u/MomoAurum

I'm a huge PC hardware nerd. Building and optimizing PCs is one of my favorite hobbies. I love researching parts, learning how everything works, dialing in overclocks and undervolts, tweaking memory settings, and just seeing how much I can optimize a system. Half the fun for me is understanding why something works instead of just copying someone else's settings.

The frustrating part is that people so often assume I couldn't have done any of it myself.

Whether it's online or in person, I've lost count of how many times people have assumed my boyfriend, husband, or just some random guy must have built my PC or figured out all my settings. Even when I'm the one explaining the hardware or answering questions, it sometimes feels like people are looking for a man in the room to validate what I'm saying.

Then, on the rare occasion someone actually recognizes that I know what I'm talking about (or notices that I've put a lot of time into optimizing my system) it sometimes feels like simply acknowledging that invites passive-aggressive comments or people trying to knock me down a peg.

Meanwhile, I've seen plenty of guys get the benefit of the doubt just for being interested in PCs. They don't seem to have to prove they know what they're talking about before people take them seriously.

I'm curious if other women here who are into PC hardware have experienced the same thing. How do you deal with always feeling like you have to prove your knowledge before people believe you?