Profession vs. Occupation

Profession

Profession is an activity that requires specialized training, knowledge, qualification and skills.

It usually required qualification for you to be a member of a professional body, and certificate of practice or license.

This further requires prolonged formal preparation and meets certain higher level criteria that raise it to a level above that of an occupation.

A certain code of conduct is set up by the respective body of the profession. After this provisional period, ongoing education toward professional development is compulsory. A profession may or may not require formal credentials and/or other standards for admission.

Occupation

An occupation is an activity undertaken by the person to earn his livelihood.

It can be business, profession or employment that a person undertakes to make money. Occupation refers to the kind of economic activity endeavored by a person regularly for earning money. When someone engages or occupies himself, most of the time, in any economic activity, that activity is known as their occupation. There is thin line between a profession and an occupation (see Tab 3a)

Professional

These are individuals who practice a profession of rendering personalized services.

These render specialized services based on theory, knowledge, and skills that are most often specific to their profession and generally beyond the understanding and/or capability of those outside of the profession.

Such codes require behavior and practice beyond the personal moral obligations of an individual. They define and demand high standards of behavior in respect to the services provided to the public and in dealing with professional colleagues. Further, these codes are enforced by the Profession and are acknowledged and accepted by the community.

These are considered to be a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are accepted by the public as possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely recognized body of learning derived from research, education and training at a high level, and who are prepared to apply this knowledge and exercise these skills in the interest of others.

Professionalism

This is an individual’s conduct at work made up of the personally held beliefs of a Professional about their own conduct as a member of a Profession.. This is not restricted to highly educated professionals.

It is often linked to the upholding of the principles, laws, ethics and conventions of a Profession in the form of a code of practice.

Professionalism is a combination of taught aspects, like knowledge and skills, and learning gained through experience, such as experiential knowledge and the way to behave with particular people in particular situations.

Professionalism can be learnt through observing others and through personal experience. Other people or organizations require professionalism but there is also a self-perception element to it and personal professionalism goes beyond professionalism as defined by a role or organization.

Professionalism - the character is different from professional - the title (see Tab 3b). It is more of the demonstration of high-level personal, ethical, and skill characteristics in the business environment, rather than just qualifying as a member of the profession. It is, therefore, safe to say that there are some professionals who lack the professionalism, while there are some who are not considered professional by social standards but are exhibiting high level of professionalism.