Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

Gilda · 09-10-2005, 06:57 PM

I think of it in different terms depending upon usage.

1. As a prenominative modifier, it refers to someone who makes a living at a particular activity.

He's a professional [job] .

This means he makes his living at doing [job].

2. As a noun, it can have one of two meanings, depending upon context.

The first meaning refers to a specific kind of career, requiring extensive post-secondary formal education, and not a trade. It's roughly equivilent to "white collar" job, but is slightly more complex than that. A secretary is a white collar worker, but in this paradigm might not be considered a professional.

Another way of thinking of it is that it refers to jobs that are mind oriented rather than physically based. Doctor, lawyer, CPA, etc. Some are tricky; public school teacher or nurse, for example are tough to pin down between highly skilled laborer and professional, though I'd put both into the professional category by a hair.

One of my students once had an interesting way of making this distinction. An electrician is a highly skilled laborer, while an electrical engineer is a professional.

3. The last meaning is in contrast to "unprofessional". In this context it refers to behavior that is considered appropriate in an ethical or moral sense to a particular job, whether that job is a "profession" in the previous sense of not. A mechanic would generally be classified as a skilled laborer, but still would be considered "unprofessional" if he or she were to do or charge for unnecessary work.

That said, if a mechanic or a plumber wants to call himself a professional, that's fine by me, or if someone wants to say that teaching middle school isn't a profession, I won't get my feathers ruffled. It's too small an issue to get bent out of shape over.

Conducting oneself in an appropriate manner in one's job, however, as in meaning 3, is something that I take seriously and think is important.

Gilda

09-10-2005, 06:57 PM	#12 (permalink)
Gilda 32 flavors and then some Location: Out on a wire.	I think of it in different terms depending upon usage. 1. As a prenominative modifier, it refers to someone who makes a living at a particular activity. He's a professional [job] . This means he makes his living at doing [job]. 2. As a noun, it can have one of two meanings, depending upon context. The first meaning refers to a specific kind of career, requiring extensive post-secondary formal education, and not a trade. It's roughly equivilent to "white collar" job, but is slightly more complex than that. A secretary is a white collar worker, but in this paradigm might not be considered a professional. Another way of thinking of it is that it refers to jobs that are mind oriented rather than physically based. Doctor, lawyer, CPA, etc. Some are tricky; public school teacher or nurse, for example are tough to pin down between highly skilled laborer and professional, though I'd put both into the professional category by a hair. One of my students once had an interesting way of making this distinction. An electrician is a highly skilled laborer, while an electrical engineer is a professional. 3. The last meaning is in contrast to "unprofessional". In this context it refers to behavior that is considered appropriate in an ethical or moral sense to a particular job, whether that job is a "profession" in the previous sense of not. A mechanic would generally be classified as a skilled laborer, but still would be considered "unprofessional" if he or she were to do or charge for unnecessary work. That said, if a mechanic or a plumber wants to call himself a professional, that's fine by me, or if someone wants to say that teaching middle school isn't a profession, I won't get my feathers ruffled. It's too small an issue to get bent out of shape over. Conducting oneself in an appropriate manner in one's job, however, as in meaning 3, is something that I take seriously and think is important. Gilda __________________ I'm against ending blackness. I believe that everyone has a right to be black, it's a choice, and I support that. ~Steven Colbert