Professional amateurs

Professional amateurs

Professional amateurs (also Pro-Ams or ProAms) is a conceptual term to describe a blurring between the separate distinctions of professional and amateur within any endeavor or attainable skill that could be labeled professional, whether it is in the field of writing, sports, computer programming, music, film, etc.

The term "professional amateur" has long had meaning and significance in any endeavour where a professional contingent exists. It is probably most recognizable in the field of sports, where those who play at highly competitive or skilled level, but are not paid, are often called Pro-Ams.

Note that the term Pro-Am could also refer to a contest in which professionals play with amateurs, especially in golf.

Historical shift

The 20th century witnessed the rise of many new professionals in fields such as medicine, science, education and politics. Amateurs and their sometimes ramshackle organizations were driven out by people who knew what they were doing and had certificates to prove it.

This historic shift is now reversing with Pro-Ams: people who pursue amateur activities to professional standards are increasingly an important part of the society and economy of developed nations. Their leisure is not passive but active and participatory. Their contribution involves the deployment of publicly accredited knowledge and skills, and is often built up over a long career involving sacrifices and frustrations.

Pro-Am Revolution

Recently, the term Pro-Am has been used as a descriptor for an emerging sociological and economic trend. This has been described by a UK think tank, Demos, in the book "The Pro-Am Revolution: How enthusiasts are changing our economy and society" (2004), by Charles Leadbeater and Paul Miller.

Pro-Ams occur in populations that have more leisure time and live longer, allowing the pursuit of hobbies and interests at a professional level. For example, authors of encyclopedia articles have traditionally been paid professionals, but recently amateurs have entered the field, participating in projects such as Wikipedia. Other Pro-Am fields include astronomy, activism, surfing, software development, education, and music production and distribution. Open source/Free Software such as GNU/Linux was developed by paid professionals at companies such as Red Hat, HP and IBM together with Pro-Ams, and has become a major competitor to Microsoft.

::—excerpts, "The Pro-Am Revolution" (2004)

ee also

*User innovation

References

* [http://www.demos.co.uk/publications/proameconomy/ "The Pro-Am Revolution"] - full text available as PDF
*Andrew Keen (2007), "The Cult of the Amateur". ISBN 9780385520805

External links

* [http://www.proamrevolution.com/ Pro-Am Revolution blog]
* [http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/63 Charles Leadbeater: The rise of the amateur professional] , video lecture at TED, July 2005.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Professional — This article is about people called professionals. For the movie, see The Professional or Leon. For the TV series, see The Professionals.A professional is a person in a profession that requires certain types of skilled work requiring formal… …   Wikipedia

  • Professional sports — Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are those in which athletes receive payment for their performance. While men have competed as professional athletes throughout much of modern history, only recently has it become common for women …   Wikipedia

  • Professional Footballers Australia — (PFA) Zweck: Gewerkschaft Vorsitz: Brendan Schwab Gründungsdatum: 1993 Sitz: Melbourne Website: http://www.pfa.net.au …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Professional Bowlers Association — Abbreviation PBA Formation 1958[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom — spans over 100 years but became popular when the television show World of Sport was launched in the mid 1960s, making household names of the likes of Mick McManus, Count Bartelli (the dominant wrestler in Britain during the 1940s), Giant… …   Wikipedia

  • Professional Golf Tour of India — The Professional Golf Tour of India is a professional golf tour for men based in India. The current tour began in 2006, as the sucessor to the Indian Golf Tour (1997 2006). World Ranking Points are not available on the tour, which means that it… …   Wikipedia

  • professional — ▪ I. professional pro‧fes‧sion‧al 1 [prəˈfeʆnəl] adjective [only before a noun] 1. connected with a job requiring advanced education and special training: • professional qualifications • professional trade associations • providers of business… …   Financial and business terms

  • Professional golfer — In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur… …   Wikipedia

  • Professional diving — Hardhat diving redirects here. Often, hardhat diving is used to specifically mean diving in the old type Standard diving dress. A US Navy diver at work. The umbilical supplying air from the surface is clearly visible Professional diving is a type …   Wikipedia

  • professional — professionally, adv. /preuh fesh euh nl/, adj. 1. following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain: a professional builder. 2. of, pertaining to, or connected with a profession: professional studies. 3. appropriate to a profession:… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”