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Discussion on: IT Degree Necessary?

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kspeakman profile image
Kasey Speakman

I just wonder IT is a professional industry.

I might be missing the context of this question, but I would answer Yes. Tech jobs often do not require the same amount of academic rigor that, say, Physicist jobs do. But I don't equate academic rigor with being a professional.

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imben1109 profile image
Ben • Edited

Thanks. But I would like to ask how you define professional.

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kspeakman profile image
Kasey Speakman • Edited

A professional is someone who earns a living by doing a specific kind of work. That one time I paid cousin Joe Bob to get my car working does not make him a professional mechanic. But he is a professional mechanic if he earns his living by repairing cars.

Since English is the ultimate spaghetti code, "professional" also has another meaning. When referring to how one acts -- "being professional" -- it means to put aside personal concerns in order to get the work accomplished.