Now imagine that to be hired as a carpenter you had to first prove that you have worked on dozens of pieces of wood before anyone would even consider you. Of course, the analogy falls apart here because we can expect most carpenters to have produced finished products, but most finished software products are highly complex and can take years to complete. Worst of all, these products exist in a marketplace where cynicism reigns: "Why did you build that? We already have three hundred of those. Quit reinventing the wheel!"

Do we complain when a carpenter builds a nice stool because there are already enough stools in the world?

Many companies now expect a GitHub history, as if that alone determines your value. It's no wonder people publish everything. They need to establish that they're doing something, even if it isn't master level "carpentry."