november utc i think a more realistic defintion might be suggested by parapharsing dr magali sarfatti larson's introduction to her book the rise of professionalism a sociological analysis pages x xi a profession is an in a service oriented occupation that is centered on a body of knowledge techniques or skills that have been mastered through training whose members form a community who share a relatively permanent affiliation through professional associations professional schools and a self administered codes of ethics i recomdend we agree to use her as the opening source not only because you can view the book online but also because her book appears to provide significant coverage on the topic and her qualifications indicate that she is an authorative source of commentary on this topic i suggest we extend this definition substantially if you agree to this approach and amend it if my chose wording is lacking in some way talk contribs