> ..The only qualification to be a professional is whether you make money with your work. So true. And professionals can range from "mindblowing to the putrid,

> ..The only qualification to be a professional is whether you make money with your work. So true. And professionals can range from "mindblowing to the putrid, with no guarantees" too. In fact, I'd say they are able to achieve a far greater level of putrid than non-professionals, "amateurs". > An amateur is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. That does describe much of the open source world. But great work has come from amateurs. Ah, Wikipedia has a wonderful description of this. > Contribution of amateurs > Many amateurs make valuable contributions in the field of computer programming through the open source movement. > Amateur dramatics is the performance of plays or musical theater, often to high standards, but lacking the budgets of professional West End or Broadway performances. > Astronomy, chemistry, history, linguistics, and the natural sciences are among the fields that have benefited from the activities of amateurs. Gregor Mendel was an amateur scientist who never held a position in his field of study. Radio astronomy was founded by Grote Reber, an amateur radio operator. Radio itself was greatly advanced by Guglielmo Marconi, a young Italian gentleman who started out by tinkering with a coherer and a spark coil as an amateur electrician. Pierre de Fermat was a highly influential mathematician whose primary vocation was law. > In the 2000s and 2010s, the distinction between amateur and professional has become increasingly blurred, especially in areas such as computer programming, music and astronomy. The term amateur professionalism, or pro-am, is used to describe these activities.