Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index A professional is someone who does something as a profession, or that they receive pay for. The term professional can also indicate that someone has great skill in a craft or activity, or that something demonstrates such skill. To conduct oneself as a professional (professional behavior) would indicate that the person's actions are in accordance with specific rules, written or unwritten, pertaining to the standards of a profession. The opposite of professional is amateur. In many cases someone can be doing the exact same craft or task, and the only difference between a professional and an amateur is that one is paid. An example would be athletes in some sports. In many areas there is a barrier to entry that must be passed before someone can become a professional. Such barriers include academic degrees, certifications, licenses or completion of an apprenticeship. Professions with such barriers include doctor, engineer, lawyer, plumber, and electrician. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.