the Mad Scientist look

Back in the day, you couldn’t get hired at a big company if you were a male with an earring. And frankly, there were very few people other than sailors and homosexuals who had one.

So I’d take it out for interviews with personnel goons, and as soon as they handed me off to the people I’d be actually working with, I’d sneak it back in.

The tech staff would invariably spot it (good engineers are detail-oriented!) and you could see the gears turning in their heads… If this guy can get past HR with a frickin’ earring, he must be a bona fide techno god. I do believe it made them pay more attention to my opinions and show me more respect.

But in the end, you have to back up the “mad scientist look” with some actual Mad Science, or the appearance of unconventional brilliance will wear off. So I never got to rest on my laurels.

Bonus side effect: I didn’t have to listen to very much stupid racism, homophobia or misogyny from the older guys, because they found my appearance very confusing and rarely made assumptions about what they could get away with saying to me. Win!

Of course my single tiny earring is very staid and boring these days. You see bankers with dreadlocks and tongue piercings now and nobody bats an eye.

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