When I was a wee lad, my father told me that plumbing, as well as doctors and lawyers, was a profession. Everything else, he said, was either considered to be trade or a job.
These days, everybody is a professional and I'd frankly be ashamed to be no more of a professional than most of them. It's hard to think of a pool cleaner or an exterminator as a professional.
From professional real estate salespeople to professional bronc riders, it seems like bad days for those who really do practice a profession. Or, put another way, it's hard to soar with the eagles when we're stuck down here with the turkeys.
I'm glad that some people take their work seriously and become very good at it. I suppose I shouldn't be so anxious about holding onto a term in such a technical world. Maybe we need a new word.