Stay with me on this one:

Imagine the following situation:
I'm a person that does not have a proper degree in auto mechanics, nor have I any experience in the field, and I don't know anything about cars.
However, I'd LIKE to know more about cars, so I buy some car magazines (which will teach me a few car names and terms), join some car discussion forums (which will teach me some technical tips and tricks), and to top it all off, I invest in a professional garage jack. Sweet. However, I do not bother investing in the proper education needed, or make any attempt on getting any real work experience at another auto mechanics garage.

Does that make me a genuine auto mechanic yet? Does buying a damn garage jack magically improve my skills overnight?
Is it wise by me to try and, say, fix the brakes of another persons car without any proper knowledge about the intricate system that a car consists of? Is it ok for me to charge money from a customer, with them being unaware of my incompetence?
Should I not have gotten the proper education, the experience, and practiced and improved my skills first, before describing myself as a professional?

I'm not necessarily talking about cars or auto mechanics here, but the bottom line is:
DO NOT pose as a professional when you are (still) an amateur.
It's of course OK to challenge yourself (in fact I consider it mandatory for the sake of personal improvement), but know your limits when you describe your position. Certain positions require certain skills. That's how it's been, and that's how it should be.
There's a difference on aiming to be a professional, and working hard towards that goal, and just pretending to be a professional, and at the same time charging too much money for an inferior product or service.

On a side note: Quality products are usually priced accordingly, and if amateurs deliver a product or service – knowing their place – charge less money, the customers might eventually leave even the professional jobs to amateurs since they "get the same product cheaper", which, again, throws the market off balance in a stupid way.

Of course there are borderlines, but I'm just saying..
Stuff is complicated..

That's todays rant.
Later, peeps.