Just a simple thought tonight: When I was a kid many of my friends would comment in a disparaging manner that I was always involved “working on electronic junk” or similar. Isn’t it interesting how this hobby (along with astronomy) has transformed into a way to feed my family? All other aspects aside, it’s the passion for learning, growing and making that drives my days, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to be in this industry that allows me to discover the limits of potential in these areas. I wonder how many people, along the course of their lives, are deterred to pursue the sciences because of the stigma of “nerdiness” assigned to such fields? Even more interesting is the un-nerdiness I find amongst the people I work with. Most of my colleagues and customers would classify as highly intelligent, but extremely physically active people. Training for a triathalon, a marathon, or recounting an experience backpacking or rock climbing is a common conversation to have while working at a job site. Some of the healthiest, most active people I know are working in labs or manufacturing highly technical products. How can those of us in this field change this stigma? Every day that a young, brilliant mind is stifled through peer pressure is a day we lose a cure for cancer, a novel approach to energy creation, or simply a method of building a better mousetrap. How do we as a community change this? How do we as a culture change it? I guess questions like these are never good to ask at 9pm on a monday….:-)
– Austin
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