How You Can Build a Career in Blockchain
Blockchain is a promising technology. It has made strides in almost every industry. Most recently supply chain with smart contracts. Now almost every industry is experimenting to get the best of it. In 2017, after blockchain made an entry with Bitcoin, which brought forth the security aspect of technology, there has been no looking back for it. The technology has grown continuously with rapid improvements. Finance and technology sectors have had some innovative uses, while other sectors are still in the process of doing so.
In turn, this has led to increase in number of blockchain related jobs. Overall, there has been an explosion in the number of job opportunities in blockchain. In 2018, blockchain-related skills were the most in-demand skills on Upwork, a popular freelance marketplace. Further, Tech Crunch reported that for every one blockchain developer, there were at least 14 jobs. To take advantage of this opportunity, Developers and technologists with tech-related experience are toying with blockchain-based products to learn its intricacies. Training centers and online blockchain certification programs are also available for aspirants to learn it.
Unfortunately, unlike most other professions, a career in blockchain, as it is new, does not have a clear path. For more established job, graduates follow a typical path: pursue a degree and get a well-paying job related to the degree.
Blockchain is new. There’s no tried and proven path to success. So how does one forge a path to a career in blockchain?
Get basic blockchain education
Blockchain has proven itself to be a versatile technology. So far it has found multitude of use cases. There are multiple aspects to it — cryptocurrency which uses decentralization, smart contracts which is based on Solidity, a programming language, and Dapps. Before you begin to learn, understand what blockchain is and how it works. Dapps (Decentralized applications) are growing. The underlying technology in Dapps is blockchain.
Understand Cryptography
Cryptography adds security in cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin, the most popular use of blockchain so far, and the first cryptocurrency has been popular because of its secured and irreversible transactions. Blockchain relies on cryprography to do so. Hence, understand cryptography in detail. Apart from consequences for companies using blockchain, failure to understand cryptography can dampen performance for developers.
Understand distributed computing theory
Blockchain, as it is simply defined, is a distributed ledger. Behind this, is application of distributed computing theory. Though not fully implementable, challenges such as scalability and energy consumption continue to hold back the implementation of distributed computing. Understanding it will help to find solutions and better understand blockchain.
Build your own path
Jobs in blockchain development are increasing. For those, who are looking to embark on this career need to build their own path. Learning and consistent practice is the key to success in this. Numerous learning resources are available online to prepare for career in blockchain. All that is needed is to get up and start learning, instead of waiting for an appropriate time and resource to come.
