Professionalism

• What is Professionalism
• Characteristics of perfoessionalism
• Traits of a professional
• Moral laws and Ethics
• IEEE code of Ethics
• Some scenarios to contemplate

Professionalism takes more than knowledge

• “Professionalism is a way of thinking and living rather than an accumulation of learning.
• Think: What does it take to be a doctor?

it’s not just by going to medical school

A profession isn’t just what you do, it’s who you are

• We say that somebody “is” a doctor.

–Here, “doctor” is a noun

–(“Doctoring the books” is something different!)

• Likewise, we don’t just “engineer” (verb)
• We also are engineers (noun).

A profession is who you are, not a contract.

• “Shame on the engineer who regards their professional function as a business transaction to be judged by the question: ‘Just what do I get out of it?’”
• What “professions” have a reputation for being self-centered and selfish?

Life as a professional: activities

• You perform “professional activity of a type carrying high individual responsibility, requiring application of special skills to activities that are predominantly intellectual and varied rather than routine and normal.”
• How are an engineer’s activities “varied”?

Life as a professional: motivation

• “Motivation for service takes first place over consideration of reward.”

Life as a professional: joy and pride

• “Motivation … implies joy and pride in the work to be done, and self-imposed standards.”
• If you don’t take joy and pride in computer science, then you should look for another line of work.
• Companies and customers are also entitled to impose (secondary) standards of excellence.

Life as a professional: social duty

• You have a “social duty, fulfilled through guarding the ideals and standards of the profession, by advancing it …, by sharing advances …, by rendering gratuitous public service, all as a return to society.”
• “Giving back” to society

Four traits of a professional

• Varied activities requiring special skills
• Society-centric motivation
• Personal standards of excellence
• Giving back to society

When you put many professionals together, what do you have?

• A profession isn’t just defined by who you are
• A profession is also something you are part of
• “Most professional software engineers adopt an institutional view of the organizations of the profession: they perceive them as bodies representing the profession and therefore deserving, even requiring, the loyalty of each software engineer as an expression of his identity as a professional software engineer.”

Part of being a professional is behaving ethically

• “Ethics means something more than ‘law’ and ‘morals’; it carries an additional connotation of ‘rightness’.”
• Breaking the law: can earn a fine or jail time
• Breaking a moral: can ruin your reputation
• Breaking an ethic: can ruin your conscience
• It’s possible to break all three, simultaneously!

Trait # 1 of a professional: Seriousness

• Serious about job.
• The job is only a job.

Trait # 2 of a professional: Wanting to do Better

Exhibit a never-ending improvement in your performance in every variable, every project, every relationship, and every detail.

Trait # 3 of a professional: Dealing with the Unexpected

Stuff happens, things change, and the true professional rises to the occasion

Trait # 4 of a professional: Communication Skills

• Clear
• Concise
• Confident

Trait # 5 of a professional: Enthusiasm

• Attitude is everything. Those who exhibit enthusiasm for what they do and greet each day with a positive attitude inevitably become a leader

Trait # 6 of a professional: Helpfulness

• Understand that real success in the workplace requires teamwork
• Always ready to help others
• Make a suggestion
• Offer a compliment when it’s deserved

Trait # 7 of a professional: Taking the Initiative

Take the initiative to get things done

Trait # 8 of a professional: Cool Under Pressure

• Level headed and calm
• Cheerful demeanor-even under stressful times

Trait # 9 of a professional: Remains Focused

• Stay focused on the task at hand and the goal ahead
• Navigate through obstacles or setbacks but never lose sight of where they headed

Trait # 10 of a professional: Don’t Follow, Lead

• True Professionals aren’t faint of heart
• Analyze the situation and willing to take new paths and try new solutions
• That’s why they call it LEADERSHIP!

Laws vs morals vs ethics

• Speeding on Motorway

–Illegal, moral (“everyone” does it), maybe ethical

• Speeding within city

–Illegal, immoral, unethical

• What might a software engineer do that is…

–Illegal, immoral, unethical ?

–Legal, immoral, unethical ?

–Legal, moral, unethical ?

IEEE Code of Ethics: Actions

• 1. PUBLIC – Software engineers shall act consistently with the public interest.
• 2. CLIENT AND EMPLOYER – Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interests of their client and employer consistent with the public interest.

IEEE Code of Ethics: Products

• 3. PRODUCT – Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet the highest professional standards possible.

IEEE Code of Ethics: Hierarchy

• 4. JUDGMENT – Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment.
• 5. MANAGEMENT – Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance.

IEEE Code of Ethics: Peers

• 6. PROFESSION – Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest.
• 7. COLLEAGUES – Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.

IEEE Code of Ethics: Self

• 8. SELF – Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession.

8 Principles of IEEE Code of Ethics

• Act in public interest
• Act in interest of clients and employers
• Produce quality products
• Maintain independent judgment
• Manage ethically
• Protect integrity of profession
• Support colleagues
• Pursue lifelong learning

Scenario #1

• You are the owner of a software engineering company. Your employees (engineers) want you to pay for them to attend training.
• How would you respond in a way that is
  legal, moral, and ethical?

Scenario #2

• You are the owner of a software engineering company. Your employees (engineers) want you to let them do pro bono work for a local non-profit organization on company time.
• How would you respond in a way that is
  legal, moral, and ethical?

Scenario #3

• You are the head of a computer science department at a university. Your boss
  (a “dean”) wants you to find a way to tweak your curriculum so undergrads are more likely to choose your department for their major.
• How would you respond in a way that is
  legal, moral, and ethical?

Scenario #4

• You are a software engineer working at a large publicly-traded corporation, where a colleague invents a new kind of compiler. Your managers see it as a huge potential cash cow.
• How would you respond in a way that is
  legal, moral, and ethical?

Scenario #5

• You are a software engineer at a company where management routinely encourages you and your colleagues to use pirated software.
• How would you respond in a way that is
  legal, moral, and ethical?

Summary

• Professionalism
• Activities and Tasks carried out by a professional
• Traits of a good professional
• IEEE code of Ethics
• Scenarios to think about