Profession

A Profession is an occupation that requires specialized education, theoretical knowledge, and practical expertise to provide valuable services while maintaining ethical standards and self-regulatory practices (includes a set of practitioners and the institutions that they follow).

• AKA: Learned Occupation, Professional Field, Professional Practice, Liberal Profession.
• Context:
  • Core Knowledge Foundation:
    • It can typically require technical expertise based on theoretical knowledge.
    • It can typically require extensive academic preparation for professional knowledge mastery.
    • It can typically involve conceptual understanding rather than just procedural skill.
    • It can typically develop professional judgment through theoretical foundation application.
    • It can typically maintain specialized knowledge body that evolves with field advancement.
    • It can typically integrate scientific principles with practical application.
    • It can typically require intellectual service capability distinct from manual labor.
    • It can typically necessitate abstract problem-solving ability for complex situation management.
    • It can typically involve continuous knowledge acquisition throughout professional career.
    • It can typically establish cognitive framework for addressing professional challenges.
  • ...
  • Core Institutional Structure:
    • It can typically require societal recognition through formal qualifications.
    • It can typically require ethical standards and technical standards.
    • It can typically involve a professional association organized by its members.
    • It can typically require an extensive period of education of at least three years at university level.
    • It can typically require testing of competence through prescribed examinations.
    • It can typically involve institutional training where aspiring professionals acquire practical experience.
    • It can typically establish licensed practitioner status through registration or certification.
    • It can typically maintain work autonomy even within external employment.
    • It can typically enforce a code of professional conduct through disciplinary procedures.
    • It can typically engage in self-regulation independent from government control.
    • It can typically emphasize public service and altruism in its practice.
    • It can typically establish professional closure to exclude unqualified individuals.
    • It can typically involve control of remuneration through fee guidelines.
    • It can typically establish professional identity through membership socialization.
    • It can typically create professional community with shared value system.
  • ...
  • Professional Responsibilities:
    • It can typically provide disinterested objective counsel for direct compensation.
    • It can typically deliver intellectual services in the client interest.
    • It can typically prioritize client welfare over professional self-interest.
    • It can typically maintain fiduciary relationship with service recipients.
    • It can typically uphold professional integrity despite external pressure.
    • It can typically balance client advocacy with broader social responsibility.
    • It can typically preserve public trust through ethical practice demonstration.
    • It can typically recognize professional duty limits and make appropriate client referrals.
    • It can typically advance field knowledge through research contributions.
    • It can typically communicate complex information in understandable manner.
    • It can typically maintain client confidentiality within legal boundarys.
    • It can typically navigate ethical dilemmas using professional ethical frameworks.
    • It can typically demonstrate professional courtesy toward professional colleagues.
    • It can typically maintain professional boundarys in client relationships.
    • It can typically assume collective responsibility for profession reputation.
  • ...
  • Professional Activities:
    • It can typically involve an admittance examination for qualification verification.
    • It can typically involve a professional conference for knowledge sharing.
    • It can typically involve an occupation as its practical implementation.
    • It can typically be associated with an industry through specialized service provision.
    • It can typically require continuous professional development for skill maintenance.
    • It can typically establish professional certification to demonstrate competence.
    • It can typically maintain professional independence in client relationships.
    • It can typically require professional liability insurance for practice protection.
    • It can typically engage in mentorship relationships for professional succession.
    • It can typically participate in peer review processes for quality assurance.
    • It can typically contribute to knowledge dissemination through publication and presentation.
    • It can typically establish best practice standards for consistent service delivery.
    • It can typically develop professional specialty through focused expertise cultivation.
    • It can typically create professional networks for collegial support.
    • It can typically maintain professional documentation of service provision.
  • ...
  • Professional Variations:
    • It can range from being a Traditional Profession to being an Emerging Profession, depending on its historical establishment.
    • It can range from being a Highly Regulated Profession to being a Minimally Regulated Profession, depending on its regulatory framework.
    • It can range from being a Technical Profession to being a Service-Oriented Profession, depending on its primary focus.
    • It can range from being a National Profession to being a Global Profession, depending on its geographic scope.
    • It can range from being a Specialized Profession to being a Generalist Profession, depending on its knowledge breadth.
    • It can range from being a Solo Practice Profession to being an Organizational Profession, depending on its typical employment structure.
    • It can range from being a Client-Centered Profession to being a System-Centered Profession, depending on its service orientation.
    • It can range from being a Standardized Practice Profession to being a Discretionary Practice Profession, depending on its professional autonomy level.
    • It can range from being a Public Sector Profession to being a Private Sector Profession, depending on its employment context.
    • It can range from being a Prestige Profession to being an Ordinary Profession, depending on its social status.
    • It can range from being a Practically-Oriented Profession to being a Research-Oriented Profession, depending on its knowledge application emphasis.
    • It can range from being a Closed Profession to being an Open Profession, depending on its entry barrier height.
  • ...
  • Related Entities:
    • It can be supported by professional schools for educational preparation.
    • It can be governed by professional boards for quality assurance.
    • It can be protected by professional licenses for market regulation.
    • It can be represented by professional associations for collective advocacy.
    • It can be guided by professional journals for knowledge dissemination.
    • It can be influenced by accreditation bodies for educational program standards.
    • It can be shaped by profession pioneers through practice innovation.
    • It can be validated by professional awards for excellence recognition.
    • It can be documented in professional history through profession evolution record.
    • It can be regulated by government agency for public protection.
    • It can be supported by professional staff for administrative function.
    • It can be represented by professional leaders in public discourse.
    • It can be examined by professional sociologists for social understanding.
    • It can be connected through professional network platforms for digital collaboration.
    • It can be maintained through professional succession planning for knowledge transfer.
  • ...
  • Professional Culture:
    • It can develop professional language for precise communication.
    • It can establish professional rituals that reinforce professional identity.
    • It can maintain profession-specific values that guide professional behavior.
    • It can create professional hierarchy based on expertise level and experience.
    • It can form professional subcultures around specialty areas.
    • It can generate professional stereotypes in public perception.
    • It can establish dress code and appearance standards for professional presentation.
    • It can reinforce status symbols that indicate professional achievement.
    • It can develop professional humor reflecting shared experience.
    • It can create professional lifestyle expectations regarding work-life balance.
    • It can maintain profession-specific celebrations for career milestones.
    • It can establish unwritten rules for professional advancement.
    • It can develop professional attitudes toward client relationship management.
    • It can cultivate professional pride in service quality.
    • It can maintain professional boundarys with allied professions.
  • ...
  • Historical Development:
    • It can evolve from craft guild into recognized profession through knowledge formalization.
    • It can transition from apprenticeship model to formal education model across historical development.
    • It can progress from gender-restricted profession to gender-inclusive profession through social change.
    • It can develop from local practice to global practice through international standardization.
    • It can transform from unregulated occupation to self-regulating profession through professional maturation.
    • It can shift from individual practitioner model to organizational practice model through structural evolution.
    • It can change from religious association to secular institution through societal secularization.
    • It can move from generalist approach to specialist approach through knowledge expansion.
    • It can transition from practical skill emphasis to theoretical knowledge integration through academic influence.
    • It can evolve from informal ethical understanding to codified ethical framework through ethical formalization.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Traditional Professions, such as:
    • Ancient Established Professions, such as:
      • Medical Profession for health maintenance and disease treatment.
      • Legal Profession for justice system support and legal representation.
      • Religious Profession for spiritual guidance and religious ritual administration.
      • Teaching Profession for knowledge transmission and educational development.
    • Classical Liberal Professions, such as:
      • Accounting Profession for financial record management and fiscal accountability.
      • Architectural Profession for built environment design and structural safety assurance.
      • Engineering Profession for technical solution development and infrastructure creation.
      • Pharmacy Profession for medication management and pharmaceutical consultation.
  • Specialized Technical Professions, such as:
    • Science-Based Professions, such as:
      • Scientific Research Profession for knowledge discovery and empirical investigation.
      • Agricultural Science Profession for food production optimization and sustainable farming.
      • Veterinary Profession for animal health preservation and livestock management.
      • Environmental Science Profession for ecosystem assessment and environmental protection.
    • Applied Technical Professions, such as:
      • IT Profession for information system management and digital solution creation.
      • Surveying Profession for land measurement and property boundary determination.
      • Dental Profession for oral health maintenance and dental disease treatment.
      • Optometry Profession for vision assessment and optical correction.
  • Caring Professions, such as:
    • Healthcare Support Professions, such as:
      • Nursing Profession for patient care delivery and health monitoring.
      • Physical Therapy Profession for rehabilitation service and mobility improvement.
      • Occupational Therapy Profession for functional independence facilitation and adaptive strategy development.
      • Speech Therapy Profession for communication disorder treatment and swallowing function improvement.
    • Social Support Professions, such as:
      • Social Work Profession for social welfare improvement and vulnerable population support.
      • Counseling Profession for psychological support provision and mental health improvement.
      • Education Support Profession for learning facilitation and student development.
      • Child Development Profession for early intervention and developmental milestone achievement.
  • Creative Professions, such as:
    • Design Professions, such as:
      • Graphic Design Profession for visual communication creation and brand identity development.
      • Industrial Design Profession for product design and user experience enhancement.
      • Interior Design Profession for interior space planning and environmental psychology application.
      • Fashion Design Profession for garment creation and style trend development.
    • Performing Art Professions, such as:
      • Music Performance Profession for musical interpretation and audience engagement.
      • Acting Profession for dramatic portrayal and character embodiment.
      • Dance Profession for movement expression and choreographic communication.
      • Conducting Profession for musical ensemble direction and performance coordination.
  • Historical Evolution of Professions, such as:
    • Medieval Guild Profession (1300s), with skill-based apprenticeship and craft monopoly.
    • Liberal Profession (1800s), during industrial society development and university expansion.
    • Corporate Profession (1900s), with organizational employment and bureaucratic integration.
    • Knowledge Profession (2000s), with information economy emergence and digital transformation.
    • Early Professional Association (1700s), characterized by voluntary membership organization for practitioner collaboration.
    • Professionalization Movement (1900s), marked by credential standardization and practice regulation.
    • Professional Specialization Era (1950s), due to knowledge explosion and technological advancement.
    • Global Professional Integration (2000s), through international credential recognition and cross-border practice.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Academic Discipline, which focuses on knowledge development rather than professional practice.
  • Vocation, which emphasizes personal calling rather than formal qualification.
  • Trade, which prioritizes practical skill over theoretical knowledge.
  • Hobby, which lacks formal recognition and compensation structure.
  • Job, which may not require specialized education or self-regulation.
  • Craft, which centers on manual skill mastery rather than theoretical foundation.
  • Business, which prioritizes profit generation over service provision.
  • Bureaucratic Position, which operates within administrative hierarchy rather than professional autonomy.
  • Volunteer Role, which lacks financial compensation despite potential skill requirement.
  • Industry, which produces tangible products rather than professional services.
• See: Professional, Professional Association, Professional Ethics, Professional Education, Professional Development, Professional Certification, Occupation, Career, Vocation, Practice, Trade, Expert, Specialist, Professional Body, Professional Standard.

---

---

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.

---