By Alleigh Keyes ’16

Earlier this year, Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerburg, made headlines when he encouraged young women to become nerds instead of trying to date them in the hopes of striking gold. Although his comments may sound like common sense, there is obviously some disconnect, as this is often not the norm in our society. A study from BMO Private Bank concluded that only a third of our nation’s millionaires are females, and on Forbes 2015 List of World Billionaires, only 197 of the 1,826 billionaires were female. Even fewer of these female billionaires are self-made, notably Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, and Oprah Winfrey.

One may believe that the disproportionate amount of wealth

amongst males is due to the acceptance of the idea that males should be the breadwinners and that females should marry rich. Instead of relying on a partner for financial security, we should learn and better ourselves so we can become successful individuals. Regardless of gender, hitting the books and learning a new skill is valuable in today’s society.

Whether you are male or female, why date the nerd when you can be the nerd?