The Professionals

A few years ago I heard some nurses getting very angry because what they did was being described as a vocation rather than a profession . They seemed to feel that somehow being described as a member of a profession gave them a higher status , that the very fact of having degrees or other academic achievement made them professionals .Academic achievment is not enough .
A person who is dedicated to their job to the exclusion of everything else , who enjoys and gets satisfaction in going to work to my mind is the professional . Nurses who are prepared to give attention to a patient , even though they may have no obligation to do so at the time are more professional than the ones who say 'sorry, thats not my job , see somebody else...'.
The teaching profession is another example . We all know teachers who are just marking time on their way to retirement , on the other hand we also know teachers who are shining lights in the profession . I can remember a primary teacher I had , almost 60 years ago , I can still clearly see his face , a truly dedicated man , way ahead of his time . Not that he gave any particular attention , or favouritism to my self , in fact as 'the cane ' was still the order of the day I had my fair share of that too . Its just that he had an ability to pass on knowledge and encourage all his pupils .Professionals like that will leave a positive legacy , long after they have passed on .
About 40 years ago I met another , newly graduated teacher and asked her what she thought of her job , 'I enjoy it so much , that at the end of the month I think ''I get paid for this as well /''
Similarly with doctors , lawyers , even accountants . No one has the right to demand respect .Respect has to be earned . A truly professional person will be obvious to all around him or her simply by the way they carry out their job.
Again many years ago I had just got a job as assistant-accountant in a large company and in a moment of weakness , to ingratiate myself with my new employers I' volunteered ' to do the accounts of Sports and Social Club , in my own time . ......Biggggg mistake , as any one who has ever done the accounts of a S&S club will realise.Someone arrived carrying shopping bags full of invoices , bank statements , cheque stubs , and miscellaneous pieces of paper etc....
You see S&S clubs are for fun , fun , fun , and they only thing that the outgoing treasurer seemed capable of balancing were mugs of beer on his head at the Christmas party.As I was about to give up in dispair Kyote Adabayou arrived at the door and offered to help . Adabayou was a Nigerian , a few years older than myself , who had already acquired various accountancy and legal qualifications and was being groomed to take over the Nigerian operation of the company .So without being asked , and having no obligation to do so he stayed and helped me to sort out the paperwork , it was like trying to do a huge jigsaw puzzle without seeing the picture on the outside of the box . Hours later , we completed the task . This was a man who genuinely enjoyed what he did , he showed a great example by giving all his attention to a relatively unimportant task.

Wherever you are today Adabayou ,good luck and thanks...