You’re such a nerd.
Yes, you sitting there reading this blog. But not in the way you think.
For too long, the word “nerd” has been getting a bad rap. When most people think of the term, a simple, and often stereotypical, image comes to mind. As a company that works to train the next generation of tech employees, we see the effects of this unfortunate stereotype all too often. People often pigeonhole “techies” and developers with the dictionary definition of the word “nerd.”
But does that mean we’re all just one big, homogeneous blob of nerd? Does one need to posses a certain level of “nerdiness” credentials in order to qualify as a bonafide nerd?
Absolutely not. Sorry Merriam-Webster but the old definition of “nerd” just doesn’t quite cut it anymore. That’s why we think it’s time to redefine it.
At Grand Circus, we believe being a nerd is about more than your choice in clothes or your social skills. To be a nerd is to have a deep, undying passion for something, anything, that brings you joy. In the words of author John Green:
“Nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff. Nerds are allowed to LOVE stuff, like, jump-up-and-down-in-your-chair-can’t-control-yourself LOVE it. When people call people nerds, mostly what they’re saying is, ‘You like stuff,’ which is not a good insult at all, like, ‘You are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human consciousness.”
So, in a sense, we all have a some nerd in us. Regardless of whether your passion is writing JavaScript or writing movie scripts, there is always that one activity, hobby or guilty pleasure that you can’t get enough of. This thing, your thing, is what brings out that inner nerd in us all and we want you to share it.
Over the next week we encourage you to share your inner nerdiness with the hashtag #DefineTheNerd on Twitter and Instagram.
Have a passion for cooking? Snap a picture of yourself in the kitchen whipping up your favorite dish. Love
watching reruns of Law and Order more than life itself? Tell us why in a tweet! No matter what you’re nerdy for, we want to hear it. Most importantly, the best submission to the contest will win a Detroit-themed gift basket and Grand Circus gift certificate worth a total of $575+! Help Grand Circus redefine the nerd, tell us your story!
In order to get you in the nerdy spirit, check out some of the ways our staff and students show their nerdiness…
Kyle Morris
ExperienceIT Java
What drives Kyle’s inner nerd? Two words: Fantasy Football. When it comes to the gridiron, Kyle considers himself quite the expert. From breaking down each week’s matchups to managing stellar trades, this self-proclaimed football nerd is a master of the game within the game. He’s even been able to leverage his new skills as a developer into his nerdy passion. The critical thinking and analytic techniques he’s picked up while learning Java have become a crucial part of his fantasy football strategy on any given Sunday.
Mark Delloro
ExperienceIT Java
Sometimes, things can get lost in translation, but not with Mark! The Java developer is a nerd for languages. Just how many can he speak? By his last count, Mark is fluent in three (English, Tagalog and Japanese), can hold a conversation in 12 more and knows basic phrases in 17 additional languages. That’s a total of 32! No matter where in the world you travel with Mark, there’s a pretty good chance he’ll make a few friends with the locals. Most importantly though, Mark is proud to be adding Java to his language arsenal. This language nerd is redefining what it means to be multilingual.
William Sexton
Grand Circus Marketing Intern
Call it nerdiness or call it an obsession, Will loves his sneakers. Even though he can only wear one pair at a time that still doesn’t stop him from stacking the sneaker boxes high and wide. His nerdy obsession for fly kicks is well known around the Grand Circus space and you can rarely catch him in the same pair during any given week. For a sneaker nerd like Will, there is no better smell than a fresh pair of shoes just waiting to be worn.
Antonella Solomon
Grand Circus Bootcamp Instructor 
Antonella is a nerd for business. When she’s not busy dominating the coding bootcamp instructor life, she
enjoys reading, researching and creating business cases. That’s right, she reads cases for fun! But what she really enjoys is finding ways to apply the concepts and examples she learns from the cases to her own personal projects and freelance opportunities. Antonella Solomon: coding bootcamp instructor by day, savvy businesswoman by night.
Joshua Sheppard
Grand Circus Company Engagement Representative and Program Manager
To infinity and beyond! Josh has a nerdy obsession for space flight simulation and has logged over 1,000 hours exploring the great beyond. In addition to being our resident astronaut, Josh also enjoys pursuing his other great love—food. Our Company Engagement Representative is a talented chef and avid consumer of anything and everything Anthony Bourdain.
The Grand Circus Team
Around the Grand Circus space, twinning isn’t just a random coincidence…it’s a full on lifestyle. We take matching outfits seriously 
and keep all our #twinning occurrences well documented and organized. We like to think that our frequent, and usually unplanned, matching outfits are the result of great minds thinking (and dressing) alike.
There you have it. Nerdiness isn’t restricted to one personality or interest. In fact, it comes in all shapes, sizes and forms. So what is it that excites your inner nerd? Whether you’re crazy for comic books or mad for meteorology, there’s always that one thing always seems to bring you joy and make life all that more awesome.
In need of more nerd-spiration? Check out these examples of tweet submissions that have already rolled in! We love our nerds!
So don’t delay. Hop on Twitter and Instagram to share your passion and why it brings out that inner nerd that lives in us all. Just use #DefineTheNerd to share your story! Who knows, you may even win some free swag!
Want to take your programming skills to the next level? Check out the bootcamps page on our (new and improved!) website for more details! Enrollment for 2017 is now open so today is the perfect time to find the right bootcamp for you.