When can you claim you are a professional?

Sac Arrow

Sac Arrow

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Snorting his way across the USA
This is a broad question. In aviation terms, if you are a commercial pilot, and you get paid the occasional gig to fly someone someplace can you claim you are a professional? If you make brownies and get regular income from your scholastic sales are you a professional? If you are hired by Conservation Wildlife Resource Unlimited to track Antarctic Polar Bears using chartered New Zealand C-170's equipped with skis and bicycle mounts are you now a professional?

Okay I'll get right to the point of where I am trying to get. Let's say I'm an author. Well I am an author, some of you know. There is no licensing, sanctioning, author board that gives you a badge, gun, epaulets, or other means of ratification of your status.

Let's take that specific instance in to play.

I'm making two hundred dollars a year doing that, does it count? How about two thousand? How about twenty thousand?

I'm not saying where I stand there but let's just assume it's in the middle. I make more at my day job. I don't like my day job. I may leave my day job. Actually I can't leave my day job even if I wanted to. But let's say I could.

I have some aspirations in life. I want to do a couple of things that I could accomplish by being a professional writer. I just am trying to figure out whether or not I can claim professional writership status as of now.
 
Oh, yeah, the gig that I am thinking requires professional status as of a writer. To be clear.
 
So you are a professional writer who does "other stuff" (insert day job here) on the side. Jimmy Buffet listed his occupation as Restaurateur on a Customs form because he had just bought a restaurant, and had always wanted to call himself a Restaurateur.

If someone "has to know" to let you do something that requires "professional writer status," just rattle off a few titles (you needent specify if they are books, articles, journals, blogs, etc.). Having several will make it more plausible.

Pictures, or it didn't happen . . . .
 
You're a professional when you treat the things you do as a profession. That is, you seen or possess the specialized education, training, or skill necessary to do the job asked of you. You've written & published a couple of books. I'd say you qualify as a professional writer. Now, you may not be a very experienced professional writer, but you are one.


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I got paid to skydive (as a part time instructor) for many years. I often called myself a professional skydiver. You get paid (somewhere in the middle) when you write a book. You're a professional writer.
 
Hank S said:
One, no, not pictures of your books! Pictures of your "professional writer status required" gig!
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ah, got it, but cannot do at this point. Maybe later if I get it.
 
Sac Arrow said:
ah, got it, but cannot do at this point. Maybe later if I get it.
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I just stopped holding my breath. Take a box of donuts when you go, and let us know if professional writer types cut them in half! :aureola:
 
TCABM said:
You're a professional when you treat the things you do as a profession. That is, you seen or possess the specialized education, training, or skill necessary to do the job asked of you. You've written & published a couple of books. I'd say you qualify as a professional writer. Now, you may not be a very experienced professional writer, but you are one.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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That works for me!
 
JCranford said:
I got paid to skydive (as a part time instructor) for many years. I often called myself a professional skydiver. You get paid (somewhere in the middle) when you write a book. You're a professional writer.
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Well that settles it. Email sent.
 
Every waitress in LA and NYC is an actress, so why can't you be considered a writer?
 
I'm pretty sure the IRS says you're a professional if you made even $1 at it. ;-)

And I've met some professionals who couldn't do their jobs right, but still somehow made money at it. :)
 
GlennAB1 said:
I think you can claim to be a professional writer if you have published works.
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Pifle. I've got about 20 publications. I most definitely am not a professional writer.
 
GlennAB1 said:
Well, is it just that your writing style is unprofessional? Or you've never been paid for your writing? Or something else?
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Something else. Why would you assume the negative?
 
GlennAB1 said:
Sorry, probably due to the nature of my line of work. I don't inspect aircraft looking for positives, maybe I should.
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Equipment and people are two different things. Keep that in mind as a manager or leader.
 
GlennAB1 said:
Sorry, probably due to the nature of my line of work. I don't inspect aircraft looking for positives, maybe I should.
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glass half empty approach.

Negative: are any bolts missing?
Positive: are all bolts present?

Negative: are there any cracks or corrosion?
Positive: is it free of cracks and corrosion?

Negative: is the engine missing?
Positive: is the engine present?
 
I would say technically once you have made a buck, you are professional.

However I think stating I'm a professional at something implies it is your primary profession/primary means of generating income.
 
You're a pro if you get paid to do it, even if it isn't very much or if it isn't your primary income.

Many professions don't require specific degrees or licenses.

I've been a pro musician for years, even if it only funds a few hours of flight every once in a while.

The underlying question is whether you qualify for a job. That will be determined by your resume, not a checkbox that says "pro." And it will need details. Often, there is a specific type of experience desired.
 
Salty said:
glass half empty approach.

Negative: are any bolts missing?
Positive: are all bolts present?

Negative: are there any cracks or corrosion?
Positive: is it free of cracks and corrosion?

Negative: is the engine missing?
Positive: is the engine present?
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Negative: Has it come from together?
Positive: Is it together?
 
Professional = someone paid you to do it.
 
I believe the IRS says you can do something for 5 years without making money and call it a business-hence your a professional at it-but after five years if you don't pay taxes on income, they call it a hobby and you're no longer a professional.

The State of Alabama says I'm an engineer and gives me a license number. I do engineering work for which I am paid. I'm a professional engineer. I've written two books one called "Stories I told Steve" about things I told my son growing up so he could tell his kids and "Canoeing the Middle Potomac: Harpers Ferry to Great Falls." Neither book was published so I don't consider myself a professional writer.

My wife manages two rental properties so she is listed on our tax returns as a "real estate mogul" but she is not a professional as real estate management requires a license.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
However I think stating I'm a professional at something implies it is your primary profession/primary means of generating income.
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This is my bench mark as a "professional" as well...not just did you get paid for it, but could you generate a sustainable (whatever that may mean for you) and regular income from it.

The Snowboarder that gets a sponsorship and wins a purse at contest may be able to claim being a "professional" snowboarder, but can they sustain themselves on income generated primarily from all their snowboarding related activities?

cgrab said:
I believe the IRS says you can do something for 5 years without making money and call it a business-hence your a professional at it-but after five years if you don't pay taxes on income, they call it a hobby and you're no longer a professional.
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I belive that you have to have generated taxable income in the past three out of five years for it not to be considered a hobby vs deductible business when the intent can be questionable.
 
cgrab said:
I believe the IRS says you can do something for 5 years without making money and call it a business-hence your a professional at it-but after five years if you don't pay taxes on income, they call it a hobby and you're no longer a professional.
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I think that's an OWT.

cgrab said:
The State of Alabama says I'm an engineer and gives me a license number. I do engineering work for which I am paid. I'm a professional engineer.
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That's a legal designation, not a statement of whether or not you're a "pro".
 
Professional:
  1. (a person) engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.
 
Sac Arrow said:
This is a broad question. In aviation terms, if you are a commercial pilot, and you get paid the occasional gig to fly someone someplace can you claim you are a professional? If you make brownies and get regular income from your scholastic sales are you a professional? If you are hired by Conservation Wildlife Resource Unlimited to track Antarctic Polar Bears using chartered New Zealand C-170's equipped with skis and bicycle mounts are you now a professional?

Okay I'll get right to the point of where I am trying to get. Let's say I'm an author. Well I am an author, some of you know. There is no licensing, sanctioning, author board that gives you a badge, gun, epaulets, or other means of ratification of your status.

Let's take that specific instance in to play.

I'm making two hundred dollars a year doing that, does it count? How about two thousand? How about twenty thousand?

I'm not saying where I stand there but let's just assume it's in the middle. I make more at my day job. I don't like my day job. I may leave my day job. Actually I can't leave my day job even if I wanted to. But let's say I could.

I have some aspirations in life. I want to do a couple of things that I could accomplish by being a professional writer. I just am trying to figure out whether or not I can claim professional writership status as of now.
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I get royalty checks every month but it is just walkin' around money; doesn't pay the rent or buy food. I'll cop to being a writer but hesitate to call myself a professional writer. On the flying side, as soon as I pocketed money for my flying activities I became a professional pilot.

Bob
 
I won second place in a trout derby, back when I was 20 ($200). I guess that makes me a pro fisherman... seriously, though, I have bought several of @Sac Arrow books and they are good. I say go for it. I know the pro/amateur thing in sports can be kind of convoluted.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Oh, yeah, the gig that I am thinking requires professional status as of a writer. To be clear.
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I've been involved in some form of writing for many years, mainly technical writing. There is a style called "professional writing" (sometimes called "business writing") that is slightly different from "technical writing". Are they looking for a "professional writer" or a "professional author"?
 
Matthew said:
I've been involved in some form of writing for many years, mainly technical writing. There is a style called "professional writing" (sometimes called "business writing") that is slightly different from "technical writing". Are they looking for a "professional writer" or a "professional author"?
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I do a lot of technical writing in my day job, and a lot of proposal writing, which is closer to your cited 'professional writing' skill set. It is 'professional writing' that would be applicable in this instance.

And by the way I have no problem switching between dry third-person technical writing style and fiction. In fact, some of my proposals, when it comes to the description of my firm's capabilities, have been labeled as well crafted works of fiction.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Oh, as in a profession.
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As in your main or primary paid job that is not a hobby, pastime, welfare/retirement check (paid but to do nothing), volunteer, non criminal.
 
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