by MK

Created on: June 06, 2008

There was a time when a geek was someone unhip. The word had negative connotations. To be deemed a geek or a nerd was certain social suicide. No one wanted to be one. No one wanted to be seen in the company of one.

Today, the word is used to identify someone with more than a passing interest in a subject. There are Scrabble geeks, Nintendo geeks, physics geeks and art geeks. It's no longer uncool to be a geek. It just means you're really into something.

Some of us might not even be aware that the word geek has changed to mean something totally different than it did about 20 years ago. It's no longer synonymous with the word nerd or dork. A computer geek is no longer the unattractive guy with his pants hiked up too high, hair parted and slicked back, and larger-than-life glasses. Today geeks have tattoos, multiple piercings and dress trendily. So how do you go about identifying a computer geek?

The computer geek is obsessed with computers. He has more knowledge than the average user. He knows how to reinstall a system, upgrade an application and recover from a virus attack. If there is a problem, he won't just solve it, he will troubleshoot to get to the root cause. Users with computer problems will go to him for support and help before calling Tech Support. They will refer to him affectionately as their computer guru.

Despite the technical expertise, he will most probably be lacking in social graces. He will avoid situations that require socializing and networking. Conversations that go outside his realm of comfort will cause him great distress and unease. He probably won't make eye contact very well, especially with the opposite sex. He won't have much of a sense of humour. Jokes will fall flat in most cases, as they will make a reference to some obscure cyberspace factoid that no one else is aware of.

The computer geek will put technical expertise ahead of social acceptance. His zeal to master a skill would be outside the ordinary. The opportunity to learn something new will bring him much excitement. He will willingly devote time outside work to it.

It can be difficult to pick out the geeks from the rest of the office population. Most ppl in the workplace are computer literate. The geek's literacy level, though, is far above the average person. He will proudly christen himself a computer geek, so that should make it a little if not a whole lot easier.

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