Professionals

In narrow usage, not all expertise is considered a profession. Although sometimes referred to as professions, such occupations as skilled construction work are more generally thought of as trades or crafts. The completion of an apprenticeship is generally associated with skilled labor or trades such as carpenter, electrician, plumber, bricklayer and other similar occupations. A related (though not always valid) distinction would be that a professional does mainly mental or administrative work, as opposed to engaging in physical work. Many companies include the word professional in their company name to signify the quality of their workmanship or service.
( As quoted by Wikipedia )

Proffesionals are often defined as white collar people, people of high proficiency in jobs which serve well to the society. Usually, professionals are referred to people working in offices, such as lawyers and doctors, and they have a more lucrative income, compared to the lower level earning group.

So in that case, who are the non-proffesionals? Logically, people who do not have a specific skill or advantage are considered in the class, as referred to the above. So, who exactly make up the above class? Basically, they are the construction workers, the labourers. But as my attitude prefers me to be, I'm always objecting and questioning FACTS. Facts are nothing but acknowledged statements, so I'm here to question them. Professionals, are not to be divided into groups like that.

I agree to the fact that professionals are people who have a specific skill and they are people who work under a limited job scope, narrowing down the possibility of inconfirmation, unsureness, and error. Therefore, we go to specialists, such as the opticians, psychiatrists, and dentists. These are the people whom we put trust on, and pay them a lot more money. But, we tend to forget the existence of labourers, the existence of builders, the existence of maids. These are the people who happen to be the most important people in our lives, who play a "men's needs" role, and yet, are the lowest earning group in the society. Why is this happening?

Can we survive without the existence of lawyers, politicians?
Can we survive without the existence of waste sanitizers, construction labourers?

You have the answer in your heart, and I know the answer too. Definitely, in this fast paced, ever growing industry savvy world of money and lavish lifestyles, we have generated an uncountable amount of unwanted materials, called garbage, in layman's terms. I prefer to call them, wastes. Wastes have accumulated over the years, and has reached a very fearful state. Not to quote the amount of wastes, there are 261 landfills in Malaysia now. Landfills increase with the amount of waste collected, and the size of each landfill are as big as 5 football fields. So, imagine the damage done to the environment. Wihout waste sanitizers, where do we find people to handle all these wastes? Are you going to do that? They are the waste professionals who do that! I'm not cynical here, but I'm making a point that those people from Alam Flora are not useless people, but they are proffesionals who handle the garbage well, and keeping the environment clean! I do hope that the Asian mentality which goes "study hard, or you'll end up like the useless creatures such as the dump collectors" will be abolished. I suggest that the waste sanitizers be given free uniforms that look pleasant and smart, and the vehicles used be modified and improved, lowering the foul smell that is produced. This will not only improve the image of the waste sanitizers, but also raise their confidence level and boost their pride.

What about construction workers? Those people who mix the cement compunds and those who arrange the bricks and cuts them to appropriate sizes? Is the doctor going to do it for his own clinic? Is the lawyer doing it for his court? Construction workers are needed because they are the ones who have the centralized skills in order to make these happen. Only they know the trade, and they know it well. Thus, they are professionals, too. We keep on declaring that our country is a reigning city of famed development, of sparkling lifestyles, of distinct planning. Not to insult, but just a comment, I feel that these are only plans and dreams if construction workers and builders are not considered as professionals. People only work to their maximum, reaching an optimum level of productivity, only when the person is motivated. As implied from McGregor's Theory X, people are only willing to do work when motivated or pushed, because people are lazy. So, isn't it only wise and rational if the government provides incentives and boosts labourers' pride and status by providing them safety instruments at construction sites, thus ensuring the worker's safety and well-being. Mobile or temporary well-conditioned rest rooms should be placed near constructions sites to ensure the workers get enough rest to maximise the productivity.

In a nutshell, all working people are proffesionals in their own field, and people should recognize everyone by their strengths, and not their cons. We should learn good traits from each other, and leave or ignore the bad traits.

Live and let live.

I'm a professional writer, but I did not state it in my blog just to attract your attention