Bit of chicken and egg, but one facet for me is whether individuals
self-describe as professionals or members of a profession - for example,
someone assigned to manage a project vs. a project manager. So someone can
work within a profession but not be a professional within it - they'd be
acting as within a field of endeavor.

Some of it is also opportunistic: given a chance, do you continue to work,
grow, and develop within that milieu, or is it just a job, 9-5, steady
paycheck? This goes to Steve's point I think.

As a profession matures there are other things that come into play in my
mind to distinguish it, mostly along the lines of formalization and
standardization: formal academic programs, standards and standards
organizations, a well-defined and recognized body of knowledge - heck, even
professional associations and conferences. This last is not dispositive to
be sure but it's one more indicator in my mind (as a selfish association
type).

Regards,

Jesse Wilkins, CIP, CRM, IGP
Denver, CO
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blog: http://informata.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jessewilkins

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