journeyman

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The Word of the Day for May 22 is:

journeyman   \JER-nee-mun\   noun
    *1  : a worker who has learned a trade and works for another 
person usually by the day 
     2  : an experienced reliable worker or performer especially 
as distinguished from one who is brilliant or colorful 

Example sentence:
     Once Hank had mastered carpentry he quit his sales job, and 
he now works day-to-day as a journeyman.

Did you know? 
     The "journey" in "journeyman" refers to a sense of this 
familiar word not often used anymore: "a day's labor." This 
sense of "journey" was first used in the 14th century. 
When "journeyman" appeared the following century, it originally 
referred to a person who, having learned a handicraft or trade 
through an apprenticeship, worked for daily wages. In the 16th 
century, "journeyman" picked up a figurative (and mainly 
deprecatory) sense; namely, "one who drudges for another." These 
days, however, "journeyman" has little to do with drudgery, and 
lots to do with knowing a trade inside out. 

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.