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In the ongoing battle between geek and nerd, one must take sides, but how can this be done without a solid argument for both personas? We here at Masters In IT (a mix of nerds and geeks) decided that it's time to lay all the cards on the table to determine which is better and answer the question some fear to know: Are you a geek, or a nerd? History: The terms geek and nerd may sometimes seem synonymous, but they have very different roots in history: Nerd: This term was coined from Dr. Seuss in 1954 in a line that read "A nerkle, a nerd, and a seersucker too!" - So really nerkle and seersucker are synonymous with nerd Geek: While used as a derogatory term originally, the word "geek" gained popularity in the circus. Circus performers that performed amazing feats were Geeks Nerd Traits: Extreme interest or fascination with academics

Introverted

Socially Inept

Diverse and sometimes impractical skillets due to broad interests in games, movies, science, computers, etc.

A PC

Interest might include: Battlestar Galactica (BSG), LARPing, SecondLife, Physics, Chess, Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Computer programming Likely nerd jobs: Rocket scientist

Reclusive and renowned professor

Computer programmer

Engineer

IT professional

Inventor

Or work at a video store Nerd Talk: You know you're talking to a nerd when they insert obscure references into a sentence: "There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who don't." "I would love to change the world, but they won't give me the source code." "The box said 'Requires Windows 95 or better' so I installed LINUX." Nerd Love: nerds marry other nerds, it's the natural state of the universe." Geek Traits: Someone with a specifc niche interest/lifestyle that they have become the expert on

A fan of gadgets

An early adopter

A Mac

Wears ironic t-shirts

Can be pretentious and longwinded

Knowledge can range from mundane to "living encyclopedia" status

Interests might include gaming, film (both artsy and anything Will Ferrel stars in), collecting, gadgets/tech, computing, coding, hacking, techno music, screen printing, etc. Likely geek jobs: Web design/development

IT professional

Marketer

Graphic designer

Game designer/developer

Barista at an indie coffee shop

Entrepreneur

Record store

Bartender Geek Talk: You know you're talking to a geek when they remind you of their "hip" lifestyle by discussing their "cool" habits or dropping pop culture references: "There's nothing like kicking it to some crunchy bass while enjoying a good Malbec" "60% of the time it works all the time" [while pulling out their iPhone] "Let me pull out my pocket iPad" Geek Love: geeks can fall for and marry non-geeks Factoids/Stats: 17% of Americans identify as geeks

65% of video game designers identify as geeks

50% of technology engineers identify as geeks

37% of bloggers identify as geeks

87% of people prefer the word "geek" over "nerd"

66% of millennials think "geek" is a compliment

45% of people believe geeks are early adopters

31% of people believe geeks have a higher chance of being successful

On average, self-identifed geeks have a better view of themselves than others view geeks

41% of people would be comfortable called a geek while only 24% would be comfortable called a nerd

A geek would rather be called a geek over a hipster (23% are OK with being called hipster while 41% are OK with being called a geek)