[originaltext] Medicine, law, and theology are known as the learned professi

Medicine, law, and theology are known as the learned professions. That is, they require special study at the university level and beyond. Doctors, for example, do not begin to specialize in medicine until they have already finished four years of college. After that they must go to medical school for another four years. Even then they are not competent enough because they must serve as interns in a hospital for at least another year. Besides the above traditional professions, other occupations are also considered to be professions because of the amount of education required and specialization. A dentist used to be a barber who pulled teeth. Nowadays, however, dentists have to get university education similar to those of medical doctors. Architects, once considered artists or craftsmen, must now study special university programs. Both modem business practices and modem technology have also created many new professions. Accountants now have professional status because accounting is an important part of business. Engineering as a profession developed only after the Industrial Revolution, and science and technology have grown so rapidly that there are now many different specializations within engineering. Civil engineers, for example, deal with designing and building dams, bridges, and other structures, while electrical engineers work with generating, distributing and applying electric power.
    Standards to practice almost all the professions are. set either by the government or by professional groups. Medical doctors must pass a state licensing examination and serve as interns before they set up their own practices. Law school graduates also have to pass a specific examination in order to become practicing lawyers. In short, it takes a long time and a lot of effort to be qualified for any of the professions.