While speaking at Oxford this weekend (more on that later) I made the assertion that, though geeks rule Silicon Valley, it is not a requirement that one have a technical degree to be a geek. Google Define produces a variety of explanations, but the predominant characteristic seems to be that geeks are passionate about computers and technology. I agree. I think the key to being a geek is possessing an insatiable hunger for technological information and thus pursuing that knowledge wherever possible.
Thus, my advice to non-techies who want to do well in tech and find their inner geek? Four things:
Read blogs - Blogs are where fresh, insightful and prescient thoughts are born on the web. When I first came out to Silicon Valley six years ago, the only way I, as a peon, could get any access to the thoughts of the likes of John Doerr, was to be fortunate enough to be a fly on the wall of one of his meetings. Today, dozens of top flight VCs regularly publish their thoughts in real time. On the other side of the coin, entrepreneurs detail the travails of building a company and lessons learned as they arise. All of this content free for each of us to digest. Rarely do I encounter a theme in today's newspapers or magazines that hasn't been well-hashed out in blogs first.
Wikipedia - Keep it close at all times. Why does the Wikipedia keep coming up in an increasing number of Google results? It is good content. Don't know an acronym? Need a definition? A quick historical context? Background on an exec? The Wikipedia is almost always good for it. The Wikipedia has allowed me to go from zero to fluent in a couple of technological realms for projects at GOOG. That said, don't be shy to contribute. It is our collective responsibility to make it work.
Best Buy/Fry's - Or whoever is your local electronics retailer. Stop by regularly. Check out the new stuff. Get your hands on it. Demo the gadgets. See what the user experience is like. Get a sense for pricing. Look at how others react to items. Play with it all. Be able to explain to your friends what makes something better or worse.
Your parents - Ask your parents about the tech they use. Teach them new things. Explain blogs, and spam and feeds. Take yourself out of the realm of the cognoscenti and see things from the perspective of the actual end users. Armed with this knowledge, dive back into geekdom and be more aware of the shortcomings of the gadgets of today.
What else would you include?
Update: Serena pointed out that I totally forgot to mention kids. Eeek! Yes. Kids are essential. They are the canaries in the mine shaft when it comes to new trends. When I am around kids, I can't keep myself from asking questions about which IM they use, where do they jot notes to friends, which sites do they think are funniest, which games are they playing. Kids evolve everything out there, and they discover it first. Kids are at the top of the geek heap.