Professionalism: Separating the Men from the BoysApril 30, 2009
A Stab at Definition
A project on which I have been working recently has prompted me to think about professionalism versus amateurism and what makes the difference between the two.
The project that stirred up my wool-gathering on the subject is a web application that I am developing for an individual on a contract basis. Web technology is an area to which I am fairly new, and I am striving to define and attain a solid level of professionalism in this area.
The first two things came to mind when I attempted to define professionalism were passion and experience, but these two things are the means to an end. The next thought that occurred to me was perfectionism. This word is not perfectly accurate either, because it has connotations of obsession-compulsion.
I realized that professionalism is the knowledge and the ability to hold yourself to a high quality of work in your profession. Amateurs rely on others to hold them to a standard. This standard may be high or otherwise, and they lack either the knowledge or the will to evaluate it.
The level of my professionalism with web technologies is lacking in the area of knowledge. I need to find out what constitutes quality in this field. My level of professionalism in desktop application programming comes from a personal work ethic, an understanding of cost-benefit, and a thorough knowledge of the industry. The first two transfer easily, but I will need to actively pursue the last item.
Apocrypha
I have seen this hypothesis borne out in recent and distant retrospect alike. Every person that I have admired required a high standard of themselves. Every person for which I have had to cover has relied on other people to require more of them. This has held true both inside the IT world and in other industries as well.
I want to pursue a solid definition of quality in every pool in which I dabble. I don’t want to wake up 20 years later and realize I’m still relying on others to tell me if my work is “good enough.”
— Alan Henager
Hey, Buddy. I like what you have written about professionalism. I noticed that you were not quite comfortable with the word “perfectionism.” I can certainly understand that.
I would offer the word “excellence” as an alternative. Excellence is not necessarily “perfection.” We are human, and short of eternity, we will never be perfect. I believe part of being professional is recognizing that about ourselves as well as others.
When I do excellent work, it is of highest quality, certainly above average, and the best I have to offer. The end result may be perfect, or near perfect. However, I will almost certainly have made a reasonable number of mistakes in the process, so, in that sense, the work is not perfect. That is O.K. In fact that is desireable because mistakes offer me the opportunity to learn, to grow, and to become better at my “profession,” whatever that might be.
In a nut shell, then, excellence is always striving to offer my best, learning from my mistakes, and continually developing personally and professionally.
Love,
—Dad
— Al Henager · Sep 30, 07:57 AM · #
Hey, Dad! Thanks for the comment. Makes sense!
— Alan · Oct 8, 08:41 PM · #
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