Ladies, give the geeky guy a chance!
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In case you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last ten years—geeks have taken Hollywood and the dating scene by storm. With popular shows like The Office, The Big Bang Theory, andSherlock casting the likes of Steve Carrel, John Krasinski, Jim Parsons, and Benedict Cumberbatch, women all over the world started searching for their own Mr. Knight in Shining (albeit role playing) Armor. The internet has since been abuzz with various reasons why you should date a geek, but I’d like to take it a step further. Behold, ten reasons why marrying a geek was the best decision I ever made—and why you should too:
1. You get a personal techie for life.
Let’s get the most obvious feature of coupling up with a computer wiz out of the way —- you never have to feel outsmarted by a tech gadget ever again. In fact, your nerdy hubby might even revel in the moments that he gets to demonstrate his technical prowess for you! An added bonus — you can use said knowledge as a bartering tool. Faucet broke? No problem! Uncle Jim the plumber can come over and fix it for a couple hours’ worth of computer debugging. Problem solved.
2. Geeks are very passionate about stuff — lots of it.
Whether he’s into video gaming, role playing, or building new computers from scratch — your geeky husband has interesting hobbies of his own. This works out great because now you have extra time on Tuesday nights for a Netflix marathon or a night out with the girls while your man runs his weekly DnD session. The best part—he doesn’t expect you to be interested in his hobbies, and doesn’t feel the need to explain them to you either (Honestly, who can say that about Monday night football?).
3. They’re creative!
Geeky men are incredibly creative. They spend hours thinking up alternate universes with detailed character names and descriptions for role playing games, and some of them even design and build original video games and computer programs. You can bet that your Christmas gift isn’t going to be some lame infomercial product or random gift certificate at the mall. House hunting with your geeky hubby? Not to worry—he’ll be able to see some potential in that run down Cape you can barely afford.
4. AND extremely thoughtful.
Speaking of gifts and holidays — your man will never forget them! He can give you an accurate figure of how long you’ve been dating, engaged or married right down to the day. Your husband will also check the ratings and reviews on almost every product that he buys (hello Amazon!), only selecting the best for you.
5. Not to mention successful!
It’s no surprise that most geeks have impressive career goals and positive job outlooks. Now, I’m not advocating that you move to Silicon Valley and marry the first web developer you can find, but there is something to be said for financial stability in a life partner, and it shouldn’t be overlooked.
6. Geeks are loyal by nature.
They are loyal to their chosen geekdom, and most importantly — loyal to you. (Ever been lucky enough to witness a debate over which operating system is better, or who played the best Doctor? You’ll catch my drift here.) It goes without saying that loyalty is imperative to a healthy marriage.
7. They’re also low maintenance.
Most geeky men could care less if you have designer shoes, and unfortunately if that’s your thing,they probably couldn’t identify them either. Your nerdy hubby is likely to prefer you fresh-faced and in your comfiest clothes. They’re also very appreciative of small gestures like homemade cards (bonus points if you incorporate a nerdy pun like “you auto-complete me!”) and baked goods. But really, what man doesn’t love a delicious baked good?
8. They make the BEST trivia teammates!
All that random knowledge can be put to the test at a weekly trivia night! Doubling as a date night or fun on the town with some friends, this gives both of you a chance to de-stress and have a good time!
9. They have genuinely nice friends.
Forget overgrown frat boys and sports obsessed meatheads, you are likely to inherit a couple of sweet and sensitive nerdy guy friends when you marry one of their clan. I can honestly say that my husband’s friends are also my best friends—one of them was even the JP at our wedding!
10. And a great sense of humor.
Geeks have the best sense of humor. Because they’re so smart wit comes naturally to them, however they’re not a pretentious bunch. My husband laughs harder at my bad puns more than anyone I know (which is obviously a key factor in the longevity of our marriage). He can also keep up with my lightning-fast banter, which would likely fall on deaf ears and confused faces were he an aforementioned meathead.
The best part about marrying a geek is that they come in all different packages, all of which have something wonderfully unique and understated to offer. If you accept their quirks and support their passions they are more than willing to do the same for you. Besides, we all have a little geek in us—whether you’re into knitting, climbing all the 4,000 footers, or fantasy football—I bet you’ve got something you “fan girl” over every now and then. So give the geeky guy a chance!
Photo credit: Saulo Cruz/flickr
I am married to a geek but I’m not geek, nerd or whatever.
He is good for me in many ways but lately he has bullying me enough quite often , in short he thinks that I am not capable for certain jobs or skills, I never had my confidence and self esteem so low as now, I feel down and sad and sometimes he makes me think am not really capable for certain things I wnat do.
Very disappointed with this article, GMP. What is this? Resurrecting decade-old stereotypes and cliches, with a dash of sexism on top? Being a nerd/geek doesn’t carry the stigma it once does – because face it, tech has become the new finance in the West and even New York is scrambling to follow. No longer are nerds/geeks some underdogs in need of our pity. An entire generation of young intellectual and driven talent has demonstrated that they’re more than capable of holding their own and creating paradigm shifts in how we view the world and our future. You have nerds who… Read more »
Programmers~ We’d rather believe and regret than doubt and regret.
First so there’s no confusion, I am a woman. Second, I am a feminist. Third, the best thing I ever did was date someone who society would label a “nerd.” I am a bit disappointed with this article. I thought it would be insightful. I thought it would be thought provoking. However, it was very cliché, exactly what someone would assume an article about a “regular” (I guess, I don’t know if the author is a nerd or not, she does not make her “label” clear) gal would think about dating a nerd. So I’d like to set the record… Read more »
8of10 – I’m so sorry that you went through that. No one deserves that kind of treatment. For what it’s worth, women like that, well…they’re often some of the most miserable people on the inside and it follows them for life (I know a few women like that – miserable since high school – and they’re STILL not happy). Personally , I don’t feel a person’s worth lies in what they bring to a relationship. A person’s worth is inherent…a given, regardless of what they do. I do; however, feel that the act of being in a relationship means that… Read more »
I’ve always dated ‘geeks’ because I’m a geek too. I’m a vocal, educated and personable woman with a lot of interesting things to say…..and ‘geeks’ were always the most interested in me. I also have a low tolerance for BS and, to date, I’ve dealt with less BS from most geeks than the standard ‘jock’, ‘pretty boy’ or ‘alpha’. That’s not to say there aren’t decent jocks, etc. (I know all sorts of guys who aren’t geeks that are decent…just as I have met geeks that were jerks) I just have more in common with geeks and have had more… Read more »
So once again, a man’s worth is only in what he can provide for women. Please tell me, as a nerd who has been bullied all my life and told by women that I should just go back to my dungeon. Why should I give another woman the time of day, or access to my resources ever?
A man’s worth, in the sense of a lover, is usually linked to what he can do/offer for women, yes. The same goes for a woman’s worth as a lover (heteronormatively speaking here). Like a transaction. Human relations are a trade.
You should do what you feel is better for you. No one cares.
I’m not saying I disagree with you, but like a previous commenter mentioned “subtext”….As a woman, the subtext I got here is that we are more interested in shoes, and we need someone to explain techie things to us, or fix them for us. ‘Man is smart, Woman is only interested in consumerism or baking’ still overshadows the “kind” man ethos. Why can’t the woman fix her own gadgets or play DnD with you? Patriarchal assumptions, even from “Good Men”. Just something to think about….
I agree with Linda – as I was reading this I kept thinking about all nerdy geeky girls I know
“Patriarchal assumptions, even from “Good Men”. Just something to think about….”
This article was written by a woman…
“This article was written by a woman…”
And?
This is a generalization across the board. Obviously there are geeky girls and geeky men who are bad husband material. But as a generalization, the wast majority of geeks obviously are men, the majority of car mechanics are also men, etc.
Nope, approximately 42% of the major gaming market is women, there are more and more females involved in the tech industry, some of the best comics are being written by women and one of the top selling marvel comics stars a woman. I’d say the male to female ratio is fairly even as far as involvement. Women are still treated as non existent and uninterested in geeky things, but that’s an obvious misstep being taken by idiots within the culture. It’s just an outdated stereotype that you are referring to.
I really enjoyed reading this. Our young adult son is a geek in the best sense of the word, and he will make a great husband – for all of these reasons.
Appreciate your sincere attempt to acquire Nerd-cred, but it’s not “Best decision ever.” It’s “Best. Decision. Ever!” You’re still a Padawan. 😉
This.
However geeky guys also have a tendency to fetishes, so be very clear on what yours are, first.
Subtext is always something I look at in these articles. It always interests me what kind of value is associated with what kind of man, and what they can provide for someone.