David DiBiase, Director of Education, Industry Solutions, Esri has a nice article that questions, and explains, why GIS is a profession.

Is GIS a profession? If so, what's its relationship to other professions in the geospatial field? How can you tell if someone who calls herself a GIS professional—or a GIS educator for that matter—knows what she's doing? You might be surprised to learn that these are contentious questions in the United States and other parts of the world. They're contentious because the demand for GIS work has surpassed the demand for other kinds of geospatial work, despite the fact that GIS is a relatively new branch of the field. The rightful roles and qualifications of GIS pros are in dispute, and there's competition for who gets to decide.

http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/summer12articles/strengthening-the-gis-profession.html