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What's a profession, anyway?
October 4, 2006

In our September cover story, "The future of engineering," we included a box asking "Is engineering a profession?" We wondered if engineering is truly a profession because you can enter it with just a bachelor's degree and there are no licenses required.

A question along the same lines emerged in a forum on rfcafe.com where engineers discussed unions. This begs the question, can a profession still be a profession if it's unionized? As one person commented, "if anybody needs a union, this clearly communicates a simple harsh but true fact: That person's skill set is common." He added, "if you have unique skills that few other people have, you will be in high demand." So, if engineers are unionized, does that make them interchangeable and therefore not professionals?

But, what's a profession and what is a professional anyway? Most teachers need a master's degree and certification to enter the field, which is more than most engineers need. But, many teachers belong to a union. Does that make teaching not a profession? What about airline pilots? They need considerable training and certification, but they are somewhat interchangeable so does that mean they're not professionals?

What's the answer? Add your comment.

Posted by Martin Rowe on October 4, 2006 | Comments (0)