My name is Man Cannon, and I'm a nerd. Yup, that's right. My brother and I were raised by our mom (my parents were divorced when I was in the 3rd grade), so we never really had much money when I was growing up. I distinctly recall the days when my peers in middle school would be talking about the latest fashionable Cavaricci jeans (which, at the time, cost about $75 per pair) while I was trying to figure out how to make enough money to buy groceries. Hunger was constant. Food was a major issue. Fashionable clothing was just about the furthest thing from my mind.
So, as I grew up, the priority schedule was basically to get the best grades possible while at the same time working at a restaurant (that was about all I could do when I was that young). I worked at a 24-hour diner which involved quite a trek to get to (20 minutes of rollerblading to the bus stop, followed by a 45 minute bus ride). It was a tough living, but I had no choice. I needed to get good grades so that I could get into a good school, get my degree, and then get a good job.
True to the Asian American way, my choices were Electrical Engineer, Computer Scientist, Doctor, or Lawyer. Of these rather limited choices, I chose Computer Science. My nerdiness throughout middle school, high school, and college paid off as I graduated Magna Cum Laude and was able to jumpstart my career to where I am now (most recently I was able to get myself into the top 2% of highest-paid contractors in my division of over 2,000 people. Not too shabby for a nerdy Asian American kid).
I have always loved chess, strategy games (board games: Risk, Battleship, Axis & Allies; video games: Warcraft II, Starcraft, Total Annihilation). When I was in high school I founded the yo-yo club, and I was able to get a Vice President from Duncan Yo-Yos to come to my high school to demonstrate their latest yo-yo related products. Yep, I'm a friggin nerd.
I chose the typical Asian American career path: A "safe" career in the financial industry as a computer programmer. Forget about individuality, differentiating myself, finding my passions in life (god forbid I should have any of those!), and anything else that had to do with searching for my own destiny. Then, a few things in my life started changing for the better. I started to realize that I have a lot of passions, interests, and personality. I started exploring various hobbies and interests (to the complete and utter disappointment and disapproval of my only parent). It was tough. It was difficult doing things without my parent's approval after having spent my entire life being raised to think that my parent's opinion is the only one that mattered. (note: in the hard-core Confucian value system in Asia, a younger person can NEVER surpass an older person in experience, knowledge, or any other area of life except for biological longevity).
I slowly began taking more risks, including changing my career path to go independent, and leave the world of employeeship in order to become an independent technology contractor. This is when I began developing new interpersonal skills, because I found myself having to basically sell myself. A lot! The biggest change occurred when I completed my
http://www.abcofattraction.com bootcamp. That was a major turning point in my life, because I was able to learn various nuances about social etiquette that I never learned before-- not from my parents, not from my peers, not from anyone. I utilized those social tools (in a slightly modified format that is appropriate for the working-professional world), and applied them to my contracting work. The results were astounding. By combining my superb skill at being a nerdy computer science geek, along with my newly acquired social skills, I was able to reach the top of the professional ladder. At my most recent contracting gig, I was commanding very handsome contractor's rate.
I am a nerd. I will always love doing nerdy, geeky things. I was also once a nerd who had no friggin' clue in the world of how to approach a woman. This was primarily due to my own inability to be comfortable with my sexuality, and my having never learned how to express my sexuality and intentions with women in a way that is non-needy and non-creepy. I was also once a nerd who had no friggin' clue how to market himself and get the best possible salary for himself. I allowed employers to take advantage of me and work unpaid overtime because I wanted to fit in with everyone else. I wanted to stay "under the radar." I wanted to "not stand out too much for fear of getting beaten down."
Thankfully, that feeble sheep of a person is dead and buried. What I am now is about a million times better. I'm a nerd, but I'm smart, and sexual (like God made me), and I'm really enjoying my life, my friendships, and of course, the dating options and choices I have in my life.
I was just as nerdy as you!
