Why Does it Matter to Have Green Squares on GitHub?

Why Does it Matter to Have Green Squares on GitHub?

Green squares on GitHub, representing days when you make contributions, are celebrated in the coding community. They may look like simple pixels, but these green squares carry significance, especially if you’re an aspiring developer or just starting to build a presence in tech. Here’s why those little green squares on GitHub matter, how they can impact your growth as a programmer, and how LearningFuze can help you get them.

Builds a Track Record

GitHub’s green squares are an archive of your coding journey. Each contribution is the visualization of code you’ve written or work you’ve done, creating a portfolio that showcases your skills, interests, and experience. This portfolio is incredibly useful for potential employers and collaborators, as they can browse your repositories to see the types of projects you’ve worked on, the languages you know, and the challenges you’ve tackled. Taking LearningFuze’s Web Development bootcamp will result in hundreds of consistent contributions because of the regular class schedules and assignments.The bootcamp's hands-on, project-based curriculum immerses students in real-world coding challenges, requiring them to push code regularly and frequently.

Employers often look for specific technical skills and competencies in candidates. A GitHub profile with a variety of projects shows that you’re not just studying programming - you’re applying it. Even small, self-driven projects can demonstrate your understanding of fundamentals like problem-solving, debugging, and writing clean, readable code.

Demonstrates Engagement with the Dev Community

Many developers use GitHub to contribute to open-source projects, and each contribution to an open-source repository adds to your green square count. Contributing to open source involves real-world applications and collaboration with other developers. It shows you’re comfortable working with others, following coding standards, learning from more experienced developers, and maybe even helping to lead projects with junior developers. Open-source contributions can be anything from fixing small bugs to working on major features - each contribution demonstrates your willingness to give back to the community and improve as a coder.

In addition to technical skills, open-source contributions also show strong communication and collaboration skills, which are essential soft skills for developer roles. LearningFuze can not only help you demonstrate these skills while in the course, but will also teach you how to demonstrate them on your own after you graduate. Recruiters and potential employers are not just looking for an expert coder; they are looking for an expert coder who they can work with. Your GitHub contributions become a record of this experience, helping you stand out as someone who’s already experienced in real-world, collaborative coding environments.

Enhances Job Prospects

For many companies, especially startups and tech-focused organizations, GitHub is an informal resume. Recruiters often check candidates’ GitHub profiles to gauge their technical stack proficiencies, commitment to learning, and coding style. While having green squares won’t automatically get you a job, an active GitHub profile is essential to landing that interview. LearningFuze’s career services team will help ensure your GitHub is professional, up-to-date, and readable for recruiters and potential employers.

GitHub is not just a code repository - it’s also a social platform for developers. As you make more contributions, you’ll build connections, find potential mentors, and join discussions. When you contribute to open-source projects, interact with other developers, or star and fork interesting repositories, you create a professional online presence that goes beyond green squares. A well-rounded GitHub profile shows that you’re engaged with the development community and that you’re both interested and active in tech.

Having green squares on your GitHub profile signals to others that you’re a coder who loves coding, not just someone coding to meet minimum requirements. It builds credibility and trust, which can lead to job opportunities, freelance work, or even invitations to contribute to more advanced projects.

Employers appreciate candidates who have a clear passion for coding, and your GitHub profile provides an easy way to demonstrate this. Having green squares shows that you’re consistently building your skills, which can be particularly important if you’re applying for your first tech job or don’t yet have formal work experience yet. An active GitHub profile can help offset the lack of job experience, as it gives recruiters a chance to see the actual code you’ve written and the progress you’ve made.

While green squares alone don’t define a developer’s skills, they’re a powerful representation of your commitment to learning and growth in coding. They showcase consistency, document your journey, highlight your engagement with the community, and can greatly improve your job prospects. If you’re a coder looking to build your skills and career, focusing on those green squares is more than just a fun gamified feature - it’s a step toward establishing yourself in the coding world.

Check out this LearningFuze grad’s contributions! They did some self study on their own and then started the program in May.