<p>I've always heard of the nerdy, anti-social engineering major stereotype, but I'm not seeing it. When do they show up?</p>
<p>The majority in my classes, it's your average "smart" guy. He has a healthy friend circle. No highly noticeable problems speaking up or carrying a "so-and-so" conversation. There may be some really nerdy people, but they're more infrequent than the frat guys. </p>
<p>How was the composition in your courses?</p>
<p>There’s a reason it’s a stereotype and not a statistic. Engineers are, by and large, normal people, despite what high schoolers are led to believe.</p>
<p>From my own experience within astronomy/physics departments, I’ve met a few hyper nerds, but they’re the exception, not the rule. That said, one of my coworkers who just finished his BS in Mechanical Engineering is an unabashed Brony… </p>
<p>Agree with boneh3ad. It’s a stereotype. Both my sons are engineers and are typical , normal, athletic, social guys with lots of friends. </p>
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<p>Ouch! I’ve been called a lot of ugly names in my life, but normal isn’t one of them! How boring. </p>
<p>Heh. That all depends on how you define normal as it pertains to personalities. I’d argue that a “normal person” always has his or her own quirks and unique personality and that the lemmings are not normal.</p>
<p>Well, Lake Jr. loves video games (but doesn’t play all night), Chemical Engineering, Chinese food, the Iliad and the Odyssey, politics, and the Red Sox. Don’t know if that makes him a nerd. </p>
<p>I think the “nerdy, anti-social engineering major stereotype” derives in part from the fact that engineering is one ofi the fields where people who might be on autism / aspergers spectrum can be very successful.</p>
<p>Much of what used to constitute Nerd behavior (interest in video games, sci-fi, Dungeons and Dragons, computers, technology, etc.) have been mainstreamed and adopted by the general student population. My sons attend a very intense STEM school and the kids there are just as outgoing and involved as the kids in the neighborhood base schools.</p>
<p>I was a second-semester graduate student sitting in the back of my first Finite Elements class meeting when the new guys came in. I remember thinking, “Hmm, not much of a ‘crop’ this semester!” One of them wore thick glasses and a dorky western shirt. Thank goodness he took the initiative to talk to me, because he cleaned up pretty good! We were engaged within three months. That was in 1985.</p>
<p>I am glad I looked past his nerdy exterior, because he was a keeper! He’s 60 now and looks fabulous - nobody believes he’s that old!</p>
<p>This is a nitpick but for you people using anti social please go look up the actual definition because its not what the word implies. Also, people who have trouble speaking in social situations is because they have social anxiety, not introversion which is common misconception also. Lastly, people who can’t pick up social ques, meaning the extremes of both ends, like not being able to carry a conversation or say not knowing what personal space is are people that land on the autism spectrum with acute cases of it being aspergers.</p>
<p>anti social behavior for example is criminal behavior like raping, stealing, killing, etc. things that would be negatively deviant or taboo</p>
<p>I know this is an engineering subforum but really you need to go read a laymens book on psychology & sociology and all this will be explained to you. </p>
<p>also, you wont find a lot “nerds” now a days because the majority of people doing engineering are doing it for the money and don’t care about get an in depth view of how things work, they’re simple doing it for the money and go for the quickest and easiest fit like memorizing formulas for tests</p>
<p>edit: I’m only saying this because 1.) I am introverted and I can’t stand it when people relate introversion to anti social or autism, all introversion means is that you can’t be around people as long as extroverts, us introverts can still communicate properly when need/want to 2.) I hate it when people self claim to have aspergers when they’ve never been tested and are actually just introverts or are just narcissists making excuses </p>
<p>Can someone clue me in on where the “money jobs” for engineers are??? I don’t know any engineers who went into it for the money.</p>
<p>I am a current engineering student, and I am speaking from first hand experience talking to my classmates. A lot of them are going into this thinking they’ll get six figure jobs or something when the median starting is around 60K. </p>
<p>If you want money go into business</p>
<p>I can’t imagine someone doing engineering for the money…Enduring all this crap for a six figure job you’re not going to get? </p>
<p>Make your own start-up. It’ll be easier. </p>
<p>Aww that’s a cute story MaineLonghorn</p>
<p>Nerdy does not mean they cannot hold a conversation. They just look nerdy.</p>
<p>MaineLonghorn, I look forward to the movie version of your romance. I’m guessing it would be great fun. By the way, that’s why I love Ty Burrell on ‘Modern Family.’ Being a realtor, he’s not a STEM guy buy he’s the off-center nerdy fellow who landed the best girl at the dance, so to speak.</p>
<p>"…BUT he’s the off-center nerdy fellow…"</p>
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No one said that’s what nerd means. :)</p>
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Sorry, this struck a sore spot for you. I’ll correct myself. </p>
<p>I’ve always heard of the nerdy, asocial engineering major stereotype, but I’m not seeing it. When do they show up?</p>
<p>@Niquii77 Don’t worry, threads like this always bring out the amateur psychologists.</p>