<blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote">"Can a one person business as some FOSS practitioners are, ever be<br>
defined as professional?"<br></blockquote><br>Brenda, that question reads like a stunt to elicit unprofessional responses on a mailing list! :)<br><br>I can tell you the answer is "Yes"<br><br>Regards,<br>
<br clear="all"><font style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif" size="1"><b><img src="http://drivenlogic.com.au/images/logoEmail.png" align="left"><font style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif" size="1"> <font> </font></font><font style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif" size="1">Andrew Stone </font></b></font><font style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif" size="1">+61 (0)412 488 251</font><font style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif" size="1"><br>
<a href="mailto:andrew@drivenlogic.com.au" target="_blank">andrew@drivenlogic.com.au</a> | <a href="http://drivenlogic.com.au" target="_blank">http://drivenlogic.com.au</a><br></font><span style="font-family:times new roman,serif"><font size="1"><font style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif" size="1"><b> <br>
DrivenLogic Pty Ltd | Pragmatic Software Construction </b><br> GPO Box 2746, Sydney, NSW, 2001, Australia</font><br style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"></font><br></span><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 9 November 2012 17:04, Russell Coker <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:russell@coker.com.au" target="_blank">russell@coker.com.au</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div>On Fri, 9 Nov 2012, Brenda Aynsley <<a href="mailto:bpa@iss.net.au" target="_blank">bpa@iss.net.au</a>> wrote:<br>
> What are the elements that would make the FOSS practitioner a professional?<br>
><br>
> Is it technical skills and mastery? Is that enough? Does Project<br>
> Management and business acumen factor into it? What else?<br>
<br>
</div>Project Management etc would only be a factor if they are doing work that<br>
involves such things. If we consider Medicine as a career that has high<br>
professional standards, it's quite possible for someone to choose a career in<br>
a hospital or medical center that doesn't involve business skills if they wish<br>
- they can just do what you might call "technical work".<br>
<br>
If someone wants a job where they just do technical work 40 hours a week and<br>
have someone else do the project management etc then that doesn't mean that<br>
they are unprofessional. What is unprofessional is seeking work that you<br>
aren't qualified for, and this is something that is forced by the cultural<br>
expectation that everyone should strive for promotion at all times.<br>
<div><br>
> Can a one person business as some FOSS practitioners are, ever be<br>
> defined as professional?<br>
<br>
</div>I think a more reasonable question is whether a multi-national consulting<br>
company who's management is far removed from the needs of the customers can<br>
ever be professional. If you define professional behavior to include acting in<br>
the best interests of the client even when it's not in your own best interests<br>
then the larger companies seem to have a poor record.<br>
<span><font color="#888888"><br>
--<br>
My Main Blog <a href="http://etbe.coker.com.au/" target="_blank">http://etbe.coker.com.au/</a><br>
My Documents Blog <a href="http://doc.coker.com.au/" target="_blank">http://doc.coker.com.au/</a><br>
</font></span><div><div><br>
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