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Without defining "professionalism", this is a useless discussion. Professionalism, to me, implies a certain standard of conduct: Delivering what you promise, w
by ekidd 16y ago
Without defining "professionalism", this is a useless discussion.
Professionalism, to me, implies a certain standard of conduct: Delivering what you promise, when you promise it. Communicating clearly. Refusing unethical requests. Not flaking out at a critical moment. Keeping your cool even when you're a bit frustrated. Refraining from conduct that will discredit your employer, clients or partners. Being clear about your degree of expertise on a given topic.
Now, this sort of professionalism isn't the only virtue in life: You also need to care passionately about what you do, speak plainly and honestly, and enjoy building stuff. Professionalism is never enough. But the opposite of "professional" isn't "amateur," it's "unprofessional." And I, for one, do not enjoy working with unprofessional colleagues or clients.
- jk215 16y agoCouldnt have said it any better. The opposite of professional is definitely not amateur. At least in this context.
- rglover 16y agoI think your definition is spot on. To say that "professionalism" merely entails putting on a suit and speaking in a certain way is a poor articulation of the term. I can see where the author is coming from, but there could have been a lot less fanatical talk (e.g. Google this and Steve Jobs that) and a lot more insight on the value of skirting the traditional concept of professionalism.
- ctdonath 16y agoUnderdiscussed: The amateur does the job when and how he sees fit. The professional does the job when and how the client requires. Passion may exist in either. What one does when there is not passion makes the difference.
- helwr 16y agoThe opposite of amateur is expert.
- billswift 16y agoAn amateur can be very expert. An amateur is someone who does something because he wants to, for love of the work or subject. It has nothing to do with expertise or competence at the job.
- run4yourlives 16y agoThere is a different definition of "professional" that is often used however; it's a co-opting of your proper meaning that is often used by large corporations to support the status quo and discourage innovation. That definition is this: "Professionalism" is the recognized respect that should be given to those individuals, processes and companies labeled as such due to their earned credentials in a particular field. It's a definition created specifically with the intent of preventing the questioning of the status quo; an overdeveloped argument to authority, basically.