Why information technology are not professional?

Answer 1

Since there are currently no uniform national certifications and a very high discrepancy between educational levels of people with the title of "IT" it is not a profession.

Additionally, in order to truly be considered a profession it is typically accepted that you must be licensed by the state you work in, in addition to your national certification.

i.e. MD's must pass the board exam administered by the AMA and they must be licensed by the state in which they practice.

Other factors of importance include that the intended profession set forth a code of ethics that would describe the rights and responsibilities of practitioners.

Finally, in order to be a profession you must possess a body of knowledge that is protected by those that are in the field. This protection is usually accomplished through licensure. Anybody could theoretically learn the body of knowledge that comprises the IT field and practice it, therefore there is no protection.

State or Federal licensing may be incidental to certain professions but is not a uniform or steadfast requirement. A case in point is the Project Management Professional. Individuals who become certified by the governing body, the Project Management Institute (PMI) are professionals in that they have demonstrated, by practice and passing a certification exam, that they have mastered the standardized Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) making them certified practitioners. However, no state or federal entity is involved in the licensing of these professionals.