On The Job: Are Networkers Technicians or Professionals? Page 6

A common misconception is that only members of a profession can be "professional." In reality, the meanings of the two words are distinct. While the definitions we discussed above are generally recognized as distinguishing an occupation as a "profession," the adjective "professional" has a much broader meaning:

Having or showing great skill, performing a job in an efficient and effective

You needn't be a member of a profession to do a professional job. I believe that we, as IT workers, will benefit ourselves more by focusing on upgrading our performance to the professional level, than upgrading our occupation to the status of a "profession."