There’s a lot of people that will call themselves geeks, but only a few of us can call ourselves Übergeeks.  Even worse, there’s probably a number of people that call themselves Übergeeks that really aren’t.  So because of that, I’ve got a few ideas – if you can’t do the stuff below, you may be a geek, but you’re not an Übergeek.

So first off, what is an Übergeek? The Urban Dictionary defines an Übergeek as An Overgeek. A geek who is either extremely geeky, or highly admired by geeks with similar interests. It is sometimes used as a humorous spoof of the German word “ubermensch” (a person with great powers or abilities).”

So, according to me, one who should be admired for their geekiness:

1. Knows at least 3 programming languages (and only one is based on BASIC).  HTML does not count.
2. Has built something cool with a microcontroller (like an Arduino)
3. Has fixed someone else’s computer.  You never know how to do anything with a computer until someone else screws one up and YOU fix it.  Minor upgrades don’t count.
4. Is a master on the command line, preferably a Linux/Unix command line; the stock Windows command line doesn’t count, but PowerShell does.
5. Have a geek job.  Just as much as I don’t trust a mechanic that doesn’t work on cars, I don’t trust a geek that doesn’t have a geek job.
6. Have a ham radio license and BUILD SOMETHING. There are some hams that buy everything, and that’s okay for a ham, but if you’re an Übergeek, you’ll build something.  Kits count.  Antennas count.  Wattage doesn’t matter – QRP Transmitters is fine!
7. Always explore how things work.  Always.  If you don’t know how it works, figure it out.