We explain what a professional is and its main characteristics. Also, its implications and how to become a professional.
What is Professional?
A professional is a person who has been academically trained to perform a specific occupation. The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) also defines it as a person who habitually practices an activity, whether it is morally or legally good or not. On the other hand, the RAE explains that anything done by professionals (some activity, such as football) excludes amateurs or beginners.
The term “professional” can also be used as an adjective that talks about people's performance For example, it can be said that someone is professional when they fulfill their duties as such, arrive on time, know how to treat the people who work for them, etc.
See also: Professionalism
Characteristics of a professional
Every professional who practices in his or her field, in a dependency relationship, works for a salary which, in general, will be higher than that of other employees who work in that area but who do not have a degree that endorses their knowledge.
It is assumed that every professional, like another person, occupies a specific role within society that makes them collaborate with it, adding good to it. All professions, no matter how different they may be, they make their contribution to society providing technological, social, biological knowledge, helping in the field of culture or health, carrying out research and scientific advances, among others.
At first every professional will be inexperienced but over time they will acquire the experience and knowledge about the work they need to continue climbing.
Many times the Job interviews disappoint the beginner because they ask that the recent university graduate have some experience, but it is impossible when they only ask someone who has already done similar jobs and one cannot gain experience because for the same reason they do not allow it.
It will be a matter of perform during the race internships or internships who can help us with this issue, to get to know the work environment.
What does it mean to be professional?
Having a profession implies:
- Possess specialized knowledge
- A professional training
- A control over the issues that involve working within a certain area
- Self-regulation through organizations such as professional associations, unions or guilds
- There should be a spirit of service to the community (for this reason some professionals are volunteers or in some organizations they do small pro bono work)
- Ethical standards when carrying out your work
How to become a professional?
As we said before, the professional You need a university education that will have certain requirements a certain duration and also a certain complexity. Becoming a professional is like a ladder, you start with the basics, which is completing high school, and then begin the second stage: university.
When the degree has been chosen, started and finished, other studies that add importance to our university degree can be carried out, such as a specialty, a master's degree or doctorate.
It should be clarified that Tertiary studies also make a professional person only they cannot carry out other studies such as a master's degree, since it is necessary to have a degree first.
Professional athletes
When it is said that someone is a professional athlete it is because performs a certain activity as a job for which they receive a salary. Generally, a person begins to practice a sport for pleasure or enjoyment, but if they have conditions that can make them a great player, they are tested or recruited to see if they meet the requirements of a club.
The most commonly known athletes are soccer players. These people sign contracts that are known to be millionaires and that have a certain duration and also very peculiar conditions, such as wearing clothing from a brand or not consuming drugs or alcohol.
