What is the difference between someone being a "Techie" and someone who just works in a tech related field? Is there a difference? Think about it, is every mechanic at the dealership a "gearhead"? Is everyone at the gym a "fitness enthusiast"? If you buy a nice stereo system for your home, does that make you an "audiofile"? I never thought about the differences  there can be when it comes to someone doing something because thats what they do, and someone doing something because they absolutely love doing it.

The example I think best describes this, and I know many of you have probably seen this yourselves - if you work in an office environment, Im pretty sure you ran across that one co-worker that spends a large amount of time playing Solitaire, or Freecell at his or her desk. That person generally could care less about playing a video game, and probably never thinks about it when away from work, but does it at work because it isnt work. That person may spend a lot of time playing games, but he or she is definitely not a gamer.

About a month ago I went to one of those Microsoft Technet events in my area. It was the first time I had ever gone to anything of the sort and even though the topic was something that I dont usually deal with, I thought it was interesting to say the least. While I was at that event, I really took notice of the different people that were there. Some were techie’s that love tech and it showed. Some were just people that work in a tech related field, could care less about tech…and that showed. The difference between the 2 were pretty obvious. I could tell the people that were there to get out of work, I could tell the people that were there because they were looking for software alternatives at work. Then there were the people that were there that was really enjoying the experience.

Most of the time, when your reading blogs or message boards on the net, the people that are blogging, commenting, or posting on message boards are passionate about the topic they are talking about. I don’t know why, but when I attended that Technet event, I assumed that everyone there would be like the enthusiast you run across online. But they weren’t. The passion, and heart is what separates the two. Has nothing to do with knowledge, or skills. Its all about the love and passion you have for the subject that makes you the "Techie", or "Gearhead", or "Audiofile". Sometimes that passion and love will lead to you being very knowledgeable on the subject but it doesn’t necessarily work the other way around.