20 Something
Swetha Iyengar

Embrace Your Nerd Heritage

‘But somewhere along the yellow brick road of American Dreams, these parents have forgotten to pass along the most important message of all. They forgot to tell their kids they need to have goals, direction, and a job to make it in the world.’

The stereotype of the nerdy Indian student is as old as the Taj. Since Indians have been immigrating to the United States, the media have milked the image of the skinny, brown boy in glasses too big and math classes too advanced. I always got irritated by that image, even though, let's face it – there are a whole lot of nerdy Indians out there.

By the time I was into my junior year of high school, I had made peace with that image. Besides, with all the judging and stereotyping that goes on in society, having a label that essentially says, "You study a lot," is hardly the worst thing to be known for. Unfortunately, I'm starting to see a new, not-so-pleasant image creep up, one of the anti-nerd.

You know who I'm talking about. It's those people who take a year off to go find themselves, or decide halfway through med school (which their parents probably coughed up a whole of money for) that they want to be on Broadway. Suddenly, they are 30-something, still living with their parents or friends with no job, and about three useless degrees in things like philosophy and religion. In their effort to counteract the computer geek image, many have fallen to that common fatality of being intelligent yet wayward.

In four months, I'll be graduating from college, and like so many, I too find the transition from college bubble to grown-up world daunting. But as I look around at the current crop of South Asian youngsters, my peers to be exact, I find it troublesome that many aren't making any sort of valid transition at all. Many have no clue what road they want to take, and end up doing things like traveling or volunteering, which sound very planned and important but really are mere fillers to avoid doing something that will make them truly independent.

I realize there may be exceptions to the rule and what I'm saying is harsh, but unfortunately, there is a lot of truth to it that can't be denied.

With the Indian community being one of the most educated and wealthiest in America, there is obviously a desire on the parents' part to give their kids what they didn't have – the best cars, the big houses, and of course, that expensive education. But somewhere along the yellow brick road of American Dreams, these parents have forgotten to pass along the most important message of all, the one that enabled them to provide all those cars and houses. They forgot to tell their kids they need to have goals, direction, and a job to make it in the world.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think my generation isn't smart or capable of re-claiming at least some of that nerd-status back, but while nerds gave practicality a place above well rounded smarts, the anti-nerd has given practicality a back seat. They are touting degrees in psychology and anthropology, having well informed discussions on world politics and, by all appearances, seem to be the kind of people that the South Asian community needs. But take apart that layer of Ivy League education, and many of these kids are struggling to find a source of income that goes beyond entry-level wage from a local think tank or NGO.

So, while the anti-nerds are all my friends whom I respect and wish the best, I'm going to send out a little word of advice to future immigrant children: Embrace your nerd heritage and the practicality of being a math and science geek in a country where the tech-savvy community is rapidly dwindling.