https://minnstate.pressbooks.pub/professionalethics/chapter/...

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What is a profession?

Some skilled jobs are called professions, and this special label indicates that they are more than merely jobs. The professions involve a special set of services to society, and people who join these professions are expected to uphold high ethical standards in their professional conduct.

Although many professionals have their own private businesses, and many others are employed by businesses, these occupations are misunderstood if we equate them with businesses. In fact, the growing tendency to treat professional work as nothing more than a paid jobs is the source of many ethical challenges.

- The primary goal of a business is to make a profit for the owners, and it does this by providing some product or service to customers.

- The basic purpose of a profession is to provide a service to the community. Here, the primary goal is societal well-being, not profit.

This distinction reflects a higher level of responsibility, expertise, and commitment to maintaining standards that sets professions apart from other occupations.