In many modern professions, the act of joining the profession is accompanied by a rite of passage, symbolizing the entry of the initiate into a position of responsibility. The initiate often takes an oath, pledging to act both ethically and morally as a member of the profession. The initiate is often presented with a visible symbol of the profession, as a reminder of one’s responsibility to the profession.
In 2007, inspired by the example of the Order of the Engineer, individuals at Ohio Northern University and the University of South Florida created similar organizations for graduates of their respective computing programs. After interest in such an organization grew at other institutions, The Pledge of the Computing Professional was developed by an international team of 17 computing professionals. This team came from the following companies and academic institutions: Bridgewater College, Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Dickinson State University, Intel, Ithaca College, Kettering University, Lakeland Community College, Louisiana State University in Shreveport, McNeese State University, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Norfolk State University, University of North Dakota, Oberlin College, Ohio Northern University, Raytheon, University of South Florida, and Southern Polytechnic State University.
The Pledge of the Computing Professional held its first induction ceremonies at Ohio Northern University, University of South Florida, and McNeese State University in May 2011.
The symbol of The Pledge of the Computer Professional is a matrix with the word “Honor” encoded in ASCII. The background of the matrix is black, the digits are in gold. The purpose of the symbol is to remind the inductee to always honor their profession through their actions.
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