Is it realistic for a society to have a professional group dedicated to performing tasks just to see how hard it is?

I've been watching a video of a group of people in a country from the 18th century and they're talking about how the men are out hunting, farming, fighting wars, etc, and how they're all very skilled at these tasks. Then the host says that they have a group of professional hunters, farmers, and soldiers, who do nothing else than perform these tasks and die young. I assume that these professionals are not really necessary for the survival of the society, but rather for the pleasure of the ruling class.<br><br>I don't think I've ever heard of a society with a professional group of people performing tasks just for the sake of it. Is it realistic to have a group of people with jobs that don't really serve a purpose in the society? How do the people of the society think about the professionals of this group? Do they feel like it's a good use of resources?<br><br>I imagine the professionals in this group could be aristocrats or the sons of aristocrats who were forced to join. I imagine the group could also be made of outcasts who were shunned by society and the aristocrats found it a way to get rid of them.