10 Useful Tips for Kick-Starting Your Crypto Career

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The burgeoning cryptocurrency and blockchain sector continues to see a skills shortage despite its meteoric growth in recent years.

This means there are opportunities galore for anyone with an interest in this new digital frontier.

Back in 2009 Bitcoin dominated the cryptosphere, but as of today there are more than 20,000 cryptocurrencies and tokens, a vast DeFi sector which is rapidly attracting interest from large financial institutions, and a seemingly unstoppable appetite for NFTs.

And whether you believe crypto is here to stay, or simply a bubble waiting to implode, most experts agree that the underlying blockchain technology is incredibly useful and will continue to be adopted by mainstream companies.

So, if you’re thinking about your career options or considering re-training to enter this exciting sector, what should you do? How do you kickstart a career in cryptocurrency or become a blockchain programmer?

Here are 10 essential steps to supercharge your career.

1. Learn about crypto

It might be stating the obvious, but learning the ins and outs of crypto is an absolute must before you embark on your career in the sector.

And I’m not just talking about simply knowing which are the main coins and crypto exchanges.

You need to gain an in-depth knowledge of the many different tokens, protocols, blockchains and platforms (both centralised and decentralised) that exist in the cryptosphere and how they connect together.

Study the different ways crypto is produced, such as Proof of Work or Proof of Stake mining, and the pros and cons of each, consider the environmental issues around crypto and read up on the hacks and exploits that still plague what is a largely unregulated space.

Keep abreast of news and developments by reading about crypto daily – there’s a plethora of up-to-the-minute information about the sector so there’s no excuse for being out of the loop.

YouTube is another fantastic resource, as are social media channels – as long as you pick the right people to follow!

Avoid those who are shilling the latest fad token and concentrate on channels offering genuine, good quality information.

And don’t forget old fashioned books – there are some excellent works available on Amazon which will give you a thorough grounding in crypto and its history.

Arming yourself with as much knowledge as possible will hold you in good stead further down the line, especially if you’re put on the spot during a job interview.

Even if your career takes you in a different direction, the knowledge you will have acquired will still be useful, especially if you head over to the banking or finance sectors.

2. Learn a blockchain programming language

The obvious career choice for many will be to become a developer. This will require you to know a programming language, or even several.

Some useful software languages to learn are:

• C++
• Ruby
• Python
• Go
• Solidity
• JavaScript

Alongside your knowledge, you should create a portfolio of your work to demonstrate your skills.

If you’re just starting out, there are some great resources online, many of which are free, to kickstart your programming journey.

It’s quite possible to learn a language without paying for any courses as long as you’re prepared to motivate yourself and work hard at developing your skills.

3. Consider specialising

Consider which sector you might wish to specialise in. This isn’t essential, but it might help you focus on a programming language or other skill to learn so you can become an expert in your field.

After all, the crypto world is huge and it’s unlikely that you’ll ever be able to master it all!

Is there a specific area that interests you? Maybe DeFi is your niche, or perhaps play-to-earn games.

Perhaps there’s a specific blockchain that you’re passionate about, such as Ethereum or Tezos, or maybe it’s a crypto like Bitcoin that gets you excited?

These are just a couple of areas you could choose to specialise in, but there are many more.

Zeroing in on an area to become an expert in will help you concentrate your efforts and give you a clear direction for career progression and development.

4. Attend networking events

The old adage ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’ still holds true to a certain extent and the more contacts in the sector you can develop and nurture, the more opportunities will present themselves to you.

Networking can take many forms, and can include joining and contributing to relevant social media groups, such as through Discord, Telegram or Reddit.

Familiarising yourself with industry lingo and engaging in discussions with people more knowledgeable than yourself will be beneficial to your future career.

Getting to know CEOs, developers, writers and commentators will also reap benefits as they may well tip you off – or even consider you – for positions that arise in their organisations.

Other networking avenues to consider are websites specifically designed to connect professionals, industry events and conferences, and even jobs fairs designed around the crypto sector.

Networking can be a little daunting to start with, especially if you’re still getting to grips with the subject matter.

But, like learning a language, the more you immerse yourself in the environment the quicker you’ll become familiar it and you’ll be making new contacts and selling yourself as a candidate to consider before you know it

5. Job options and salaries

We’ve already looked at blockchain developer positions, but other roles to consider are:

• Smart contract developer
• Full-stack developers
• Project Manager
• Writer/journalist
• Technical writer
• Crypto trader
• Security analyst
• Cryptographer
• Financial adviser
• Technical support
• Legal/regulatory consultant
• Crypto marketing/PR specialist

Salaries in the crypto sector (like other IT sectors) can be above average, especially for those who’ve worked hard to develop their skills.

So, what can you earn from a career in cryptocurrency and blockchain? The sky’s the limit in terms of upper earnings, especially if you’re working for a successful startup.

Otherwise  you can expect a salary ranging from £55,000 to well in excess of £200,000, excluding any bonuses, depending on the specific field you enter.

As you can see, this is well above the average in the UK, and it’s the same for the US and other countries around the world.

6. Use crypto jobs boards

Now that you’ve armed yourself with the knowledge and skills necessary to land your dream job in the cryptosphere you’ll need to go out and start applying.

There are a number of jobs boards dedicated to recruitment in the crypto sector, with new companies springing up almost weekly.

Here are a few of the more well-known crypto jobs-boards:

• Cryptojobslist.com
• Crypto.jobs
• Cryptocurrencyjobs.co
• Pompcryptojobs.com
• Crypto-careers.com

7. Consider an internship or work experience

Internships have garnered a bit of bad rep in recent years, but there’s no doubt they can be a good way of gaining vital experience while learning invaluable skills.

It’s also possible that your internship will land you a full time job once you finish your studies so it’s worth considering for this reason alone.

Volunteering to do some work free of charge is another great way to get noticed as it demonstrates a level of commitment to the sector that’ll make you stand out.

Showing willing and initiative are great ways to make strong connections across the industry which will prove invaluable at a later stage.

8. Be active on social media

This isn’t for everyone but having a vocal presence online may give your career an added boost.

Prospective employees will check out your social profile and if you’ve proved yourself an enthusiastic and knowledgeable crypto evangelist online it’ll definitely work in your favour.

Just be wary of what you post – you can certainly let your personality shine through, but think about applying a filter to everything you write or vlog about.

Try to imagine how you’d respond if you were running a crypto company and looking to employ someone.

Twitter is a great place to draw a following, as is TikTok. But don’t forget other mediums such as Instagram or Telegram.

9. Keep your CV up-to-date

This is another obvious one, but it’s incredibly important so worth mentioning.

An up-to-date CV focusing on your experience and knowledge of the cryptocurrency and blockchain sector is crucial to securing your dream position.

You constantly keep you CV up-to-day with any qualifications, experience, achievements or industry events you’ve attended.

The more you can demonstrate your commitment to the sector and furthering your knowledge and experience the more favourable you’ll look in the eyes of a prospective employer.

10. Move to a crypto city

This might seem a bit extreme but there are places in the world that are natural magnets for high-tech innovation and crypto startups.

Think San Francisco in the United States, Hong Kong in China or Singapore.

Although the globe is increasingly connected, it helps to be mixing with the movers and shakers in the crypto sector.

This will help you immerse yourself in the subject matter and be on hand to take advantage of any opportunities that may arise.

Who knows who you might bump into in the bar or over a game of ping pong? There’s still a lot to be said for personal connections.