The Iron Ring

I attended the Iron Ring Ceremony yesterday or perhaps I should say I intended to. They had insisted several times that no one should be late. So I was there around 12:30 PM. I went to the north building, the same place I wrote the NPPE but I was directed to the south building. Soon I realized that I was very early, just like a few others and we had all to wait for about an hour. Fortunately the distribution of Iron Rings started way before the actual ceremony. People lined up based on their first letter of the family name. I hate lines so waited a few minutes and when I stood in mine, I only had to tolerate a minute or so. I was handed a small sealed envelope with my name, my title and the size of my ring printed on it. The lady insisted to try the ring on and notify one of the APEGA fellas of any concern. I went to a corner and opened the envelope. The ring and a small card was in there. I immediately after wearing the ring, realized it was too big for me. Nevertheless I put it on, on the designated finger, put the envelope in my pocket and walked to the exchange line. The exchange line was much worse than the first lines so I turned back and that was when I learnt that I was not wearing the ring! Crap! I said! I started looking on the floor. It was really busy and it would have been very embarrassing to go to one of the booths and tell them that I had lost the damn ring. I looked more and more and found nothing! I thought at the time that if anyone had found it, he or she would have turned it in. It's a shiny sparkling ring and easily seen on the floor. After a few minutes of running around, with a blushed face, I could feel it(!), I gave up and decided to go and tell the guys. I said I have paid $20 and that was the only reason I came. I will pay another $20 but I don't know what their reaction would be. I reached the pocket that I had put the envelope in and it was there! Apparently the ring had slipped of my finger when I sliding the envelope in and that was because of it's extra large size. It was a relief. 

I, then, looked at the exchange line and it didn't seem to be much better. I didn't mind waiting a few more minutes although one of the ladies constantly was saying that after 01:30 PM the doors would be closed. I knew they would not leave anyone without a ring and soon I realized that they had other booth open so I waited 2 minutes and exchanges mine with another which was 2 sizes smaller! It felt good. 

only a few minutes was left. I went in and noticed 3, maybe 4 lines. I guess it was for the people who wanted their rings to be worn by someone from APEGA, I guess a family member who was a professional or an official. The rest were sitting. I told myself: If I stay since I don't know how long this circus will be going on, I might be trapped for at least an hour. I better get the fuck out of this nuthouse. So I left! I don't know if people would be served any lunch but I'm sure that at least something was served but I didn't care. I got what I had wanted! To me the whole concept of Engineering and Professional Engineer is nothing but a business. After all carelessness and awkwardness that I have seen at work in past few years, I have no intention to believe in these stuff. How could you be a Professional Engineer without being able to write a short e-mail without grammatical errors!? How could you be an Professional Engineer and have no clue of basics of Engineering? How could you be a Professional Engineer and have no ethics?! These are and many other are the things that I have seen over and over and made me completely disappointed with practise of Engineering but did it simply because I wanted to say that I could too and I have nothing less than you guys who think you are better than others simply because you have a degree!
(Photo: Quebec Bridge wreckage which collapsed in 1907. I heard that the very first Iron Rings were made out of the remaining of the bridge as a result of wrong Engineering calculation but it sounds a myth! but it was after the disaster that the practise of Engineering became regulated. Has it any affect rather than making business, I'm not quite sure. It might have but not to the necessary limit)