It Pays to be a Nerd

Michael Jordan did not become arguably the best basketball player ever by sitting around and saying he’s got skill. He constantly worked on it. He wasn’t worried about how other kids around him were having a ball while he had to sweat. Even Edison said “Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” You don’t have to become an Edison or a Jordan but to sail through life smoothly, you need an education.

In these tough times, your parents may be wondering whether their paycheck will be enough or whether they will even have a job. This fear is running through the minds of millions, many who have lost their homes in these troubled times. Is there a way of fixing your future to avoid such a scene? Yes. Pick out the subjects that you like the most and study. Earn a degree by finishing college instead of dropping out of school.

Historically, science (including medicine) and engineering education has ensured a steady return on the investment – of time, money and effort. Ask the Indians. Smart as they are, some of them even overdo it. In some states of India, every other person has a science, engineering or medical degree.

Recent studies1 show that the average starting salary of a graduate with a liberal arts degree was about $33,000 while that of a person holding a technical degree was over $56,000. That’s $1900 more every month. That difference surely grows as the experience grows.

So stop making fun of your classmates who get good grades. A few years from now they are the ones who are going to be in high demand with the chicks while you may end up handing out ketchup packets and asking them “do you want fries with that?” And unlike the commonly caricatured eyeglass-wearing, pocket protector-toting characters shown in movies and television, your friends graduating from college will have money to spend on gyms, spas and fancy sneakers. How much money do you think you’ll be saving tossing fries or delivering newspapers for a living?

Ok, you are convinced but don’t know how to get started? It isn’t hard. Maybe you could cut down a little bit on TV. The shows are not that great anyway – if they were, you wouldn’t be switching channels. Yes, the harder you study, the more you will succeed but you don’t have to sweat all the time. Pace yourself. It’s more like a long distance run. You need regular practice. Just a couple of hours a day should do it if you stick to it. Before you know it, you’ll be doing well in school while still having time to hang out with your friends. You do need to make these small sacrifices now to reap the benefit.

Remember. It pays to be a nerd.

1 Best entry-level salaries for new grads, CNN.com http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/04/28/cb.salaries.grads/index.html