History Main / BeingPersonalIsntProfessional

[[folder: Literature ]]

* Mr. Sturgeon from [[GordonKorman Gordon Korman's]] ''MacdonaldHall'' is like this, he is so strict that he's known for his 'fishy stare', yet funny and good humoured to his wife.

* In ''{{Calvin and Hobbes}}'', Calvin is surprised to hear his mom ran into his teacher at the store during the summer. When asked why he said he had always imagined that teachers spent the summer sleeping in coffins.

* The LooneyTunes with Ralph the Wolf and Sam the Sheepdog who are friendly to each other before and after the work whistle blows and eat lunch together but are enemies during "working hours."

There's someone you know at work. They're professional and polite, always making a good first impression. They're very good at what they do, but take everything way too seriously. They're quick to introduce themselves to everyone in the workplace, but don't bother to find out any more than their co-workers' names and strengths within the workplace. It's not uncommon for people to start wondering if they [[ArtificialHuman are a robot]] due to their lack of extreme emotion and aloofness. If a situation arises, they will usually help out the one in trouble, then later brush it off saying ThinkNothingOfIt.

One day, you happen to run into them outside of working hours. Not only do they greet you with a large smile on their face, but they are actually quite lighthearted and talkative. Turns out, they are rather social, but not at work. They might even be wild, flirty and hate the persona that they're forced to show at work, especially if they're a SternTeacher or DrillSergeantNasty. However, once they return to the workplace, they've returned to being as social and friendly as a rock.

TruthInTelevision, being too emotional in certain jobs may prove dangerous or at least detrimental to how well you do the job.

Compare SugarAndIcePersonality, which occurs when a character is cold to the world at large and only exhibits their softer side to certain other characters.

A sub-trope of WorkHardPlayHard, where a character is a hard worker and a huge party goer, but doesn't always draw a strict line in between.

[[AC: {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

[[AC: Literature]]
* Mr. Sturgeon from [[GordonKorman Gordon Korman's]] ''MacdonaldHall'' is like this, he is so strict that he's known for his 'fishy stare', yet funny and good humoured to his wife.

[[AC: Live Action Television]]

** Until he opened up. His new problem? ''Over''sharing.
* ''Series/TheThinBlueLine'', where Inspector Fowler can't give opinions as both a commanding officer and a boyfriend at the same time.

[[AC: Newspaper Comics]]

[[AC: Video Games]]

[[AC: WebComics]]

[[AC: Western Animation]]

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] [[PlayedForLaughs for humor]] in one episode of ''KingOfTheHill,'' where Enrique wants to meet Hank after work to get some personal help with some marriage problems he's having. He seems to assume that Hank is less stoic and impersonal after hours. He's really not, but Enrique interprets his actions that way anyway.

[[AC: Real Life]]

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* RealLife teachers are often like this, the mix of having to maintain discipline in the classroom and needing to be above reproach in their interactions with students (sometimes to an unreasonable degree.)

** Dr. Edison recently opened up. His new problem? ''Over''sharing.

Compare SugarAndIcePersonality, this occurs when a character shows their 'professional', antisocial side and only exhibit their softer side to certain other characters.

* The Sniper from ''TeamFortress2'' insists that his feelings don't enter into his job -- there's no room for them. "Professionals have ''standards''."

* Spoofed mercilessly with the character Wayne Jarvis in ''ArrestedDevelopment''.

* Mr. Ratburn in ''{{Arthur}}'' who had previously only been seen as a cruel teacher at school. {{Lampshaded}} a little by D.W. who thought that teachers lived at school.
* The Looney Tunes with Ralph the Wolf and Sam the Sheepdog who are friendly to each other before and after the work whistle blows and eat lunch together but are enemies during "working hours."

* This troper is a security guard. We walk a line between being reasonably personable (even friendly) and being authoritative.

Compare {{Kuudere}}, this occurs when a character shows their 'professional', antisocial side and only exhibit their softer side to certain other characters.

The ConsummateProfessional is very much likely to subscribe to this trope.

There's someone you know at work. They're professional and polite, always making a good first impression. They're very good at what they do, but take everything way too seriously. They're quick to introduce themselves to everyone in the workplace, but don't bother to find out any more than their co-workers names and strengths within the workplace. It's not uncommon for people to start wondering if they [[ArtificialHuman are a robot]] due to their lack of extreme emotion and aloofness. If a situation arises, they will usually help out the one in trouble, then later brush it off saying ThinkNothingOfIt.

* Spoofed mercilessly in Wayne Jarvis's introductory episode of ''ArrestedDevelopment''.

* This wiki itself has been trying to [[GrowingTheBeard grow a beard]] as hard as possible lately: FetishFuel becoming [[ReassignedToAntarctica an external]] [[TheWikiRule wiki]], first person and [[ThisTroper "This]] [[ThirdPersonPerson Troper"]] being strictly forbidden, [[ConversationOnTheMainPage any variations thereof]] [[PleaseNoNatter being considered]] [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotHeinous heinous]] [[FauxHorrific beyond explanation...]] and the list goes on and on. Whether these changes have been received well or not is up to heated debate: some see it as a needed [[GrowingTheBeard growth of beard]] executed masterfully, others as an [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks un-needed subversion]] of the "buttload more informal than Wikipedia" approach [[CoversAlwaysLie so hyped in]] the MainPage, with the entirety of the troper community [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation seen as]] textbook StopHavingFunGuys.

** Dr. Edison recently opened up. His new problem? OVERsharing.

* Dr. Clark Edison on ''{{Bones}}''. He '''really''' doesn't want to be involved in anybody's personal life and is less than pleased with all the interpersonal non-business talk.

* In ''{{Recess}}'' Ms. Finister turns out to be an old friend of Spinelli's parents. She turns out to be quite cool in the end despite her [[SternTeacher Stern]] to SadistTeacher tendancies.

* RealLife teachers are often like this.

* [[Subverted SubvertedTrope]] [[PlayedForLaughs for humor]] in one episode of ''KingOfTheHill,'' where Enrique wants to meet Hank after work to get some personal help with some marriage problems he's having. He seems to assume that Hank is less stoic and impersonal after hours. He's really not, but Enrique interprets his actions that way anyway.

* The Looney Tunes with Ralph the Wolf and Sam the Sheepdog who are friendly to each other before and after the work whistle blows and eat lunch together but are enemies during "working hours".

* The Looney Tunes with the Wolf(Wile E. Coyote) and Sam the Sheepdog who are friendly to each other before and after the work whistle blows but are enemies during "working hours".