Is there something like this for Software developers? We make the world go round and round; shouldn't we also have something this beautiful?
The main idea of the ring is to remind you of your solemn duties as an engineer:
- To put the safety of the public who use systems you engineer first
- To put monetary compensation second to doing quality work (the reason the ring is worn on the pinky finger far away from your gold wedding band - which it will destroy)
- To encourage the next generation of engineers and help them attain mastery
- To encourage those you work with who are not engineers to become technically proficient if they so desire.
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this incorrect? The ring is to be worn on your dominant hand as to have it rub against the engineering drawings you create/stamp in a more traditional sense of the engineering discipline (before computer aided design).
We were instructed to wear it on the dominant hand. I know with 100% certainty this is true but the reason why is not so certain.
There wasn't ever any talk of left-handed married engineers, I assumed that this edge case was not thought of by Mr. Kipling.
It's the code of ethics that put our priorities as society, our profession, our employer, and ourselves.
I heard a friend-of-a-friend story that described a senior engineer who lost his ring and had to get a replacement. He complained that he "felt like a kid" with his fresh ring and was apparently found in the metal shop later grinding down the edges.
Software Engineering is still a specialization under the Computer Science degree, and is taught by the Arts & Science faculty.
Even if you had an engineering degree you still didn't get the ring. I believe you had to go to some sort of ethics classes before we'd be given the opportunity to purchase the ring.