métiers

Métiers is a French term that denotes a trade, craft, or profession—emphasizing a field in which a person has developed specialized, practice-based skills. The English loanword metier is used to refer to someone’s area of expertise or calling, often implying a sense of craftsmanship rather than merely a job title. The concept centers on mastery acquired through experience, training, and steady practice.

Historically, métiers were organized around guilds that regulated entry, quality, and standards. Mastery of a métier combined technical competence with artistic judgment, evident in crafts such as carpentry, metalworking, cooking, and weaving. With industrialization and professionalization, the range of métiers broadened to include many skilled occupations, typically supported by vocational education, apprenticeships, and professional certification.

In contemporary use, the word often conveys both skill and identity: one’s métier may refer to their principal area of work or even a personal calling. The term is common in French-speaking contexts and in discussions of arts, crafts, and artisanal production, sometimes grouped as métiers d’art to denote craft métiers recognized for their artistic value.

Training and education for métiers include apprenticeships, technical and vocational schools, and higher education, combining hands-on practice with theory. In a changing economy, many métiers require ongoing learning and adaptation to new tools, technologies, and cross-disciplinary approaches.