I think being able to do the job at a "professional" level implies you have experience in the subject matter. Now, that experience may not be formal... but form

I think being able to do the job at a "professional" level implies you have experience in the subject matter. Now, that experience may not be formal... but formal experience isn't the end-all-be-all anyway. There are plenty of CS masters/PHD holders who write horrifically unprofessional code.