How To Become a Blockchain Developer
You may (or may not) be surprised to hear that software developers are among the most sought-after professionals today. As we propel into the future and greater aspects of life move online, we will rely on these engineers of the new world. Also known as programmers, developers can do many types of different work – Frontend or Backend development, Development Operations (DevOps), and much more. But there’s one particular industry within the development sphere that is stirring great interest and high demand – blockchain development.
As traditional companies scramble to implement or even build their own blockchain solutions, they will demand blockchain developers. Although there is currently a shortage of them around the world, this is a field that is not as difficult to break into as you’d think. With hard work and dedication, anyone could become a blockchain developer. So just how, are you wondering?
Becoming a blockchain developer
There are multiple roads an individual can take to become a developer. If you’re more of a fan of the traditional route, you can enroll at a university to study computer science. This is generally the best degree you could get if you want to become a developer. A degree in computer science is very thorough and will provide a great foundation for a career as a software developer.
But if you’re resourceful and don’t want to spend several years studying in school, the Internet has made it incredibly easy for the ambitious to educate themselves by taking free or paid online courses through education platforms like Udemy, Codecademy, or General Assembly. The keywords here are resourceful and ambitious. Coding is difficult work and requires a tremendous amount of patience. Self-education is already not for the faint-hearted, but coding is simply another layer of tough. If you think you’d fare well with this approach, I commend you and recommend learning one or more of the most popular coding languages used today. This includes the likes of C++, Rust, and Go for backend development, as well as JavaScript and interface-focused frameworks such as React and VueJS for frontend development.
In conjunction with learning how to code (or simply wait until you’ve nailed that step first), learn all about blockchain technology. There are endless resources on the Internet that can teach you everything you need to understand this novel technology. Watch videos on YouTube, read one of the many written books on the subject (such as “The Internet of Money” by Andreas M. Antonopoulos) or read articles – there is no shortage of information on this subject.
Once you’ve gotten to the point where you are comfortable coding in one or more languages and understand how blockchain technology works, I recommend exploring Layer 2 development using Solidity. Solidity is an object-oriented programming language that was developed by a team on the Ethereum project that is used to write smart contracts. You don’t necessarily need to know this language to become a blockchain developer, but it’s a huge plus.
Learning to be a blockchain developer
So now comes the fun part – let’s call it field work. Given that blockchain technology is heavily focused on open source work, meaning the code is available for anyone to use, anyone is also able to contribute to open source blockchain projects. I recommend finding yourself an interesting blockchain project that is coded in a programming language you are familiar with (or learn it first!) and then contribute to the project. You can find virtually all open source blockchain projects on GitHub, where you can contribute by making pull requests to help fix bugs or make helpful suggestions.
After you’ve spent a few weeks or a few months doing this, and feel comfortable with your level of knowledge, you can begin applying for entry-level positions at blockchain projects. And if you do not hold a degree from a university, don’t worry – just make sure you’re able to demonstrate your deep skills via your GitHub or samples from projects you’ve worked on. Join the Telegram and Discord channels of your favorite projects, get involved in the community and stay active – you will land yourself an exciting job at one of the thousands of blockchain projects out there!