Professionals?

[AggieJohn]

So I always thought that with becoming a doctor came becoming a 'professional.' But as I started to notice, everyone is a 'professional.'

All job positions call themselves professionals. Professional writer, professional pest inspector, professional care giver. And the definition at dictionary.com seems to confirm this.

I guess it seems to take away from what I perceived as being the professional world. Or am I being elitist? What do you all think about the word 'professional' as it applies to employment?

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[SomeDoc]

Nothing wrong with it, I think. For all I know, there are legitimate professional, that is, expert hobby plane builders. The interpretation of what "professional" means depends on the context, just like there are so many definitions for the word. I'm sure the general public knows what it means when a physician is referred to as a professional versus when someone is referred to as a professional fill-in-the-blank.

 

[Bertelman]

...and you are just now understanding this? You've never heard of a professional sports team? Professional killer?

 

[Hayden2102]

My understanding is that your profession is just something that you do to earn a buck...

 

[Hayden2102]

... wait ... and this is upsetting you because... ?

 

[Law2Doc]

So I always thought that with becoming a doctor came becoming a 'professional.' But as I started to notice, everyone is a 'professional.'

All job positions call themselves professionals. Professional writer, professional pest inspector, professional care giver. And the definition at dictionary.com seems to confirm this.

I guess it seems to take away from what I perceived as being the professional world. Or am I being elitist? What do you all think about the word 'professional' as it applies to employment?

You are not being elitist. Lots of people try to call themselves professions. Bu traditionally there are only a few. In general, if the organization is not one of the "learned professions" (See definition 10 in your dictionary entry), it doesn't really qualify. So we are talking law, medicine, maybe one or two others I'm forgetting. Key distinctions for professions as opposed to other wannabees tend to be having career specific schooling, being self regulating with codes of ethics and conduct binding members (who can be censured, suspended, disbarred), licensed by the state, etc. As such most of the self declared professions aren't. "Professional" by contrast, has multiple meanings, and can mean a member of a profession or merely someone who earns money for their vocation. So a professional athlete is not a member of a profession (unless he subsequently goes to med or law school).

 

[logos]

My understanding is being a professional relates to the power difference between professional and client. That is, you make decisions for your client with their, not your, best interests in mind.

eg. The "professional" pest inspector can reccomend fumigating your house even if he dosent find any evidence of bugs. However an attorney or a doctor must zealously represent the clients best interests.

 

[Law2Doc]

My understanding is being a professional relates to the power difference between professional and client. That is, you make decisions for your client with their, not your, best interests in mind.

eg. The "professional" pest inspector can reccomend fumigating your house even if he dosent find any evidence of bugs. However an attorney or a doctor must zealously represent the clients best interests.

That's the code of ethics/conduct component. Not an issue of power, as much as an issue of what you are charged to uphold. See my post above.

 

[F12]

Whenever 'professional' is used as a noun rather than an adjective, it refers to someone who has a job that requires a professional degree, e.g. Doctor, Lawyer, Dentist, etc.

 

[AggieJohn]

I think I see things more clearly.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

Dont forget to include engineers.

 

[Johnny_D]

blah, blah, blah

 

[Doctor Bagel]

To add the HR perspective to professional, jobs at most corporations are usually divided into professional v. administrative. Professional jobs generally require a college degree or higher and are salaried so no overtime. Administrative jobs usually require high school degrees and have hourly pay with overtime.

So yeah, being part of a profession means one thing, and being a professional can mean lots of stuff. I don't see why you'd really care, though. Doctors still have generally higher social status than janitors even when we call janitors professional environmental engineers.

 

[StrengthDoc]

...and you are just now understanding this? You've never heard of a professional sports team? Professional killer?

...and don't forget the world's oldest professionals!!!

 

[Critical Mass]

To me, there is also a distinction between professional school and graduate school. Graduate medical education is what doctors do after they get an MD, so I don't consider myself a graduate student in medical school. To me, the first two years are just an extension of undergrad--brute force rote memory trumps demonstration of understanding. The understanding/application part comes later.

A "professional" in my view is an employee who has a license or certification to perform a task set that is monitored by a governing body. An R.N., for instance, has a license that is regulated regardless of what degree he/she has. Businesses will often say that makes the nurse more valuable than say someone with a Bachelor's degree in biology with no professional accreditation (not to mention the fact that they are a dime a dozen relative to the demand that nursing has).

Engineering is similar. Somebody chime in here--isn't a PE a desirable goal?

 

[AmoryBlaine]

You are not being elitist. Lots of people try to call themselves professions. Bu traditionally there are only a few. In general, if the organization is not one of the "learned professions" (See definition 10 in your dictionary entry), it doesn't really qualify. So we are talking law, medicine, maybe one or two others I'm forgetting. Key distinctions for professions as opposed to other wannabees tend to be having career specific schooling, being self regulating with codes of ethics and conduct binding members (who can be censured, suspended, disbarred), licensed by the state, etc. As such most of the self declared professions aren't. "Professional" by contrast, has multiple meanings, and can mean a member of a profession or merely someone who earns money for their vocation. So a professional athlete is not a member of a profession (unless he subsequently goes to med or law school).

That is certainly how I have understood it. Today, at least where I live, saying "I'm a professional" bascially means "I can't wear jeans to work."