Deciding the right career option

I am a graduate, married with grown up children. I want to pursue a career in floral designing as I have heard that there is lot of scope in it with the boom in event management and marriage planning, etc. Could you please mention the skills needed to be a good florist and also a few online floral designing courses available. What is the career scope in this field? - Deepthi Rao, A S Rao Nagar

Floral designers is the nouveau name for the traditional florists which mainly deals with cutting and arranging live, dried, or silk flowers with the required greeneries intended for decorative purposes, for special occasions like, wedding, banquets, birthday and other parties, etc. If someone has a green thumb, then they can also design terraces and gardens for clients.

The basic skills required could be Sense of artistry Knowledge regarding different types of flowers, like the season of availability, the color varieties, the sizes, etc

• To choose the suitable flowers and greeneries appropriate for each occasion and how to use them in more complex floral designs.
  
• The ability of calculating the number of flowers required, say for the floral designing of a particular area or the amount of rose petals needed to cover a carpet
  
• The knowledge about the properties of each flower, like how many hours they can stay outside water, for example carnations can last a longer time outside water whereas some flowers are delicate and wither away faster
  
• Awareness of flowers that are poisonous for humans or animals, like a few flowers which are poisonous for cats

Knowledge about flower foods

Should know how to take care of the flowers, as in the amount of flower foods that should be mixed in the flower containers and when and how to sanitize workplaces, etc so that they stay fresh and live longer

Should know how to order and purchase flowers from wholesalers or growers

The art of thinking in three dimensions so that they can imagine the visual appeal of the display

Work Profile

Some work with event planners on a contract basis when creating arrangements for events such as weddings, and they should be ready to travel to various locations for such events. Some work with interior decorators in creating displays for hotels, restaurants, and private residences

If you plan to work on your own then you need to have the appropriate customer service skills and organizational skills and apart from this you should know how to keep track of the financial records, the tax issues, etc

If you plan to open a shop or work in a grocery or a flower shop, then you should be ready to work full time. Even if you work part time for an event manager or a wedding planner, you should be ready to put in hard work and your full time, just before and after the event is finished.

Qualifications

If you have the basic aptitude, creativity and the passion and love for flowers, you can learn your skills on the job or else learn it by working under an experienced floral designer. However, it takes between five to seven years to become a perfect professional florist, "says Naval Bhatia If you are enterprising and want to start your own business, I suggest you do a certificate or a diploma course or even a graduate course in the floral design concepts, flower and plant identification, marketing and advertising, other business concepts, etc.

In India there are no institutes that offer a recognized degree in floral designing. However, there are a few institutes like, Indian Institute of management and Skyline Business School in India that offers an Entrepreneurship Development course (EDP) that could help you learn the basic skills to scale up your business.

Institutes abroad that provide floral designing as a formal course are Floral Design Institute, Zen Flowers, and London School of Floristry. As a retail florist, there is a lot of scope in this field, but there are limited chances of advancement and opportunities, unless you have your own niche. You should have your USP because the customer is always looking out for something unique and different. You should constantly keep reinventing, updating and learning in this trade by reading or surfing the net. All the best!

Can you suggest career options in Political Science? -Raji Reddy, Indira Nagar

Political science is a branch of social science that deals with the ins and outs of politics. It includes the study of public policies, national politics, economics, international relations, comparative politics, psychology, sociology, history, law, and political theory

There are several opportunities available both in government as well private sector and you can choose a career depending upon your choice.

You could choose to be a political analyst, join the civil service, serve in the Indian Foreign service and even teach at the college or university level or build up a career in Law. Law is a popular choice of political science graduates as it helps them in their legal careers, which can range from private practice to civil, constitutional or corporate law. You can also opt to join the media house as a political journalist or political researchers or analysts or choose a career as a Political advisor or work in international relations.

Voluntary organizations, such as NGO’s or the UNO, provides a wide scope for career opportunities in this field. You can also become an MP (both central and state legislative) or become a party member or activists and serve various political parties. You can initially volunteer for a campaign job in local parties and this could help you get a paid position later. However, campaign management careers are cyclical, available during election schedules only; therefore you can opt for careers with consulting firms or a political action committee of an interest group. If you are looking out for a career in social work, social or political research, urban planning or human rights then a graduation in political science would be a strong base.

By:Shehre Banu Kagalwala