The Geek Shall Inherit The Earth

I am a geek (You may have guessed this from the number of posts I've done about fandom and Harry Potter). As a geek, one of the blogs I love reading is Epbot which has absolutely wonderful posts about all kind of geeky and sweet things (the blog is done by the woman who does Cake Wrecks, which means it has to be good).

Today, she posted about an article that talks about why people who are often ostracized in school (i.e. the geeks) usually succeed outside of it. This is because geeks usually have more creativity, originality, integrity and resistance, as well as a love of learning. Which in school leads them to think outside the box and take an interest in things they actually enjoy, rather than what the latest fads are.

In the real world, curiosity and being genuine means that you won't hop and skip from place to place. When the going gets tough, geeks are more likely to stick it out a) because they know how to deal with that and b) they're most likely interested in what they're doing. And c) (at least if most geeks are like me) you're stubborn enough that you won't just let the project go, simply because you want to prove you can do it.

You know who the geeks are? Pretty much every popular author ever. Because authors are odd people. They tend to have whole worlds spinning through their minds (maybe they even talk to themselves. I mean, not like I have any experience with that, but I'm sure it happens ;) ). And why do they want to write? Because they love to read. Go ahead, ask any author you've ever loved whether they liked to read as a child. I guarantee that 98% of them will say absolutely, and most will be readers to this day (I leave the 2% for the freaks who think they can write well without being a reader).

It's the geeks who have the imagination to do amazing things. Like create Google (speaking of Google, have you seen their workplace? It makes me wish I was a computer person so I could get hired there). The geeks are the writers, the innovators, the artists. They make good employees because they have new ideas and don't just follow the herd. They have minds of their own, which they put to good use.

And after high school, they come into their own more in social situations. Half the reason a lot of people in high school are awkward is because if you stick out, you get ridiculed. If you say something stupid, you get ridiculed. If you don't wear the right outfit...I think you see where I'm going with this.

To be different in high school, you either keep your head down and only share your geekery with those you can really trust...or you go the route I did (which not a lot of people can do), which is you grow a thick skin and shrug off any mockery (especially from your siblings). The upside to this choice is that after a while people write you off and leave you alone. I made it through high school fairly unbothered because it was clear I didn't give a damn what the "popular" kids thought about me. So they saw me as the smart kid who kind of blended into the background; it was a nice place to be, considering I had glasses, braces, and a slightly unflattering sense of style.

And, here's some proof that geeks end up better off. I spent the last two years of high school doing Running Start, taking classes at the community college and only returning to my high school for bi-monthly Sci-fi Fantasy Club meetings (of which I was Vice President). Two years later, I'm graduating from my university with a Bachelor's degree before I can legally drink. I have three novels completed (which will be sent to agents and editors sometime in the near-ish future). I am still on speaking terms with the people I was closest to in high school and I have made friendships in college that I know will last. And I know what I want from life and who I am. How many twenty year olds can say that?

So, to parents know that your children as geeks will turn out well (and even if they aren't geeks, this doesn't mean they are doomed. It just make take them longer to figure some things out). And if there are geeks in high school right now (or middle school or elementary school), know that you are awesome and will come out ahead in life. So go forth geeks, live long and prosper.

Geek Cred for the Doubting Thomases

*Vice President of Sci-fi Fantasy Club in high school

*Officer of Harry Potter club

*Has forgotten more about Harry Potter than many will ever know

*Wanted (and obtained) a bow not for hunting, but because I am a fantasy geek

*Ditto wanting to learn sword fighting and martial arts

*Knows all the words to the songs in the Buffy musical episode

*Knows Darren Criss not from Glee, but from A Very Potter Musical

*Math Olympian in middle school (cried because I wasn't going to be able to do math on a Saturday)

*Ancient Greek student

*Word Nerd

*Owns close to 500 books (at least a third of which have been read multiple times)

*NaNoWriMo participant (and winner) three years in a row

*Actually gets Math and Science jokes (and finds them hilarious)