|
Edited on Sun Jul-13-08 12:16 PM by djohnson
Seriously, I'd like to know. I'm getting up there in years, and can honestly say that, in my entire life, perhaps through sheer bad luck, I have never met one person who I'd consider an actual geek/nerd/techie. I understand that almost all of them have sold out to XYZ-Corp. At that point, I'd no longer consider them true techies, just like I don't consider bands that sell out to be true musicians anymore.
I'm the only techie I know, aside from all the ones in this forum, but I've never met any of you personally, so it stands that I have never, in my life, met an actual nerd. Where are they?
I have never met a single person, in my almost 40 years of age, who loves returning home to work on a special software application or build their own electronic device.
There are lots of people with no interest in technology who know the in's and out's of landing an IT job, and do it for the prestige or the paycheck or because they just like sitting on their butts. I work in IT, but I do it because that is what I enjoy. But I've never met anyone in IT anywhere who has any actual interest outside their jobs in working with technology.
They are ALL fine outstanding brilliant people, one or two geniuses, who deserve all the best, don't get me wrong, I would not want to denigrate anyone O8).
I mean, I have to be honest and say that a long time ago, when I had a job in Silicon Valley, after pressing the issue a bit (what can I say, I was very young), I found one who claimed to be working on some idea but I truly think he was just telling me what I wanted to hear.
So what happened? It may just be where I live. Chicago is not exactly a Mecca of the computer technology industry. There is not a single store in the city that sells electronic components like resistors and capacitors aside from Radio Shack. I understand components normally are ordered online, but this still reflects the social environment. Unbelievable, a city of 3 MILLION people cannot support ONE electronics store. There are just 2 places in the suburbs, one seems like a semi legitimate place, I'm not sure if they are still open, and the other one is Fry's Electronics, which is now more similar to a CircuitCity/Walmart that happens to also have a components isle. As a shopper wandering the isles, I never encountered a nerd there either, just maybe someone who needed a transistor to fix his mom's a lamp. He probably had a 6 figure technical job with his mom's lamp being the limit of his personal work. There is a Chicago Robotics Club (in the burbs not really Chicago, anyway) but based on their website I get the impression they just do it because they like going to competitions, and of course if one's interest isn't robotic competitions forget it.
With property prices the way they are, there are all kinds of people choosing to live at home in their moms' basements. I'd do the same thing if I could. You'd think that would be the perfect environment to nurture the nerd. When I walk to the store past hundreds of homes I wonder if there is some nerd behind one of those walls working on some special project, but based on my experience, among the thousands of folks around me there is not a single one.
The reason this upsets me is because I am socially isolated. My wife wonders why I never "hang out with the guys." I would love to work on my project with friends, and help them with their projects, and combine efforts to make some incredible new gadget. I understand big business has the resources to create things that individuals just can't, but I think that individuals can sort of fill in the gaps where big business just doesn't bother. And why should anyone care about big business anyway, if one is truly interested in the work they'd just do it regardless. When I was young, I just assumed I'd make friends with which I could work on important projects but that never happened. I've never met anyone interested in doing anything, technical or not, other than working for some corporation. I've never met anyone who wanted to start their own business, technical or not. I've heard a few people come up with ideas but they never do anything to execute the ideas, just expect someone else to do it.
Again, it's probably just because of where I live. I'm sure there are a few places like Silicon Valley where it may be slightly different.
|