Do nerds live the "good life" later down the road, or is that just a myth? - Page 2

flyingllama · 08-11-2009, 04:20 PM

could we consider stephen hawking a nerd? he's a legend

zap v2 · 08-11-2009, 07:33 PM

The people posting above are completely wrong.

The "good life" for me is one that is not that social. It depends on the definition of "good life." Okay?

pandem · 08-11-2009, 08:12 PM

This is such a sad topic.

hellojan · 08-12-2009, 12:38 AM

I agreed with Zap. I think so-called nerds are often forced to consider their own abilities and perspectives a little more carefully than, say, athletic prom royalty. As a result, nerds reject the accepted meaning of a "good life."

They're also smart enough to know that doing anything different would be foolish.

u§ername · 08-12-2009, 01:29 AM

lol there is no accepted meaning of a good life.

Mike41691 · 08-12-2009, 01:28 PM

It seems like someone should throw this out there; researchers have to be able to network too. Academia is very political. Sometimes it's finding your next job, sometimes it's securing more funding, but you aren't just left alone with unlimited resources and brilliant peers to research whatever your heart desires, you have to have social skills and the ability to network just like every other person with career ambitions.

Source: someone whose family is split pretty evenly between academics and private-sector workers.

pandem · 08-12-2009, 08:24 PM

Nope, nerds don't live the good life. As already stated, social skills are a key trait in successful people. You may be the smartest man alive, but without the ability to convey your thoughts effectively, you are useless.

JBVirtuoso · 08-12-2009, 10:07 PM

To answer this, a definition of a nerd is in order.

If a nerd is someone without any social skills, then no. Nerds do not live the "good life."

If a nerd is someone who cares about academics and technology, but can still hold a conversation and eye contact at the same time, then there is no reason a nerd can't live the "good life."