Many of my geek brethren may have noticed this article claiming that geeks make for better adults. The theory is that the teenagers who tend to be outsiders in high school are more likely to be successful adults because of the same qualities that made them outsiders. In other words, the nerdy, socially awkward kid who always gets grief from her classmates is the one most likely to create a startup that will make her a millionaire. It’s a comforting notion that plays to the I’ll-show-them streak that can be found in most of my kind, but it also seems a little too tidy. Success as an adult is a deeply subjective concept. For some, it may mean financial success while for others it might mean a rich family life. The article seems to use professional achievement as its metric for success. That’s fine, but I’m not sure that constitutes a “better” adult.
