What Does Professional Actually Mean?

What exactly does it mean to be professional?

Professional: Is it the what, the who or the how?

 

Somewhere in your past, be it recent or even 20 or more years ago, you made a decision. You met with the recruiter and signed the papers. Then you found yourself at MEPS and standing in a room where you put your right hand in the air. At the time, that decision may not have seemed like a professional one. But if you think about it, it was the first step of your military career. In the United States the all volunteer force is not unique. In fact, it’s not even the first to beco./me all volunteer and end the draft.

 

For many young Americans, the military might be their first employment experience. Earning a paycheck for doing an assigned job seems simple enough. But when you add the atmosphere of military life, it takes on a whole new light. While learning to do a new job may seem straightforward, the level of focus and expertise in most military jobs put them in a category all their own. But come on, can being a supply specialist really be that involved? And is it really a “professional” job?

 

Although it’s common to classify specific occupations (usually that require licensing or certification) like; lawyers, accountants and doctors as professional, it’s not necessarily the job itself that makes one a professional. In a more general sense professional can be the character of the individual. Read more in our earlier blog on our sister site, EqualityMagazines.com

And, if you’d like some help with finding some opportunities, check our Job Search Engine.