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Lecture 2 - Professionalism

This document outlines the key aspects of professionalism including: - Characteristics of professionalism such as varied intellectual activities, motivation to serve others, and personal standards of excellence. - Traits of a good professional like communication skills, enthusiasm, and leadership. - The IEEE code of ethics which provides principles for acting in the public interest, producing quality work, and maintaining independent judgment. - Several scenarios are presented to contemplate how to respond in a way that is legal, ethical and moral.

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41 views35 pages

Lecture 2 - Professionalism

This document outlines the key aspects of professionalism including: - Characteristics of professionalism such as varied intellectual activities, motivation to serve others, and personal standards of excellence. - Traits of a good professional like communication skills, enthusiasm, and leadership. - The IEEE code of ethics which provides principles for acting in the public interest, producing quality work, and maintaining independent judgment. - Several scenarios are presented to contemplate how to respond in a way that is legal, ethical and moral.

Uploaded by

saeed khan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Course Outline

• 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 organisations 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. A means to an end


Trait # 2 of a professional: Wanting to do Better

Exhibit a never-ending quest to improve their 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 lend a hand
• 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
Next Lecture

• Professional activities and their role in society


• Professional Ethics

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