Sociology for Work - Essay Example

The implementation of education system from kindergarten to universities worldwide indicates just how education is valued in the society. According to chapter 11 (pp 258), “professions are knowledge based occupations.” What differentiates various professions is the knowledge acquired, for instance, in universities students choose to concentrate on particular courses, such as medicine and law among others. A law student is trained to be competent lawyer in the future and understands the law system of their country very well.

Whereas a medicine student may specialize in a particular area, for instance, surgery or pharmacy, which is mainly practical, thus becoming a professional in that particular profession. Therefore, education moulds students to being professionals who occupy different professions in the world. It however evident that even admission to professional schools has become more competitive, and the management of such schools limit the number of students to be enrolled with an aim to produce the best in terms of quality and competitiveness (chapter 11, pp 265).

Topic: Professions and occupations A profession can be described as a “knowledge –based occupation, characterized by specialized knowledge, autonomy, and authority over clients and subordinate occupational groups” (chapter11pp 258). . Semi-professions often refer to those occupations that have profession’s characteristics but are limited in autonomy. Some examples include schoolteachers and librarians among others, which are mostly dominated by women. However, Para-professions are regarded to as assistants of actual professions, and are delegated duties.

A paramedic can be considered a Para-professional since he provides first aid to a patient before he can have access to a hospital, where the patient can be attended to by a professional doctor. Para-professionals are limited to knowledge, since they are supervised by the professionals who expect quality from their tasks (chapter 11, and pp 277). Topic: Management/ Bureaucracy a. Does your company employ a meritocracy value? Meritocracy is related to bureaucracy; however, it is more persuasive in commitment to the society and it is more involved in spiritual value and a person’s ambition and focuses more on equality.

At my workplace, it is evident that meritocracy exists, since we are provided with equal opportunities especially in advancing education, with the company catering for half of the tuition, thus motivating the employees to advance in their studies while still working. However, the only objection to meritocracy is the issue of equal pay; employees at my work place are paid according to their qualification, skills, and experience. Moreover, promotion varies with the number of years worked and the level of education advanced during the years of service. b. How significant is the level of bureaucracy at your place of employment?

Bureaucracy in our organization is realistic and evident in the way work is organized and distributed to