What do you do to counter this? It’s to the point where it is an active detractor to me making social success in many circles. I live in NYC now and finance is king here. If I had done medicine or law - it wouldn’t be bad either. I’d switch professions but it’s far too late.

To be clear, I have dozens of friends and do well socially but it’s still a stigma I have to overcome way more than most. I have to actively convince people that I’m not autistic, an incel, or some other (somewhat justified) nonsense that’s associated with tech workers.

A lot of my peers - including ones in tech - have decided to just completely lie about what they do. It seems like that’s the best way for them to get by in the world. The social stigma for being in tech especially in a place like NYC is extremely harsh. Some of you might not experience this because you don’t go out anymore or only go to tech centered communities but it’s very real.