I have been a working developer for 8 years - 5 years ago and meet my ex-wife and 4 years ago we go married. 1 year ago, we got divorced. I will admit that the long hours that I would work didn't help. A few months before our seperation, I had just finished a project that had me working 80 hours a week for 3 months straight!! That really put a strain on things. But in the end I can't blame my job or the career. Point blank - I didn't respect her. She hadn't graduated high school, and I couldn't convince her to go to college, not too mention she didn't help out around the house. However, all my peers are educated, have good paying salary jobs, or at least do something productive. When I would see the hot girl in marketing, or even the normal decent looking girl programming on my team, I would be jealous and wish my wife could be like them. In the end, that destroyed my marriage. However, it was for the better;)
As for our son (who is now 4), he is taking it ok. It is happening early enough in life that he doesn't really know any better. At first he was confused and when he was with either of us, he missed the other. But ultimately, my wife and I being apart is better for him because he doesn't see me being a jerk to her, nor does he see us arguing. I want him to grow up respecting women, and be seeing me not respecting my wife would have taught him wrong.
Aa
I not the geekiest guy, but I am pretty damn close. I have been writing software since i was 10 years old, and doing evertyhing from assembler to basic. I can talk protocols, architecture, and best practices. I always have some kind of book with me related to software and computers. However, this does not impress anyone. Nobody cares if you know how a computer works, or what registers and opcodes are - unless there computer breaks.
However, geeks have definitely come into the spotlight in the past 6 or 7 years. Geeks are getting attention in TV shows, as another poster already pointed out, like in CSI, House, and Mythbusters (not so sure how many non-geeks watch Mythbusters though). Geeks do seem to get a certain amount of respect though - but usually from co-workers and other more intelligent people. Have you noticed the number of people that claim to be hackers, and brag to their friends about how they secretly downloaded movies by hacking through mainframes and evading the man (read "used Kazaa")? These people want the respect and admiration that is given to those that truely *can do*.
Being a geek does not mean that you have to be socially inept, pale, and skinny (or way overweight). I go out frequently, date lots of beautiful women, and hit the gym 3-4 times a week. Being a geek is about capability and interest. The capability to solve complex problems and the interest to discover them in the first place. The capability to discuss intricate systems with a high level of comprehension and understanding.
Being a geek is most definitely *not* owning toys (iPods, Media Center PCs, etc), pocket protectors, bad hygiene, or even caffeine. And many people like to throw in that gamers are geeks. While gamers can be geeks, many gamers can't even begin to tell you about the inner workings of a PC, or even their beloved PS2/XBox/Gamecube.
And for those of you who identify yourselves as geeks, this does not mean that you can't shower everyday, have to drink so much caffeine that you have a heart murmor, or hang out in computer stores. I mean for crying out loud, take a shower!!
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I have been a working developer for 8 years - 5 years ago and meet my ex-wife and 4 years ago we go married. 1 year ago, we got divorced. I will admit that the long hours that I would work didn't help. A few months before our seperation, I had just finished a project that had me working 80 hours a week for 3 months straight!! That really put a strain on things. But in the end I can't blame my job or the career. Point blank - I didn't respect her. She hadn't graduated high school, and I couldn't convince her to go to college, not too mention she didn't help out around the house. However, all my peers are educated, have good paying salary jobs, or at least do something productive. When I would see the hot girl in marketing, or even the normal decent looking girl programming on my team, I would be jealous and wish my wife could be like them. In the end, that destroyed my marriage. However, it was for the better ;)
As for our son (who is now 4), he is taking it ok. It is happening early enough in life that he doesn't really know any better. At first he was confused and when he was with either of us, he missed the other. But ultimately, my wife and I being apart is better for him because he doesn't see me being a jerk to her, nor does he see us arguing. I want him to grow up respecting women, and be seeing me not respecting my wife would have taught him wrong.
Aa
I not the geekiest guy, but I am pretty damn close. I have been writing software since i was 10 years old, and doing evertyhing from assembler to basic. I can talk protocols, architecture, and best practices. I always have some kind of book with me related to software and computers. However, this does not impress anyone. Nobody cares if you know how a computer works, or what registers and opcodes are - unless there computer breaks.
However, geeks have definitely come into the spotlight in the past 6 or 7 years. Geeks are getting attention in TV shows, as another poster already pointed out, like in CSI, House, and Mythbusters (not so sure how many non-geeks watch Mythbusters though). Geeks do seem to get a certain amount of respect though - but usually from co-workers and other more intelligent people. Have you noticed the number of people that claim to be hackers, and brag to their friends about how they secretly downloaded movies by hacking through mainframes and evading the man (read "used Kazaa")? These people want the respect and admiration that is given to those that truely *can do*.
Being a geek does not mean that you have to be socially inept, pale, and skinny (or way overweight). I go out frequently, date lots of beautiful women, and hit the gym 3-4 times a week. Being a geek is about capability and interest. The capability to solve complex problems and the interest to discover them in the first place. The capability to discuss intricate systems with a high level of comprehension and understanding.
Being a geek is most definitely *not* owning toys (iPods, Media Center PCs, etc), pocket protectors, bad hygiene, or even caffeine. And many people like to throw in that gamers are geeks. While gamers can be geeks, many gamers can't even begin to tell you about the inner workings of a PC, or even their beloved PS2/XBox/Gamecube.
And for those of you who identify yourselves as geeks, this does not mean that you can't shower everyday, have to drink so much caffeine that you have a heart murmor, or hang out in computer stores. I mean for crying out loud, take a shower!!
Aa