CUBIFA... Treating People

How can failure turn into the biggest success ever (for your own life)?

Maybe there is a "goddess of moral justice"? (I looked that one up in the dictionary, I admit.)

Maybe it even was a Friday, very likely, actually! In winter-semester 1998/1999.

Can "Y"ou Believe It´s Friday Again?

I´m stubborn, and have a strong, very strong feeling of fairness.

There was a ... we call it "Kommilitone", "fellow student" sounds much nicer, but she wasn´t nice at all.
She got pregnant from a guy who lived far away and always - and I mean always! - queue-jumped with the argument she is a single mother.
I hated that - as everyone else. She had not much friends...
There were way too much students for the professors, so...

One day...

Actually it all begun some semesters before that. Prof S had no student at that moment, we all (my Prof, him and I) were in one room. He came over and interfered, not even knowing the project, stealing away my time. With nonesense, too!
Finally I got up and told him exactly that. Ya. Dumb me.

Later...

We could choose between two Profs.
One is all about building without corners, all must be rounded, what is your zodiac sign?, I know how you tic...
No way!

The other... well... him! Did I have a chance? I took him.
He made it hard for me, very, very hard.

Yes, that building was my diploma - in Braunschweig!!! I studied in Hildesheim, there is actually no connection.
Braunschweig several times tried to re-build the old market hall, that was destroyed in WWII and that was our project (it´s still a parking lot).

This post is about how you treat people, right?

Said girl, D., was at the Prof. There were students already finished, talking in the room, and I was there, waiting in line, I was next.


D´s Baby had turned into a Toddler, crawling around, D was distracted a lot and had mixed up scales. In front of all of us he told her what kind of a bad job she´d done, she should go back to semester one or, even better, "sell marge" as in margarine.

He didn´t let go until she cried.

A Prof also is a pedagogue, no? He could´ve asked everybody else out, he could´ve asked her to come to his office later, but no, he humiliated her in front of all of us.

Guess what.
I was next.
In front of all of them I threw my work on the desk.
I had a problem: cold roof-construction, material for a warm-roof-construction and an outlet - this was pre-internet.
1:1-detail - what to do?
He had no answer, I waited 45 secs and threw the next problem at him.

Oh, dumb-dumb me!
But I was so furious for how he treated that girl (I didn´t even like)!!!

I admit: He´d made the time that hard for me that my other mentor - who was in real working life, simply asked her structural engineer to do my work. What is the best ancle for the pylons?

Guess what.

In the oral examination the Prof wanted to tell me the ancle is wrong.

Dilemma!

I could not have said that this certainly is the last thing being possibly wrong! My mentor would´ve lost her job!

I kept my mouth shut, the other students - and I - couldn´t believe the grade I got.

I found another structural engineer who verified "my" work and went into avocation.

Let me tell you, today I´d handle this much, much different, but good thing I was too shy.
One Prof doesn´t go against another, so they changed the grade only a wee bit.

I am thankful for that today!
With a real good grade I´d gotten a job in an architectural office.
In Germany that means: One-year-contracts.
Fear of loosing your job every dang year!
Little money (not that I get that much now), driving around all the time.

What do I have?
The same good job since twelve years, a contract with "no end".
I don´t have to drive around (yes I have to drive 37 one way, but I have a workplace at one desk).

Thank you, Prof S - you tried to destroy my working career - and actually saved it!

You´re still a tiny, mean man in my eyes, a liar, a sad figure.

Who knows how many student´s lifes he destroyed as well, students who stood up against him.

I do hope he´ll one day pay for it, will be treated in an correspondental way.

On the other hand I really have to thank him. Life can be weird, huh?

And, after all, the title I got, "graduated engineer" probably helped me getting the great job I have now.