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Five steps from never having touched GitHub to having your name — well, your username — on something real. Most people get through the first four in a single meeting.

  1. 01

    Make a GitHub account

    do it at a meeting5 minutes

    GitHub is where the club keeps its code. It is free, and it is the same site professional developers use every day.

    You must be at least 13 to have an account — that is GitHub’s rule, not ours.

    Choose your username carefully. It is public, it is how you will be credited on this website, and it is awkward to change later. Pick something you would be happy showing a future employer — and do not use your full name, your student ID, or your birth year.

    github.com/signup
  2. 02

    Join the Novato High School organization

    do it at a meeting2 minutes, then wait for the invite

    Our projects live in a shared GitHub organization. Being a member means you can be assigned tasks and review other people’s work.

    You cannot add yourself — an owner has to invite you. Bring your GitHub username to a meeting, and you will get an email invitation to accept.

  3. 03

    Apply for GitHub Education

    do it at home10 minutes, then a few days to hear back

    GitHub gives enrolled students a pile of professional developer tools for free. It is genuinely worth doing, and it is yours to keep as long as you are a student.

    You need to prove you are enrolled. A school ID showing a current date, a class schedule, a transcript, or an enrollment letter all count.

    Do this one at home or with a teacher — you will be photographing a school document, and it is easier when you are not rushing at lunch.

    Apply for GitHub Education
  4. 04

    Make your first change

    do it at a meeting15 minutes

    The fastest real contribution is adding yourself to a project on this site, or fixing a typo you spotted. It is one Markdown file and you can do it entirely in the browser.

    Open the repository, press the full stop key ( . ) and GitHub turns into a code editor in your browser. No installing anything.

    Edit in the browserFind something to work on
  5. 05

    Get a real workspace

    do it at a meeting5 minutes to start it up

    When you want to change how the site looks or works — not just its words — you need to actually run it. A Codespace is a full computer in the cloud, opened from a browser tab, with the site running live next to your code.

    We have already written the setup, so it builds itself. Your GitHub account includes a monthly allowance of free Codespace time; stop it when you are done and it costs you nothing.

    Open a Codespace

which editor

Two ways to work in a browser

Both run on a school Chromebook. Pick by what you are doing, not by which sounds more impressive.

github.dev

Press . on any repository page. Opens instantly, free forever, no setup.

  • + instant, no waiting
  • + perfect for Markdown and text
  • − cannot run the site or use a terminal

Codespaces

A whole computer in a browser tab, with the site running live beside your code. Uses part of your monthly free allowance.

  • + real terminal, runs the site
  • + set up for you already
  • − a few minutes to start; stop it when done

// Stuck on any of this? That is expected, and it is what meetings are for. Bring the thing that is not working — a screenshot of the error is plenty.

Pick a learning trackRead CONTRIBUTING.md