When we describe many working people, we simply label them as professionals. However, this is not entirely accurate because only a handful of careers are specifically achieved through a professional qualification.
Lawyers, doctors, dentists and familiar roles are a good example because these jobs require a very specific professional qualification to allow the person to do the job.
For many other workers, a more apt term would be professional amateurs. A title blurs the lines between a professional worker and an amateur one, i.e. someone who is excellent at their job but does not have a professional qualification that exclusively allows them to do the job.
Some examples of professional amateurs are filmmakers, PAs, copywriters and computer programmers. Often, they will set up small businesses as part-time employment and side gigs to help them through bumpy economical times. They have also become a pillar of the UK economy, with more students, mums and grandparents finding an extra income.
Gripping Modern Markets
These types of job roles are taking a firm hold of modern markets. This is because many businesses want to outsource tasks rather than hire people full-time for roles.
Professional amateurs can earn these jobs in many ways from scrolling through freelancing sites to even finding them on orthodox job search sites. A simple search for jobs in cities like Manchester as an example, will bring up a host of short-term contract jobs that professional amateurs can apply for. Using job sites can be beneficial because it affords these gig workers some longer stability than one-off projects.
What Was the Catalyst to Today’s Professional Amateurs?
There may be many reasons why one person decides to take this career route. For one, securing professional jobs requires a lot of dedication, intelligence, hard work and above all – opportunity. Not everyone can become a doctor or a lawyer, but most people do have access to one thing.
The internet has enabled people to work without barriers from wherever they want, supplying services that fit the mould of a professional amateur such as editing, programming and consulting. Along with the internet, other businesses have responded to the trend by offering this type of position a place to work from in so-called co-working spaces. These places have helped professional amateurs to maintain their work without suffering from common mental health issues associated with their way of working, such as loneliness.
Good for the Economy
Other than helping other businesses be born, such as those co-working spaces, professional amateurs also bring a high value of social capital to the economy. They can start providing services locally between their communities. Their presence also makes bigger contributions to taxes, especially if they are using their work to run more than one business or as a side gig.
Overall, the UK economy is a better place with these guys actively involved.