Smelly diplomas or a steel ring?

The first version of the suspension bridge in the United States, in Washington state through the Tacoma-Narrows Strait, which collapsed on November 7, 1940 due to the underestimation of the wind load and the phenomenon of mechanical resonance. The restored bridge was opened in 1950.

“ Smelly diplomas or a steel ring?” "- this is the name of the final paragraph of one of the chapters of the book" Professional software development. " I recommend it to those who are engaged in software development and those who use software and are a customer - to the entire IT community and not only.
I have long wanted to lay out this small paragraph (I’ll post a couple of excerpts from the book somehow), but there was no reason. And then there was an event that made me do it. And here’s what happened: “In Volgograd, the strongest wind and waves rocked one of the largest bridges across the Volga . "

Smelly diplomas or a steel ring?
In Canada, engineers who receive a diploma in certified engineering programs receive a steel ring upon graduation. Since 1923, this ring has been awarded at a private ceremony designed by Rudyard Kipling. The tradition says ... The tradition says that these rings are made of steel from the bridge that collapsed, and the engineers carry them on their working hands as a reminder of their responsibility to society. There have been attempts to transplant this tradition onto American soil, but so far without much success.
A steel ring is important because, without indicating a full professional rank, it really symbolizes belonging to engineering as a professional workshop. Certification can play a similar role in software, symbolizing a commitment to the highest standards of software engineering.
If you think: “We don’t need any diplomas or steel rings,” you will probably be right. Most software engineers will not receive professional engineering licenses - their diplomas - even after the widespread licensing. Most likely, most will not become certified. But as software engineering grows older, licensing and certification will be given more and more importance. A software engineer who wants to demonstrate his commitment to the software profession will be able to obtain a license or certificate, or both.
“Professional Software Development” Steve McConnell, Chapter 19, “Smelly Diplomas or a Steel Ring?”
Video with a bridge from Volgograd, Russia, 2010 .
Video of the destruction of the Tacoma-Narrows Bridge, USA, 1940.