How to get along with nerds.

First things first, my good friend Jason Wieringa who helped me out a ton on my learning to code journey has started a new site that you should definitely check out....and no there is no kick back for me, I just really believe in what he's doing, so check it out!  Jason Wieringa.



The truth is nerds/developers are really smart, too smart, and even though they usually won't admit it, they look down on people that are not as smart or who they think aren't intelligent.

Here's the secret: Nerds are smart, but they have a little known weakness: Nerds equate people with "quirky" or "weird" behaviour to be more intelligent.


Okay, so you know I'm an impostor, I'm not a "full-blown-coding-from-birth-developer" and as such it's kind of funny getting to interact with this unique race of human species :-)

If you are coming from a a completely different background like: retail, garbage collector, business degree, landscaper...etc. (those are all true professions that I know of people trying to make the switch). Making the switch can be tough, but getting along with nerds is another whole skill entirely.


When feeling dumb or feeling inferior, here's how to look/feel more intelligent when facing an entire room full of nerds:

(1) Argue Math symbols.

Now don't argue how math works or equations because you will lose. However talking about why a certain math symbol came about and why it's important that everyone understands that, will always make nerds rethink whether you're intelligent or not.

(2) Have a position. or Collect something weird.

All nerds believe in something VERY sincerely, whether it be in collecting old Star Wars Lego sets from the 1960's or Barbie dolls. Or whether Linux is better than Macs, which text editor is better, the type of wine/beer you should drink. Why the world is actually a fake reality and in fact we are all just part of a realistic computer program and we don't even know it!

* What this means to you? Be Quirky! Pick something, I don't care what and become the "expert" on why it's important and why it will save the world, then when a discussion comes up at a meetup group or wherever, vehemently defend your point with weird worthless facts that are very subjective and depend on some unknown person that died in 1952. All nerds have this weird thing about them where they must be right on their one chosen subject, or collect something that you or I would be prone to throw away.

(3) The "art" of nerd talk.

There are only 2 ways to talk as a nerd: VERY SLOW with LONG pauses, or EXTREMELY FAST or even better, at a speed so fast you spit saliva or stutter.

* What this means to you? When in doubt of something or nervous, speed up your talking and look around the room with you eyes bugging out like a pug and nod your head a lot. If that technique doesn't restore your confidence when in a room full of nerds, try a SUDDEN LONG pause, look down at the table, squint, clear your throat loudly, look up and make your point very slowly while scratching the back of your head like a tick is biting you.

Okay so these rules may not be "chiseled in stone" facts, but seriously nerds are a weird/funny group. I like nerds and think its fun to be around them. Some people get offend by nerds, or can't get along. I'll give you tips you can take to the bank. Maybe I'll even show you how to tell when a nerd is feeling dumb and how to instantly get smarter in 5 seconds: "the secret nerds never share".

Oh, life is good! How can you not be happy when you get to make good money and learn lots of new things everyday?

You can still apply to my "Get hired the hard way" where I'll mentor you for 8 months and get you hired. Email me and I'll send you an application: joshuakemp85@gmail.com.

Don't forget to check out my book: "No Degree, No Problem" and if it helps you out, please leave a review on Amazon. It's hard to sell enough books to buy a private island without any Amazon reviews :-)

-Josh