An excellent post over here about what it means to be a “professional” (in its vocational usage).

This is an area I have a real interest in, mainly because of my history. To explain here is a synopsis;

I left school and completed an electrical apprenticeship,
Then spent two years travelling the world,
Then returned and bought part of a manufacturing business which I have run for the past decade,
While studying for some business qualifications,
And sitting on a number of boards, trusts and committees,
And doing some freelance journalism,
And being a commentator on business in general and IT business in particular,
And building my own house,
And doing some freelance consultancy in the strategic design/change management space,
And being a father,
And being involved in some commercial property investments and developments.

So what am I? An entrepreneur? An independent director? Self-employed? A freelance journalist? Or all of the above?

I honestly don’t know, in keeping with the original post, while I might think of myself as a professional, I don’t have the professional qualifications to do so (or at least not in the eyes of the law society or chartered accountants society).

It’s (in my mind) a great problem to have – modern society has a number of problems but its biggest benefit is that it allows us to chop and change and have eclectic and interesting career combinations.

So what do you do?????

Post script – My business card says Ben Kepes, “Director/Business Consultant/Investor” but then again thats one of the three business cards I use for my different roles!