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May 21, 2007
On Geekdom
I have been out of town for most of the last two weeks for various work related activities. Because of the nature of my work, this means I have been immersed in geek-relating activities, particularly at vslive. The fun part of this was watching the types of geeks. While there is a predominant stereotype of what a geek is, the reality is that there are several different types. Over the years, these are some of the different types (with all of the usual fluidity that comes from grouping people).
The gung-ho geek - is surprisingly enthusiastic about his work and technology in general. Will use terms like "b*in'" and "f*in' Awesome!" to describe kernel performance without a trace if irony. If you are OK talking tech for long periods of time, this person can be fun to hang out with, given his/her general enthusiasm.
The snob geek - this person knows that he is much smarter than you and has no time for such trivial pursuits as modesty, humility, or, well, social skills. Enough said.
The hardcore geek - the closest to the hollywood stereotype. Is more at home doing esoteric hardware or software activities that no one else can understand than talking to people.
The cool geek - the geek who somehow successfully rises above all negative stereotypes of geekdom and manages to be the alpha male/female in any immediate social context, tech or not. Usually, these people go on to be project managers or business analysts. More common now than 10 years ago, it seems.
The reluctant geek - has the technical ability to work in the industry and does enjoy geeky stuff. At the same time, has enough social awareness to be slightly insecure about being a geek. Attempts to compensate, but doesn't manage to rise to the level of cool geek.
No word now on where I place myself.
tech | By maphet | 04:56 PM
Comments
I thought the whole point of you writing this was to tell us where you place yourself....I feel so incomplete now.
Posted by: Jeff Price at May 22, 2007 01:17 PM