. Mass Communication

A student who pursues mass communication can explore the world by writing articles, white papers, blogs, advertisements, any domain that helps in entertainment or surveillance, and cultural data transmission.

The Arts Stream Job is divided into four different categories of print, transit, broadcast, and digital, which act as a medium to provide information about the world.

The average salary of a mass communication professional ranges from ₹2.0 Lakh – ₹22.0 Lakh per year.

23. Journalism

Journalism is the most sought-after Arts career option in India. A journalist is responsible for researching, interviewing, and writing news and articles that provide honest and correct information and stories about the events that happen around the world.

A journalist can work in the print media or in the digital media, depending on the platform chosen. The salary of an average journalist is approximately ₹0.5 Lakh – ₹8.5 Lakhs.

24. International Relations

A career in international relations is the first step toward politics. A specialist is involved in reviewing and analyzing the policies of various international organizations and conducting research on political and economic trends to guide the state. They are also responsible for maintaining relationships between different countries.

An average salary of an International Relations specialist ranges between ₹2.5 Lakhs – ₹17.0 Lakhs per year, depending on the experience.

25. Economist

An economist works on gathering information on the socio-economic policies that cover health, consumer products, transport, and more to understand the economy of the country. Any individual who studies economics must be good in analytical skills, logical reasoning and critical thinking.

The average income of an economist ranges between ₹2.5 Lakhs – ₹38.0 Lakhs per year.

26. Sales

Sales is among exciting jobs for art students who have excellent communication and convincing skills. A sales representative is responsible for creating sales and marketing plans and pipelines for the business, creating ad campaigns, and building clients for the company.

The average salary ranges between ₹0.3 Lakh – ₹12.0 Lakhs per year.

27. Freelancing with Chegg

Any person who works without being contractually bound to a company on a full-time basis and is their boss is a freelancer. A freelancer gets paid by the hour or the assignment by collaborating with companies or individuals on a project basis. Likewise, a freelancer is charged according to their niche and creativity.

Many people working full-time also opt for side jobs or part-time jobs to earn a little extra. These individuals often join platforms like Chegg, register as freelancers, and become subject matter experts. Apart from their salaries, they earn money every day.

Chegg offers many opportunities to individuals who want to work as freelancers in the education domain by uploading case studies, lecture notes, and practice exams and guides to help students earn. If working for Chegg is your calling and you would like to solve subject-related issues to help students across the world, interact with experts in various domains, network and earn as per your convenience.

A freelancer can charge as low as ₹500 per hour to ₹5,000 per hour and similarly ₹5,000 daily to ₹20,000, depending on the knowledge and experience.

As a freelancer at Chegg, one can earn an average of ₹1.0 Lakh – ₹6.6 Lakhs per year.

Arts Stream Jobs are Here to Stay

There are many Arts Stream Jobs, such as gym instructors, interior designers, content writers, social media managers, bartenders, bakers, yoga teachers, corporate trainers, and many more that a student who comes from the arts stream can take up.

Over the years, where many career opportunities may have ceased to exist, many new options have opened up for individuals to explore their interests and potential. Hence, it can be said that jobs for arts students or jobs in arts stream are here to stay. One needs to understand one’s skills and then decide what path to walk on, whether to make a career a full-time profession or experiment and explore by making certain creative decisions and doing part-time or freelancing jobs.

Looking at the variety of options available for the Arts stream, it can be concluded that a student from an art background has many opportunities, and all they have to do is do a self-analysis, understand their strengths and interest, and explore their potential.

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