Detailers have it so easy today...
15, 20 years ago you actually had to be good at this type of work because the abrasive technology was so horrible.
With modern compounds, which is another way of saying MODERN ABRASIVE TECHNOLOGY - heck anyone can get professional results their first time.
I would caution people that if you're using a sharp, aggressive foam cutting pad or any type of fiber pad with a compound even if the results look GREAT if you were to wash or chemically strip the paint you would likely see dull and hazy areas simply due to the pad and the aggressiveness of the "process".
You won't see the dull hazy paint on light colored cars but you will on black paint and common sense dictates that if it's happening to clearcoated black cars it's happening to clearcoated light colored cars you eyes just can't see it.
So it's a good idea to follow any heavy compounding step with at least one more polishing step to ensure there is no haze left in the paint.
Take my word for it I know that which I speak of...