How do you define a 'professional'?

Question

When adverts for flats and so on say 'would suit professional' or someone in a dating ad says they are one or are looking for one what does it imply? Is it just lawyers, doctors, teachers accountants etc?

I'm on the average wage in a sales job do I qualify as a professional?

Answer 1

A professional is one who has acquired special qualifications and experiences, like a practising doctor,lawyer,banker,business consultant etc. To be an effective professional one must constantly update ones skill by research, attening related seminars and conferences etc.So when people advertise for professionals, they usually implies a person who is practising in a certain career or job.   I am sorry to say that a sales job is not a professional job.

Answer 2

Sorry Johnny you are just an ordinary wage slave. A job vacancy in your field may say that they are looking for an experienced "Sales Professional" but that is just a use of a word to describe someone whose career has been in sales not labouring etc.  It does NOT in any recognised sense bring you under the category of 'Professional'.

In ads for flats it is because they hope 'professionals' would be a more satisfactory tenant.  It does not necessarily mean that they would not take a non professional.

On a dating site it relates more to someone looking for a partner with an approximately similar educational level and potential earning level. In this case a professional is what they want and that criteria is likely to be inflexible.

Answer 3

"Professional" usually indicates a career that requires a special certification or test in order to be considered fully qualified in that career, just like the ones you mentioned. Architects and some engineers would also qualify under the "professional" category.  So, I guess a sales job doesn't really qualify you to be considered as a professional on a strictly technical level.

Answer 4

Do you consider your job a career? If you are thinking like that, then you are a professional. If not, then it's just a job. Usually, when apt ads state this - they either mean rent is expensive, of the apt is located in a very accessible area to the business district.

In a dating ad, it means they want someone who can support themselves, and has settled on doing what they are doing for a while. Or they want someone to support them.