Have you heard the term “GAF”? It stands for Geek After Five, and refers to individuals in the tech industry who are passionate enough about their craft that they spend time at home doing more of the same. I’ve met a number of people in my industry who definitely have GAF. One colleague of mine could look at his smart watch and determine if he had left his garage door open thanks to his tinkering endeavors. It’s possible I’ve confabulated some aspect of that story, but fiction or not it represents who he is as a person.

When confronted with the term GAF as a job applicant requirement, it struck me as a way to recruit people who could be squeezed of more than 40 hours of work a week. Colleagues of mine who were newer in their software engineering careers were worried that if they didn’t regularly go home and continue programming something late into the night, they would be left behind and lose job opportunities to these GAF people. I, for one, liked to get home and go for a run, rehearse with my band, cook a delicious dinner, or unwind with a video game. I certainly wasn’t about to sit down and open Visual Studio. The idea of GAF, while seemingly originating as a way to identify passionate people, somehow became weaponized against folks with a busy family life, or with other non-technical interests.

One day, as I was describing myself as a “music geek” to someone in casual conversation, it struck me that perhaps I had GAF after all. Perhaps it didn’t need to mean technology geek after five, but could refer to anyone with a passion they pursued outside of the 9-5 weekday window. I began to describe myself as a “music geek after five”, and became more enthusiastic about using the term. I gave the same advice to many junior engineers: Even if you aren’t passionate about programming when you leave the office (which is perfectly okay!), be passionate about something.

What are you a Geek After Five for?

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