Looking at Collins dictionary, I think the author is using the third definition of amateur: “a person unskilled in or having only a superficial knowledge of a s

Looking at Collins dictionary, I think the author is using the third definition of amateur: “a person unskilled in or having only a superficial knowledge of a subject” And the second definition of professional “a personal who engages in an activity with great competence” These are implied by the question that begins the article: “Why is it that some people seem to be hugely successful and do so much, while the vast majority of us struggle to tread water?” The author could have chosen better words, but I feel you’re missing most of the article by focusing exclusively on them.