What does it mean to be a geek? A better question is: if you are in a room full of people, how would you tell the geeks from the rest of them?
6) Geeks incorporate dry, sarcastic and technical humor into everyday situations.
Whenever anyone asks why something is the way it is, a geek will respond with a droll, “Oh, that’s a feature.” Drawing a parallel between software development and everyday life is par for the course for a geek. Everything can be viewed as code, or at the very least, a Boolean equation.
5) Have an Opinion.
Geeks know what they know, and have enough experience to have opinions that are meaningful. Even if the Boss steals you’re idea as his or her own, this is still largely a positive move on your part…
This is in stark contrast to Donald Rumsfeld!
4) Incorporate approaches from other fields or cultures in your attempts to work and live.
You’re approach to life is sometimes seen as unconventional, and novel. It turns out you’re just trying to be better than everyone else.
You have the creativity and Playfullness of Puppy Dogs, and Kittens.
3) Blend in well with the rest of society.
No one’s asking you to make the toast at the next corporate banquet, heck we expect you wont even be invited, and if you were, are dubious when you actually show up. But, you clean up well, can carry on small talk while doing math in your head and you present ideas in a charming and convincing way. More than you can say for your average nerd.
2) Have an answer, even if it’s “I don’t know”
Geeks are prone to being truthful and sharing in the knowledge that they have. We’ve all been there, when the chips are down, and the project MIGHT be in jeopardy… People come to you. Not because they believe you… But because you are right most of the time.
(See Rule #5)
1) You are ADDICTED to what you do.
If you cant stop selling the deal you just made, or need to stay through lunch just because you’re coding the SQL-that-makes-you-world-chess-champion, then you need to stand up, take a bow, and recognize that you’re a geek.
