It's the end of summer, and for many that means a dreaded first day at school or in a new office.

You're the smart kid, who actually still follows news, though now it's via Flipboard. Sure, you know where all the hottest bars and restaurants are because, duh, you're the mayor of three of them. To you, Justin means streaming video, not a prepubescent, auto-tuned staph infection.

You may cause a super swarm wherever fellow geeks roam, but in the real world it doesn't matter how many merit badges you hold or how mad your coding skillz are. If you want survive your first day at a new school or office, you're going to need some survival tips. Conveniently, I have five for you below.

1. Experts are sexy. Show-offs are irritating.
Do you know everything there is to know about Twitter? Can you hack into your community's CCTV cameras? These are unique skills that others around you will appreciate with time. But don't announce yourself on the first day. Nobody likes a show-off, that person who acts like they're smarter and better than everyone else. Instead, find opportunities to impress others when it makes sense. Offer to help without being condescending. Experts who are low-key, easygoing and humble always find a place in the cool crowd.

2. Nobody gives a rat's ass that you're the super mayor.
Yes, yes...we're all very proud of you for obsessively checking in to 10 or more venues so that your awesome avatar shows up everywhere around town. I have some news for you: fewer than 4 million people on the planet are using Foursquare. And you're not going to find many more who actually know what Foursquare even is. (Gowalla user? You're totally screwed. The network only has 400,000 members.) The merit badge stickers are cute, and while you can now get them at the Foursquare store, resist the urge to plaster your laptop with them. Especially if you've...let's say "achieved a post-college maturity" (read: old). For those in the know, it looks like you're trying too hard. Normal people are going to wonder why you'd mess up that shiny $3,000 MacBook Pro.

3. Get a hobby.
I'm serious. The best way to isolate yourself is to do nothing besides work, school and whatever makes you a geek. Learn Aikido. Take up mountain biking. Be an Arcade Fire groupie. Study woodworking. Become a freelance assassin. I don't care. But the more outside interests you have, the more likely you'll share common interests with others and, as a result, make new friends.

4. Talk (like, using your voice) to people.
You're a rock star on IM but you avert your eyes and find excuses to avoid people in the real world. If you're nervous, get over yourself. If you have bad breath, get some mints. If you don't know how to initiate a conversation, join your local Toastmasters group. (Level up! You just earned a hobby point!) Find your inner confidence well and start drinking. I promise you, if you try to relax, you'll start to really enjoy talking to the people around you. Ask questions, listen to their answers, and maybe you'll even learn a thing or two you didn't know.

5. Keep doing whatever makes you geeky.
Don't feel like you need to hide what makes you special. If you were one of the 4chan hackers who brought the evil cat lady to justice, own it. Your geek powers are important, and they will serve you well later on in school/ work/ life. Don't forego those late-night hackathons so you can pretend to like binge drinking at some girl's house party. Show up for 10 minutes, make the rounds occasionally. More importantly, look back in 20 years, and those drunk kids will probably still be partying on the weekends with their buddies, while you'll be jetting to Paris, Tokyo, Rome and doing really cool work.