Young People Should Know…Be Nice To Nerds

In honor of Steve Jobs, I raise my iPod and say well done sir. You changed the world, the way we communicate, the way we do business, the way we listen to music. He was a world class nerd and he changed all of our lives forever.

Geeks. Nerds. Dweebs. Poindexters. Dorks. We all know them. We all make fun of them. We don’t want to be one (maybe you are one.) But take note Young People. Nerds rule the world. Seriously.

No, these social outcasts don’t rule the actual world, but they certainly rule the business world and in this country business is more powerful than politics.  Steve Jobs (RIP), Bill Gates, Donald Trump (big ol’ nerd…I mean that comb-over…puhleeze), Warren Buffett – all nerds.

Be nice to the nerds. They will be your boss some day. See while you’re busy trying to be cool they are enduring your ridicule and bullying. This builds character – the kind of character that makes them interesting adults with actual personalities who don’t lament the passing of high school and later reminisce about those four years being the best of their lives. Sure they play RPG’s all weekend with their other nerdy friends, but while they figure out strategies to kill an orc what are you doing? Probably worrying about your hair or what pair of jeans to buy. And after they’re done killing those imaginary orcs, they read science fiction (or actual science), then figure out how to write a computer program. Again, what are you doing? Watching a lame reality show probably.

All of those nifty gadgets you love, the iPods, the Xboxes, the smart phones, who do you think invented those? That’s right. Nerds.

Your boss will be a nerd. Yep. He or she will be the same type of person you made fun of in the hallways of your high school. But now they are in charge and they always will be.

Now if you are a nerd or geek or whatever label you’ve been stuck with, do not despair. High school is hell, I know. College is so much better. You have the chance to reinvent yourself if you like. Or if you just don’t care and like your bad-ass nerdy self, keep on keeping on. In the adult world, who you were in high school doesn’t matter. Not even a little bit.

Yep, nerds change the world. So if you are one, be proud. And if you aren’t, be nice to them. You make their lives miserable for a few years, and they may make yours miserable for the rest of your life.

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