Sales as a Profession (SaaP)

Howard Stevens, founder of the Sales Education Foundation (SEF) used to like to ask, “What do you call the person who graduated last in their class from medical school?” Answer: Doctor.
The point is that even the last in class passed a certain standard level of education; in this case, medical school. University education is one way to decide who gets to be called a professional.
If, however, your definition of professional, as opposed to amateur, is that a person is paid for doing it, and, that a collection of these people constitutes a profession, then clearly sales qualifies. But, does this make sales a profession? Many would answer: No. Some consider “sales professional” to be an oxymoron, like “professional wrestling.”
But there are schools today that offer a certificate or degree in sales. According to Sally Stevens, Executive Director of the SEF, of the more than 4300 universities and colleges in the