The Meaning Of The Word Profession

What does it mean for the Army to be a Profession of Arms? To understand the Army is to understand the Soldiers. They are volunteers from numerous backgrounds with various experiences, but merge to share a single identity: their willingness to preserve the safety of the U.S. and its Constitution from threats despite the potential cost of their own lives. With this responsibility, Soldiers must consistently display ethical and controlled lethal force in the battlefield. Soldiers are professionals through their technical employment, ethical actions, and cultural

An Army White Paper: The Profession of Arms details an in-depth analysis into what it means for the Army to be a ‘Profession of Arms’ and what it means to be a ‘Professional Soldier’. It is not an authorative article nor is it directive, but more of an actual point of discussion. It all allows the reader to apply some critical thinking to the subject matter and to form their own assessment, as well as applying the role of a Human Resources Sergeant to the subject matter.

In Michael D. Bayles “The Professions”, Bayles describes the basic characteristics of a profession. Instead of providing a single definition Bayles instead defines the term profession based on three basic characteristics due to the complex meaning of the term. The three characteristics he identified that all professions must have include: extensive training, intellectual component included in the training, and must provide important service in society. Based on these characteristics that Bayles identifies I believe my profession of a teacher strongly correlates with Bayles definition of the term profession.

Frequent deployments and changing times created a distraction in the Professional aspect of the Army. The distraction created a deficiency in maintaining the highest standards of the Profession of Arms. In an effort to refine their understanding of the Army Profession, the Secretary of the Army and the Army Chief of Staff directed that a review of the Army Profession be conducted, thus the creation of the Profession of Arms Campaign.

Profession is a paid occupation that requires a long period of intense training to become an expert in a particular field. Professionals provide a service. Their experience and knowledge base are trusted by those who seek advice The Army as a Profession of Arms provides a service. Its services are unique, it provides security, ethical professionalism in lethality weapons and operations. The Army profession and professionals are diverse, that are trained in many task.

Professionals in the United States Army stand apart from others engaged in particular careers in the civilian world. While many vocations contain some of the characteristics of professional, a lot of careers do not include all of the elements necessary to distinguish themselves as being as close to a professional as a United States soldier. Professionalism grows depending on the time and service they have in the Army. A professional has specialized knowledge and skill which can only be acquired through prolonged education and experience. Such skill and experience form the basis of objective standards of professional competence that separate the practicing professional from their peers and

According to Merriam-Webster a profession is “a type of job that requires special education, training, or skill; people who work in a particular profession” (Merriam-Webster.com, 2015). To me this means that a profession is not just an everyday job but a specialized calling. Every Soldier strives to become the expert at their craft, or MOS, by doing so they earn the trust of the people they work with and for. Since Human Resources requires special training and skills, the Human Resource (HR) NCO are certified experts in our profession. As HR NCO’s our expertise has a wide range from simple data input, pay, mail, and beyond. While HR NCO’s are not the ones that get all the press or glory, the HR NCO continues to work making sure our jobs are done

A Profession of Arms. It is a title that the United States Army currently holds. A Profession that is uniquely separates us based on the lethality of our weapons and operations. Many factors are involved that make what we do in the Army a Profession and not just a job or an occupation. To maintain this idea that what we do is a Profession takes understanding what a Profession is, a tenuous balance by leadership and the culture of the professionals within. As a Human Resource Sergeants, we do not carry the Arms that grant us our lethality, yet we still have a vital role within this Profession of Arms.

Webster’s dictionary defines the word profession as a type of job that requires special education, training, or skill. Many Soldiers would not consider the Army as a profession but a way of life. Some think the word profession belongs to everyday jobs like a plumber, mechanic, or doctor. Dr. Don M. Snider stated “the Army is a profession because of the expert work it produces, because the people in the Army develop themselves to be professionals, and because the Army certifies them as such” (Snider, D. M. 2008). In October 2010, the Secretary of the Army directed the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) to lead an Army wide assessment of the state of the Army Profession. We have been at war as a Country for over a decade and the Army

To the first question, what does it mean for the Army to be a Profession of Arms, there are several terms used to help define the link between the profession and the professional. Each set pulls one word for the Profession and ties it to the Professional; expertise-skill, trust-trust, development-leadership,

To understand whether the Army is a profession of arms, we must understand the term profession and what it takes to be a professional. “Professions use inspirational, intrinsic factors like the life-long pursuit of expert knowledge, the privilege and honor of service, camaraderie, and the status of membership in an ancient, honorable, and revered occupation. This is what motivates true professionals; it‘s why a profession like ours is

Merriam Webster defines a profession as “a type of job that requires special education, training, or skill” or “a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation.”

Their workplace may vary in many different ways. But regardless of location, the organization makes every effort to train, equip and deploy all of its forces. Soldiers are provided with both the military skills and the professional education to help them succeed.

What is the purpose of a profession education association? An association can be defined “as a synergistic group, meaning that the effect of a collection of people is greater than just one person” (Cherwin, 2010). Being part of a professional association can be very beneficial to a teacher’s job. Associations can help professionals network and/or meet other professionals in the same field. Participants often find support from others and gain knowledge by learning about new things, ideas, etc. about their career. Many times journals, magazines, and newsletters are provided with membership. Associations also offer career resources such as tips for effective resumes, providing job leads, and assist with negotiations of contracts, etc.

Professional soldiers differ from the ordinary citizen particularly in psychological and personal characteristics and qualities. A soldier professional does not want a war, but he wants to be prepared for the worst possible variant of development. We can say that working in the armed forces is characterized by several attributes. I think the expert work, self-improvement, ethics, fulltime commitment and discipline are the most important ones. The expert work comes out from the requirements for controlling highly specialized equipment and procedures that occur only under the conditions of the armed forces. For example, an engineer knows the procedures for mine-clearing, building floating bridges, command and controlling submarines, fire control of air defense systems, logistic equipment transfers and many others. All of these activities call for a maximal professional approach and adherence to precisely specified procedures, which can be achieved only by professionals with many years of experience. So, to move forward and improve our professionalism it is very important to consider self-improvement. In my opinion, learning from experienced master soldiers, be active in self learning and have good motivation are the right ways to succeed. A profession of arms can be, and it certainly is, a dangerous way to meet our life necessities. It would be quite ridiculous if somebody stated he worked for armed forces only for loyalty to the