How much of a nerd are you?

How much of a nerd are you?

Poll: How much of a nerd are you?

Total Members Polled: 144

Too geeky to get into a SciFi convention: 5%
Feel like the IT crowd are your people: 29%
Mildly uncool but you keep it secret : 40%
Normal (in your own mind): 20%
Hung out with the cool kids at school: 5%
You were the cool kid people admired!: 1%
Author
Discussion

Skeptisk

Original Poster:

7,767 posts

112 months

Saturday
quotequote all
I just spent a chunk of the afternoon watching 5-7 min videos of people from the different areas of Denmark talking about themselves and their region, to highlight the different dialects of Danish (a lot of them moaning about how they are looked down upon by people from Sjælland / Copenhagen).

When I was at school (a long time ago now) I sought validation by trying to hang out with the in crowd. Only now, many years later I realise that deep down I am a nerd and should have been out and proud (so to speak!)

So where would you put yourself on the scale?

Fusion777

2,278 posts

51 months

Saturday
quotequote all
Physics degree and manufacturing engineer by trade, so pretty far up the scale.

gmaz

4,481 posts

213 months

Saturday
quotequote all
About 20 years ago, my wife went for a job interview as an audio/video technician and the first part of the interview was identifying and describing the purpose of about 25 different A/V connectors. Several candidates walked out, she continued, but didn't get the job.

There's rarely a week goes by where I don't think about how I would have aced that test. It eats away at me.

InitialDave

12,064 posts

122 months

Saturday
quotequote all
It's not necessarily a dichotomy once you're past school. I'm an absolutely massive nerd, but I also fit a lot of the metrics which are considered to be in opposition to the nerd stereotype.

Pit Pony

8,974 posts

124 months

Saturday
quotequote all
Fusion777 said:
Physics degree and manufacturing engineer by trade, so pretty far up the scale.
How does a Physic degree lead to a career as a Manufacturing Engineer?

Chartered Manufacturing Engineer with Degree in Manufacturing Engineering here. There must be things that you've learnt later on, that were core subjects, the fundamental stuff, like tool design and tolerancing, on my degree.

gruffgriff

1,644 posts

246 months

Saturday
quotequote all
Dressing up for Comicon for my own pleasure, not just to support the kids, precludes option 1, so option 2 it is.
I don't watch or follow tribal sport.
I make models.
I drive a rotary.
Yes, I am, and have always been, a nerd.
Not a badge I wear but plenty comfortable with who I am.

Ken_Code

1,566 posts

5 months

Saturday
quotequote all
I really don’t know. I was definitely geeky at school, have three physics degrees, and enjoy programming and robotics, but most people who know me wouldn’t guess any of those things.

My wife says that the mothers at school thought I was a builder, while my actual job is management in investment banking.

C4ME

1,251 posts

214 months

Saturday
quotequote all
There is an incorrect association in the choices between nerd and sci-fi/IT

You can be an IT nerd and/or a sci-fi nerd BUT you can be a nerd with zero interest in either.

Motorman74

380 posts

24 months

Saturday
quotequote all
A tough one for me - I played rugby at school and for a club but I was always into IT and I managed the school's computer network voluntarily. I've had a very successful career in IT too.

However I'm not a sci-fi fan particularly so I don't feel like a full on geek. I'm also not an incel having been married for 22 years...

miniman

25,282 posts

265 months

Saturday
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Grumbler

113 posts

111 months

Saturday
quotequote all
Embraced my inner nerd a few years ago. Medieval history, astrophysics, archery, books. Not for everyone but definitely for me.

DodgyGeezer

41,068 posts

193 months

Saturday
quotequote all
Motorman74 said:
A tough one for me - I played rugby at school and for a club but I was always into IT and I managed the school's computer network voluntarily. I've had a very successful career in IT too.

However I'm not a sci-fi fan particularly so I don't feel like a full on geek. I'm also not an incel having been married for 22 years...
definite nerd - however an IT dunce and not overly great with tech (acceptable I guess). How definitely a nerd? Love scifi/fantasy and I've been to a few comicons, and Star Trek convention - also been to a couple of cat-shows (and I'm married!)

abzmike

8,721 posts

109 months

Saturday
quotequote all
miniman said:
See I like the idea of doing that in my office, and indeed have all the required artifacts easily to hand (in case they’re needed) but I don’t think management would allow it.

Skeptisk

Original Poster:

7,767 posts

112 months

Saturday
quotequote all
C4ME said:
There is an incorrect association in the choices between nerd and sci-fi/IT

You can be an IT nerd and/or a sci-fi nerd BUT you can be a nerd with zero interest in either.
I think you have outed yourself as a nerd with that post.

I do know that nerds and IT/Sci-Fi are not synonymous but I was trying to be humorous with the choices.

gruffgriff

1,644 posts

246 months

Saturday
quotequote all
Game and Watch!

I too have a floppy secreted away because when they're gone, they're gone!

Bill

53,265 posts

258 months

Saturday
quotequote all
I was about to tick normal, but then I remembered I'm most of the way through a 1000 page biography of Napoleon... scratchchin

valiant

10,650 posts

163 months

Saturday
quotequote all
Bill said:
I was about to tick normal, but then I remembered I'm most of the way through a 1000 page biography of Napoleon... scratchchin
Sorry to spoil it for you but

he dies in the end.

Bill

53,265 posts

258 months

Saturday
quotequote all
hehe

PlywoodPascal

4,591 posts

24 months

Saturday
quotequote all
At sixth form my friend group stood outside on some steps (not even the steps to a door, some totally outside steps) in the cold and rain.

PlywoodPascal

4,591 posts

24 months

Saturday
quotequote all
Pit Pony said:
How does a Physic degree lead to a career as a Manufacturing Engineer?

Chartered Manufacturing Engineer with Degree in Manufacturing Engineering here. There must be things that you've learnt later on, that were core subjects, the fundamental stuff, like tool design and tolerancing, on my degree.
It’s cos physicists are cleverer than engineers innit.
It’s not even true but that doesn’t stop all engineers, deep down, somewhere in their soul, believing it is.