You are not a professional just because you think you are

A professional is defined as: 1 a : of, relating to, or characteristic of a profession b : engaged in one of the learned professions c (1) : characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession (2) : exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace

2 a : participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs b : having a particular profession as a permanent career c : engaged in by persons receiving financial return

3 : following a line of conduct as though it were a profession

— pro·fes·sion·al·ly adverb

So being a "professional" can have quite a few different meanings - and when I think about it - it's hard for me to define what the word means for me - until recently it was applied to something I do as being "unprofessional". At first I took it negatively until I realized that technically, I'm not a professional audio engineer. And when I think about it that way - it just made me realize the ignorance of those making the comment.

An MD is also considered a "medical professional" because he is proficient in that field. A plumber is a professional in the field of plumbing. A CEO of a big company is usually professional in business relations of some sort. A professional musician is someone who's means of living is provided by his musicianship - and a professional engineer is someone who has done a bit more than google the tech forums and learn how to set up his stolen, torrented, DAW and plugin software - and works in a "professional" studio. I know - I've learned a lot from google and used a lot of software. I've also paid for a lot of software.

Now this doesn't mean that one can't use the word "professional" to label someone who is "courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike". But in the audio world, that doesn't really reflect the product. There are many many different levels of quality recordings that can be obtained as the result of the technological revolution of our society. As computers become more and more capable, people have more and more access to the same softwares and equipment that the professionals used to be the only ones to have access with. This causes the gap between top quality recordings and crap recordings to become quite wide. You can find guys with a minimal set up, such as myself, and get away with a decent sounding demo for a few hundred bucks. Or you can go to Nashville, and spend $20,000 on one song - the sky is the limit.

So - before I get lost, lets get to the point: being professional about something is not the same thing as being "A" professional. I don't feel I am "unprofessional" about my engineering because I'm straight forward with those that come to my studio about the type of sound and quality I can achieve - so therefore, my customers get exactly what they pay for - and I have had a 100% satisfaction rating as far as I know. This is called "good business". People that aren't interested in the level of quality I provide, pay more money at other places. And this doesn't bother me. I enjoy helping folks out - especially younger groups that are exactly where I was when I was a late teen, trying to find someone to do a demo for what little money my band could scrounge together. And I do WAY better demos than the ones I paid lots more money for than I charge. So don't lie to people. Do honest business. And be professional. Don't lie to yourself and tell people you are a professional because you think you're better than someone else. Just do what you need to do, and do it the best you can.