Professional Work

" Professional work is therefore distinguished from work involving routine mental, manual, mechanical or physical work. A professional employee generally uses the advanced knowledge to analyze, interpret or make deductions from varying facts or circumstances. "

-- DOL : Fact Sheet #17D

I was recently made aware of the above definition of Professional Work, as given in the U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet #17D.

The document further attempts to differentiate a Learned Professional in this manner :-

" The employee’s primary duty must be the performance of work requiring advanced knowledge, defined as work which is predominantly intellectual in character and which includes work requiring the consistent exercise of discretion and judgment. "

I feel the key differentiators here are the " consistent exercise of discretion and judgment.". A “Work requiring advanced knowledge” is defined as :-

• predominantly intellectual in character
• includes work requiring the consistent exercise of discretion and judgment

And, finally, a moment of true realization :- " Advanced knowledge cannot be attained at the high school level. "

Please do take a look at the Department Of Labor : Fact Sheet #17D. It's an enlightening read.

Who is a Professional

" There are two parts to learning craftsmanship: knowledge and work. You must gain
the knowledge of principles, patterns, practices, and heuristics that a craftsman knows, and
you must also grind that knowledge into your fingers, eyes, and gut by working hard and
practicing. "

-- Clean Code, Robert Martin

I was reading Clean Code by Robert Martin & his frank opinion about Craftsmanship / Professionalism struck a note. It takes years of study & practice to become a Professional & Robert Martin would definitely know about it.

Robert has more frank advice about writing clean & good code :-

• Learning to write clean code is hard work. 
• It requires more than just the knowledge of principles and patterns.
• You must sweat over it. You must practice it yourself, and watch yourself fail. 
• You must watch others practice it and fail. 
• You must see them stumble and retrace their steps. 
• You must see them agonize over decisions and see the price they pay for making those decisions the wrong way.

Clean Code by Robert Martin is definitely a must read for all Developers.

I'd like to present another quote, which defines the credo of Professionalism in just two latin words :-

“As recently as 1963, Everett Hughes wrote that the central feature of professionalism was a doctrine of credat emptor—”let the buyer trust”—rather than the commercial maxim of caveat emptor—”let the buyer beware.” 

- The Betrayed Profession

Profession

" Professions produce uniquely expert work, not routine or repetitive work. "

 - White Paper : Profession of Arms

I was reading an interesting White Paper (  White Paper : Profession of Arms ) and I found the definition of a Profession, to be interesting and distinct. A Profession truly produces uniquely expert work, as opposed to labour, that produces routine or repititive work.

The WhitePaper also outlines some of the traits of a Profession :-

• Professionals require years of study and practice before they are capable of expert work.
• Professions earn the trust of their clients through their Ethic – which is their means of motivation and self-control.
• The servant ethic of professions is characterized as cedat emptor, ―let the taker believe in us.
• A self-policing Ethic is an absolute necessity

How different is choosing a Profession from just being employed ? Again, it's a state of mind and as outlined in the WhitePaper :-

Organizations motivate their workers through extrinsic factors such as :-

• Salary
• Benefits
• Promotions.

Professions use inspirational, intrinsic factors like :-

• the life-long pursuit of expert knowledge
• the privilege and honor of service
• camaraderie, and
• the status of membership in an ancient, honorable, and revered occupation.

Software Engineering or Consultancy may not yet be an ancient occupation - it is defenitely an honorable, and revered occupation.

The White Paper : Profession of Arms focusses moslty on the Profession of Arms, but some of the sections are defenitely relevent to any Profession.