Nerdy Women You Should Know

Most people think of goofy looking guys in horn rimmed glasses when they think of geeks, bloggers, or businesspeople, like the quintessential geek, Bill Gates. These stereotypes completely embody a “nerd” persona in our mind’s eye, but rarely you think of a computer-savvy successful person as feminine – but that is about to change! The powerful and talented women who make up the list below are in no particular order, because geeks don’t have to be better than each other when they’re better than everyone else!

EBay Maven:Marsha Collier is well-known for building a career off a website – something only a geek would do. In the early days of eBay, she became one of the site’s most well-known sellers. She used the money she made from her efforts to put her daughter through school as well as college. She’s written a number of books on her success and how to replicate it. For those interested in making a career out of eBaying, you might want to check out her “Starting an eBay Business for Dummies.” Recently, she’s become active online, and has been ranked as one of Forbes’ Top 50 Social Media Influencers, is listed on the top 12 Twitter accounts to follow in 2012, as well as on the 100 Most Powerful Women on Twitter.

Actress by day, Blogger by night: No list of female techies and geeks would be complete without Felicia Day. While she did not build her career around the culture, she has certainly used her fame to push computer-lover interests. She started as an actress, and has since branched into blogging at feliciaday.com/blog, tweeting @feliciaday, and promoting the acceptance of women within the traditionally male-dominated internet and techie culture.

Reporter, Tech Expert: Maegan Carberry first rose to prominence as a reporter and columnist for the Chicago Tribune, then becoming Chief of Staff for the Huffington Post, a major news organization. She has been heavily involved with Rock the Vote, which aims to use modern technology and tools to help promote social activism in a younger population. She has a large following on Twitter, where she continues to promote political activism and social media use in an evolving technological world. She currently serves as “viral curator” for Upworthy, a position which requires her to stay ahead of the game of the internet and to be a progressive face of technology. Her cat also tweets! @KittyScarlettO

Social Buzz: Shelly Kramer has been consistently listed as one of the most influential entrepreneurs in the field of social media. She’s had mentions on Forbes as well as other well-known publications for being such a driving force. She has worked in marketing for more than twenty years and is the founder of V3 Integrated Marketing as well as Kramer & Co. She describes herself as the “Chief Imagination Officer,” because as she says on her corporate bio “if you can or want to imagine something incredibly happening with regard to your business, she’s the one you want to rely on to make it happen.”

Fictional, but noteworthy: Despite being fictional, Liz Lemon is one of our heroes for geeky women in the workplace. She’s smart, funny, and can’t get enough Star Wars references in her life. She’s a hero for women trying to make their way in the business world all over America. And her real-life counterpart, Tina Fey, is just as adept as her character. Always staying true to her geeky upbringing, she’s established a name for herself as one of the funniest people in the entertainment business, and has won multiple Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and a multitude of other accolades. In addition, she’ll be hosting the Golden Globes this year with her friend Amy Poehler .

That’s just a few of the female nerdy bloggers, businesswomen, and entrepreneurs who have made it big by embracing their own uniqueness. Don’t be afraid to be labeled as a geek or a nerd! Great things come out of being exactly who you are!

Image from 30 Rock on NBC

About The Author:
Andrea Eldridge is CEO and co-founder of Nerds On Call, a computer repair company that specializes in on-site and online service for homes and businesses. Andrea is the writer of a weekly column, Nerd Chick Adventures in The Record Searchlight. She prepares TV segments for and appears regularly on CBS, CW and FOX on shows such as Good Day Sacramento, More Good Day Portland, and CBS 13 News, offering viewers technology and lifestyle tips. See Andrea in action at callnerds.com/andrea/.