I disagree, and I think that's an argument which reflects a broader problem within society of the denial of the value of education and certification, which holds that all opinions are equally valid and entitled, rather than earned.
Try cutting someone open and removing their appendix, and calling oneself a "professional" surgeon, and see how far one gets, even if the patient survives. Try rewiring a house without an electrician's ticket, and see how one ends up. Practice Law without a qualification, see how long one lasts.
It's not what a person can do, it's how they do it.
A professional is someone who is:
- Educated in their trade - this shows they have taken an active interest in what has been done before them, and therefore have acknowledged their ignorance, and built a knowledge base built upon the work of others.
- Qualified in their trade - this shows they have the commitment to have their work assessed by other people* against standardised industry measures, by those more knowledgable and experienced than themselves.
*The point of this, often overlooked, is that having a formal qualification tells people that you have worked within a process in which you are required to accept criticism of your work, and to fix the mistakes that other people find in it. You can't tell a professor or assessor that you disagree with them, and that your opinion is just as valid as theirs, because by definition, it isn't.
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