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A daughter of Silicon Valley shares her 'nerd' story
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Comments (7)
But calling yourself a nerd, just because you did any "HTMLing" and you're a gratified human resource manager at Mozilla is an insult to those men and women who really made a difference and actually made the programs anyone is using. "Nerd" isn't simply some "hipster style", it requires years of dedicated study and lots of long and hard hours.
Since we're on a 'third rail topic' ...
First: I strongly feel that the first comment is not quite appropriate. The writer of the article seems to have done significant programming and 'nerding out' in several areas. So, a 'nerd' label seems fine to me.
Second: The story has several time gaps, one which seems to span at least 5 years... during which time the author states "Baby..." and "When I was ready to get back to work"
BIND them both together...
And you get a woman in the tech world, but also a mother [aka full time child care provider who may be male too] struggling to be relevant intellectually in a world where it is required to re-make your employment world "when ... ready to get back to work"
It's a bit unfortunate that the world works this way... parent vs. intellectual achievement... but it does.
You can see the dual role within her mother's life too. The author states her own age as 7. And then lists some things that happened for a number of years... And then her mom gets a job.
So, it seems from the context and the time line clues that the author's mother "took time off" to birth and raise the kids... and when ready to get back to work, remade her employment world.
There is a lot of work that needs to occur to remake one's life through such dramatic twists.
****
Also, while I disagree with the application of theBeez comment... I must agree that the word 'Nerd' is definitely misapplied quite often.
My Electromagnetic Fields professor was fond of telling us, "Whatever you find interesting on a Saturday morning is probably what you are interested in." ... In other words, the separation between a 'good' Electrical Engineer and an average Electrical Engineer is that the 'good' EE willingly and without the threat of homework or testing picks up a problem set and gets to work solving it.
****
Other notes:
The author, unfortunately, seems to imply that Imposter Syndrome and negative childhood experiences are the exclusive realm of the 'sexist world we live in' ... It may be my own interpretation, and a light shining on my own Imposter Syndrome, but I feel strongly that exclusion is not exclusive to females.
First: I strongly feel that the first comment is not quite appropriate. The writer of the article seems to have done significant programming and 'nerding out' in several areas. So, a 'nerd' label seems fine to me.
Second: The story has several time gaps, one which seems to span at least 5 years... during which time the author states "Baby..." and "When I was ready to get back to work"
BIND them both together...
And you get a woman in the tech world, but also a mother [aka full time child care provider who may be male too] struggling to be relevant intellectually in a world where it is required to re-make your employment world "when ... ready to get back to work"
It's a bit unfortunate that the world works this way... parent vs. intellectual achievement... but it does.
You can see the dual role within her mother's life too. The author states her own age as 7. And then lists some things that happened for a number of years... And then her mom gets a job.
So, it seems from the context and the time line clues that the author's mother "took time off" to birth and raise the kids... and when ready to get back to work, remade her employment world.
There is a lot of work that needs to occur to remake one's life through such dramatic twists.
****
Also, while I disagree with the application of theBeez comment... I must agree that the word 'Nerd' is definitely misapplied quite often.
My Electromagnetic Fields professor was fond of telling us, "Whatever you find interesting on a Saturday morning is probably what you are interested in." ... In other words, the separation between a 'good' Electrical Engineer and an average Electrical Engineer is that the 'good' EE willingly and without the threat of homework or testing picks up a problem set and gets to work solving it.
****
Other notes:
The author, unfortunately, seems to imply that Imposter Syndrome and negative childhood experiences are the exclusive realm of the 'sexist world we live in' ... It may be my own interpretation, and a light shining on my own Imposter Syndrome, but I feel strongly that exclusion is not exclusive to females.
Quoting:The author, unfortunately, seems to imply that Imposter Syndrome and negative childhood experiences are the exclusive realm of the 'sexist world we live in
i read through the story and i can't find how you get that impression. "imposter syndrome" is mentioned in one paragraph only, without any implication that i can see. same for negative childhood experiences. the teacher called her stupid, that's all. there is no claim that this was gender related.
i agree with your other observations though. very insightful.
btw, according to her linkedin profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/larissashapiro she worked at sun until 2004. so that's only a 1 year break at the most. (and she didn't stop working in that time either)
greetings, eMBee.
I'm old enough to remember nerd being used to describe people who had never touched a computer. I have a hard time reserving the term for hardcore programmers. I have heard the term applied in all the following ways: computer nerds, comic book nerds, video game nerds, various types of science ("weather nerd") and music nerds-- even sports nerds (for sports stat trackers)! Almost everything I have ever taken a serious interest in eventually seems to somehow become something that the nerd label can be applied to. Perhaps it's partly me. ;-)
The term nerd used to be the reason I was picked on at school and also the reason I managed never to go out at lunch times.
Computer club, chess club, music club, book club, dungeons and dragons.
A nerd used to be a derogatory term. Now a nerd appears to be given hero status.
Computer club, chess club, music club, book club, dungeons and dragons.
A nerd used to be a derogatory term. Now a nerd appears to be given hero status.
>A nerd used to be a derogatory term. Now a nerd appears to be given hero status.
That's because today's mega-'nerds' have mega-cash.
Always. Follow. The. Money.
>Computer club, chess club, music club, book club, dungeons and dragons.
Yesterday's mega-'nerds' are today's 'neck-beards'... and it twas the neck beards who made everything possible.
Real nerds have neck beards, even the ladies, like Dwarves and probably Beorns.
That's because today's mega-'nerds' have mega-cash.
Always. Follow. The. Money.
>Computer club, chess club, music club, book club, dungeons and dragons.
Yesterday's mega-'nerds' are today's 'neck-beards'... and it twas the neck beards who made everything possible.
Real nerds have neck beards, even the ladies, like Dwarves and probably Beorns.
Hey, when a guy from India calls me his "Internet guru," well, who am I to argue? LOL
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