Level 6
Yes, absolutely possible. Honestly, having actual merged PRs in public repositories often carries more weight than a degree because it proves you know how to read someone else's codebase, use Git properly, and handle code reviews
1 like
May 31, 2026
6
Level 1
Can I get a job with a resume with a few web development projects, github pull request merges that fixed issues, and with no college degree?
Is this possible? And if so how many pull requests do I need to get hired for a company that is open source a month, and if I fix issues in these open source companies can I get a job there?
Level 1
And this is for web developers who have never had work experience in web development? I know it can be for getting other web development jobs in other companies once you have a role in a company, but can this apply for aspired web developers, someone who has never had an actual job, just learning and wanting to get a job in web development? And also if I were to get hired by a open source company by contributing to the project will this experience I gain there as my first role get me to a better company that is not open source company like Shopify the actual company?
Level 50
Nobody will hire a developer who's just looking to get to a "better" company.
Level 6
Yes, it absolutely applies to aspiring developers. In fact, it’s one of the best ways to break the "need experience to get experience" loop. When you don't have a formal work history, open-source contributions serve as your proof of competence. It shows a hiring manager that you can actually collaborate, handle feedback in code reviews, and navigate a massive, existing architecture things a solo portfolio project rarely demonstrates.
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Level 3
Knowing how to click around GitHub won't get you the job. Understanding source code management, collaboration workflows, and version control practices might.
Just that alone is one out of many tool sets an employer will be looking for.
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Level 50
Understanding source code management, collaboration workflows, and version control practices might.
That's not important for newcomers. They'll learn about it on their first job. What matters is if they know the fundamentals of programming in whatever domain they're applying to.
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