|
I was a nerd and miserable through 6th-9th grades. In my first year of high school (9th grade), I found out that one of the regulars to the BBSs in the area was a 10th grader in my high school. Like me, he was very smart and computer-oriented, but unlike me, he was friends with everybody, from the nerds to the bandmembers to the jocks. He did it by not being afraid of anyone and having a great sense of humor.
I befriended him and followed him around for a year and learned quite a bit, and I graduated one of the most popular people in my class and the two classes behind me. I didn't do it by joining the football team or running for class president, but by making people laugh and not being afraid, envious or superior.
Since then, I've had no problems making friends and being popular at work (very good when you're the IT guy), and I believe it's helped my career. In fact, I get a lot of "you're not like the normal IT nerds" comments, which means I've done my job.
|