Lesson 1: What Is a Profession?

Professional System and the Role of Professionals in Society

(Podcast Script)

In this podcast, we will discuss two aspects of the professional system – the need
for a professional system and the role of professionals in society.

Need for a Professional System

The main question we face, when considering a professional system, is why we need a
professional system. Given the level of education and skill they possess, shouldn’t professionals
be allowed to practice their profession independently? Why does the government have to look
over the shoulder of the professional? Our reading for this week engages with this question
directly. Alan Firmage makes the point that “all professions are moral enterprises that involve
concerns beyond the application of technical principles.” Although professions are organized
around technical practices and actions, the actions of individuals are not just limited to technical
principles but involve significant moral content. In other words, the choices that professionals
have to make in their work are not just about technical aspects, but have moral and ethical
dimensions. Any choice a professional makes has impacts on people in society. These impacts
could be good or bad depending on the nature of the choice. Thus, the objective of a professional
system is to recognize the moral and ethical nature of professional work and create conditions,
whereby member professionals will be guided to make ethical choices that work towards the
benefit of society.

The moral aspects of a profession, in turn, direct our attention to values that underpin
professional actions. These values can be understood along two dimensions.

 First, professional values are those that guide the nature of professional relations with clients,
employers, and fellow professionals. This include aspects such as values of honesty,
integrity, loyalty and responsibility.

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 A second aspect of professional values relate to societal leadership that relate to how the
professional should relate to the values that underpin a particular society or nation they work
within. These relate to such aspects as law, prejudice, and safety.

All other values are considered personal values, and should generally be separated from
professional values. Mixing professional and personal values is a tricky thing, and should require
judgment on the part of the professional. Some level of mixing is considered OK, but in other
circumstances, mixing personal and professional values would be considered a “conflict of
interest” and should be avoided. For example, wearing a religious symbol is not usually
considered in appropriate display of personal values, but giving jobs to people of the same faith
could be considered conflict of interest or discrimination, depending on the professional system.

Despite the recognition of the value of a professional system, there exists considerable variation
in the nature and actions of professional systems around the world. These variations are the result
of local circumstances in different jurisdictions. These circumstances can be related to differing
social, economic, and political priorities. Alan Firmage in our reading suggests that “how well
professions meet their moral obligations determine the freedom of the enterprise.” Thus, if in
some places, professionals are considered to be irresponsible of their commitments to society’s
welfare, then in such situations, professions can expect a much heavier control by government
over a profession’s obligations. For example, in USA, the professional system (depends on
which state you are talking about) places fewer legal requirements for professionals (especially
engineers). In fact, in many states of USA, professional registration is not required to practice the
engineering profession. On the contrary, some European countries exert heavy legal
requirements for the practice of the engineering profession. Canada, typically, exerts a higher
control over the practice of the profession than USA.

Role of Professions in Society

Professions and professionals play an important role in society. As we have mentioned earlier,
professionals contribute directly to public welfare through their work. Given this important
contribution they make, professions play an important role and professionals are keen to have an
important position in society. Professions are a powerful occupational group in society. A key

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reason behind the power that professions have in society stems from the specialized knowledge
they possess as a collective. This knowledge is valued especially, because ordinary people
cannot acquire this knowledge by reading a book in a library. They need to get admission into
what is often very competitive professional schools, and then obtain a license to practice the
profession. Given these barriers, a profession is considered to be unattainable by most ordinary
people.

The power that a profession has in society translates directly into the higher social status that
professionals have in society. While an individual professional may not be the most financially
successful, their status is usually disproportionate to their means. This higher status is the result
of two factors.

 First, society values professionals for the skill and expertise they possess in contributing
directly to public welfare.
 Second, society values professionals, because their technical expertise can guide important
decisions that society can make collectively. Technical expertise is relevant because of the
scientific basis that it brings in solving global problems. In doing so, it provides an
alternative to the messiness of decision-making of politicians and political leaders in
democracies.

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