In my blog post yesterday, I had included a video clip of an interview with Kevin O’Leary of The Shark Tank fame. In that interview, towards the end, O’Leary justified the student continuing to study to get his Engineering degree and he adds that getting the Engineers’ Ring is a much desired thing among Engineers.
This one statement took me back to 1966 when I had to work in an Engineering Firm in Mumbai during my summer vacation as an intern for eight weeks as part of the requirement for my MBA degree.
In that firm, I was attached to an Engineer as my mentor who had a ring on his finger about which I was curious but, considering his formidable position and my own need to be on his good books to get a favourable report about my internship, I had kept quiet till the very last day of my internship.
The last day finally arrived and during my exit interview he asked me if I had any questions and I asked him about the ring. He smiled and explained that it was a ring that he had acquired in the USA having qualified as an Engineer there. I thought it was weird as I had not heard anything similar anywhere else but, kept the information to myself.
This interview led me to an explanation in the Wikipedia which finally explained the phenomenon.
So next time I meet an engineer, I’ll say “But are you really an engineer? Where’s your ring?”
I think that this is a peculiar American custom. Unlikely that you will find this in the Commonwealth.
I am familiar with the ring as family are engineers. I wanted to be on too but women in my time in Ireland not afforded the opportunity for many fictitious and insulting reasons.
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I know of many women engineers here and I am surprised that you could not become one. More so now that IT businesses are drawing many engineers into their operations.
Interesting piece of information – I was not aware of this “band of knowledge” 🙂
Even you cannot be a sarvagnyani Sandeep!
This is news to me too. My grandson is studying engineering at University of Florida. He has never mentioned it and I do wonder if he is aware of it.
You simply have to ask him. Perhaps this is something that happens post graduation.
I never heard of the engineer’s ring.
We learn new things all the time don’t we!
interesting information
but I’m sure there was other rings, or is it the “tie” – that means you’ve part of a type of clan …
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Yes, and also signals like the Free Masons have.