Profession

A Profession is an Abstract Entity that includes a set of Practitioners and the institutions that they follow.

• Context:
  • It can involve an Admittance Examination.
  • It can involve a Professional Conference.
  • It can involve an Occupation.
  • It can be associated with an Industry.
  • It can (typically) require Technical Expertise.
  • It can (typically) require Societal Recognition.
  • It can (typically) require Ethical Standards and Technical Standards.
• Example(s):
  • Legal Profession.
  • Medical Profession.
  • Engineering Profession.
  • IT Profession.
  • …
• Counter-Example(s):
  • an Academic Discipline.
  • a Vocation.
• See: Practice, Trade, Vocation, Educational, Training.

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References

2017

• (Wikipedia, 2017) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/profession Retrieved:2017-9-26.
  • A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested objective counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain. The term is a truncation of the term "liberal profession", which is, in turn, an Anglicization of the French term "profession libérale". Originally borrowed by English users in the 19th century, it has been re-borrowed by international users from the late 20th, though the (upper-middle) class overtones of the term do not seem to survive retranslation: "liberal professions" are, according to the European Union's Directive on Recognition of Professional Qualifications (2005/36/EC) "those practiced on the basis of relevant professional qualifications in a personal, responsible and professionally independent capacity by those providing intellectual and conceptual services in the interest of the client and the public".

2009

• (WordNet, 2009) ⇒ http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=profession
  • S: (n) profession (the body of people in a learned occupation) "the news spread rapidly through the medical profession"; "they formed a community of scientists"
  • S: (n) profession (an occupation requiring special education (especially in the liberal arts or sciences))
  • S: (n) profession, professing (an open avowal (true or false) of some belief or opinion) "a profession of disagreement"
  • S: (n) profession (affirmation of acceptance of some religion or faith) "a profession of Christianity"

2009

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profession
  • "A profession is a vocation founded upon specialised educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain"

2009

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profession#Characteristics_of_a_profession
  • The list of characteristics that follows is extensive, but does not claim to include every characteristic that has ever been attributed to professions, nor do all of these features apply to every profession:

1. Skill based on theoretical knowledge: Professionals are assumed to have extensive theoretical knowledge (e.g. medicine, law, scripture or engineering) and to possess skills based on that knowledge that they are able to apply in practice.
2. Professional association: Professions usually have professional bodies organized by their members, which are intended to enhance the status of their members and have carefully controlled entrance requirements.
3. Extensive period of education: The most prestigious professions usually require at least three years at university. Undertaking doctoral research can add a further 4-5 years to this period of education.
4. Testing of competence: Before being admitted to membership of a professional body, there is a requirement to pass prescribed examinations that are based on mainly theoretical knowledge.
5. Institutional training: In addition to examinations, there is usually a requirement for a long period of institutionalized training where aspiring professionals acquire specified practical experience in some sort of trainee role before being recognized as a full member of a professional body. Continuous upgrading of skills through professional development is also mandatory these days.
6. Licensed practitioners: Professions seek to establish a register or membership so that only those individuals so licensed are recognized as bona fide.
7. Work autonomy: Professionals tend to retain control over their work, even when they are employed outside the profession in commercial or public organizations. They have also gained control over their own theoretical knowledge.
8. Code of professional conduct or ethics: Professional bodies usually have codes of conduct or ethics for their members and disciplinary procedures for those who infringe the rules.
9. Self-regulation: Professional bodies tend to insist that they should be self-regulating and independent from government. Professions tend to be policed and regulated by senior, respected practitioners and the most highly qualified members of the profession.
10. Public service and altruism: The earning of fees for services rendered can be defended because they are provided in the public interest, e.g. the work of doctors contributes to public health.
11. Exclusion, monopoly and legal recognition: Professions tend to exclude those who have not met their requirements and joined the appropriate professional body. This is often termed professional closure, and seeks to bar entry for the unqualified and to sanction or expel incompetent members.
12. Control of remuneration and advertising: Where levels of remuneration are determined by government, professional bodies are active in negotiating (usually advantageous) remuneration packages for their members. Though this this is sometimes done in good intention but can be proven good when the partner, family or mentor recommend something contrary to the general norms. This was further buttressed in the world bank essay paper written by [Idiaro AbdulazeezPaper Challenges and associated solutions for companies working together in collective

action to fight corruption available at [1]. This has caused for global audience and even the world bank launched an international competition in it people are used to Some professions set standard scale fees, but government advocacy of competition means that these are no longer generally enforced.

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