Beauty and the Geek (season 3)
(copied from http://www.nielshoven.com )
My career as a social coach began the usual way – unexpectedly.
From the beginning, it looked like I was on an engineering path. From middle school all the way through high school I was in a special program for particularly talented math/science/computer geeks. After that, I picked up a degree in electrical engineering from Rice University. And the obvious next step was a Ph.D. program at UC Berkeley. So I went.
But I wasn’t happy. Throughout my life, there was a piece of me missing. My social life was the one part of my life I had no control over. I went on my first date when I was 20 and didn’t go on another until my senior year of college.
Upon graduation, I had another dateless dry spell. For two years.
It was then that a friend introduced me to Pickup 101, where I discovered a side of myself that had been locked away for a long time. A fun, social, playful side. I joined the company as an unpaid intern to learn everything I could. My desire for transformation landed me a spot on Season 3 of Beauty and the Geek, where my housemates taught me to present myself in a more attractive light.
In a matter of months, I transformed my relationships – with friends, family, and women. And I discovered I was passionate about helping others experience the same life change.
In October of 2006, I became an full-fledged instructor for Pickup 101. And having learned how it felt to be truly passionate about something, I left electrical engineering behind me to find my fortune elsewhere.
