The functionalist sociology of professions distinguishes between two very different types of work activities, professions and occupations (both in the sense the English give to them). As just the first (doctors, lawyers, engineers and professors...) are considered autonomous choices and areas that allow for the construction of a career, the second (which constitute the majority) end up being devalued. The interactionist sociologists (like those from Chicago: Hughes, Becker, Strauss etc.) and critics (Marxists, Weberian etc.) challenge this position and consider that all activities could become "professional" (in the French sense), as they result in a socialization that allows for the acquisition of skills and recognition (including monetary) for all those executing and sharing the same activity. The comparison of the socialization of general practioners and nursing assistants in France illustrates this thesis, in considering work as a process of construction and recognition of self.
labour; occupations; professional competence; socialization