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Professional Ethics (HU-222)

Profession

Izhar Mithal Jiskani, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor | Mining Engineering
National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST),
Balochistan Campus, Quetta, Pakistan
izhar@nbc.nust.edu.pk
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Introduction

Profession
A paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged training and a
formal qualification.
Professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who earns their
living from a specified professional activity.
Professionalism
The skill, good judgment, and polite behavior that is expected from a
person who is trained to do a job well. Professionalism’ is commonly
understood as an individual’s adherence to a set of standards, code of
conduct or collection of qualities that characterize accepted practice
within a particular area of activity
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What is profession?

▪ One ‘‘professes’’ to be a certain type of person and to occupy a special

social role that carries with it stringent moral requirements.
▪ By the late 17th century, the term had been secularized to refer to
anyone who professed to be duly qualified.
▪ Thus, profession once meant, according to the Oxford Shorter
Dictionary, the act or fact of ‘‘professing.’’
▪ A profession is a job that requires specific training and is regulated by
certain standards.
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What is profession?
▪ A Profession is 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.
▪ It is inherent in the definition of a Profession that a code of ethics governs the
activities of each 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.
▪ Often these codes are enforced by the Profession and are acknowledged and
accepted by the community.
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What is profession?

Occupation vs. Profession

▪ Occupation refers to the regular activity performed by a person to earn

his bread and butter.
• Example: Drivers, shopkeepers, a government servant, clerks,
accountants, etc.
▪ A profession is an occupation or vocation which requires a high degree
of knowledge and expertise in the specific field. There is no dependence.
A professional is completely independent.
• Example: Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Chartered Accountant etc.
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What is profession?

Vocation vs. Profession

“Vocation” is a broader term than “profession.”

Vocations include a wider sense of purpose and contribution to the world,

whereas a profession constitutes a job or career with specific skills.

A vocation is about using your profession to contribute to something

bigger. Earning a livelihood is a secondary outcome of a vocation.
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What is profession?

▪ Entrance into a profession typically requires

1. Extensive training:

2. Vital knowledge and skills:

3. Control of services:

4. Autonomy in the workplace:

5. Claim to ethical regulation:

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What is profession?
Control of services:
1. The profession convinces the community that only those who have
graduated from a professional school should be allowed to hold the
professional title. The profession usually also gains considerable
control over professional schools by establishing accreditation
standards that regulate the quality, curriculum content, and number of
such schools.
2. A profession often attempts to persuade the community that there
should be a licensing system for those who want to enter the
profession. Those who practice without a license are subject to legal
penalties. Although it can be argued that monopoly is necessary to
protect the public from unqualified practitioners, it also increases the
power of professionals in the marketplace.
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What is profession?
Autonomy in the workplace:
▪ Autonomy at work means giving employees the freedom to work in a way that
suits them. However, it is not about passively letting employees be independent.
It’s also not working in isolation, or doing work without guidance, boundaries,
supervision, or collaboration. It’s about allowing people to work the way that is
most conducive to their own best performance. Promoting autonomy at work
means empowering employees to be self-starters, giving them stewardship over
their work and their environment, and providing support instead of exerting
control. When employees feel trusted, they’re more likely to perform top-notch
work.
▪ Claim to ethical regulation:
Professionals claim to be regulated by ethical standards, many of which are
embodied in a code of ethics.
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Occupation
vs.
Profession
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