I'm curious, how important is it to build a repository for either serious consideration as a job seeker and/or reputation as a hacker?
What do you hack? No one would argue that someone who is a core developer for, say, Emacs isn't a hacker merely because Emacs uses bzr for source control.
Github is a means to an end: simple sharing and collaboration of code. If your hacking doesn't require that, don't get a github account. But if you can't point to what you've done -- this is not necessarily "show me the code"; if you build a website that does something cool, or hack some hardware, that'll count -- you're probably not a hacker.
Worry about your projects, not github.
If you don't hack and are just in it for the career/job, don't bother.
I'm definitely not in it for a job, I was more curious about the reputation factor, as in - do I need to give code away in order to taken seriously.
Sounds like it's not so much about giving away code as it is using it to supplement your portfolio.
Just stop using shortened URLs on hacker news.