profession

noun

• A declaration of belief, faith or one's opinion, whether genuine or pretended.

  "Despite his continued professions of innocence, the court eventually sentenced him to five years."

• An occupation, trade, craft, or activity in which one has a professed expertise in a particular area; a job, especially one requiring a high level of skill or training.

  "My father was a barrister by profession."

• The practitioners of such an occupation collectively.

  "His conduct is against the established practices of the legal profession."

• A promise or vow made on entering a religious order.

  "She died only a few years after her profession."