The difference between a geek and a nerd
To help clear up the air, here is a guideline to show the difference between your 'geekish neighbour' and your 'office nerd'.
Nerds and geeks are a species of their own.
One of the biggest mistakes one can make is to classify a nerd and a geek as the same life form.
To help clear up the air, here is a guideline to show the difference between your ‘geekish neighbour’ and your ‘office nerd’.
1) Interests
A geek is someone who has an almost obsessive interest in one particular thing and knows it on an expert level.
While it isn’t uncommon for a geek to have more than one interest, there’s always one subject that takes precedence over the others.
Nerds, on the other hand, concern themselves with academics such as mathematics and science, generally doing very well in their studies.
2) Attire
Nerds are normally conservative about their clothing and often opt for trousers, button down shirts, and formal shoes.
As for eye-wear, nerds don’t always need prescription glasses, neither do they feel the desire to make a fashion statement.
Geeks, on the other hand, want their clothes to be a reflection of their interests.
Sneakers, jeans, and a graphic art t-shirt featuring a comic book hero, cartoon, or movie character is almost standard uniform.
3) Future Occupations
Geeks want to have fun while they work and generally become writers, graphic artists, or animators.
Nerds tend to gravitate towards careers such as computer programmers, scientists, and professional abacus builders.
4) Social Interaction
Nerds are sometimes introverted, especially since many people do not share their interests and nerds often don’t know how to respond in an appropriate way during a conversation with someone else.
This results in them searching for other nerds or simply sticking to themselves.
Geeks, however, react better to social stimuli, but their interests can cause havoc without them realising it.
Due to the passion of their interests, geeks can get carried away about their favourite comic and interests they might have, leaving those that do not understand it out of the conversation.
Even though the other person might show boredom in the conversation, the typical geek won’t realise the other person would rather change the topic.
