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Without a doubt, blockchain is a disruptive technology, and the extent of its application we have seen till today has nothing but proven that. Almost every day, we see new ways businesses harness blockchain’s power to bring about a change in the way of doing things.
The result has been remarkably well, especially when building an ecosystem of decentralization and autonomous governance. At its core, blockchain technology is here to bring back the trust in the market, which to some extent had been suffering from manipulation.
PwC surveyed 600 executives from 15 different regions and asked them a series of questions about Blockchain. 84% of the respondents said that their companies are actively involved with blockchain technology in some way or the other.
Moreover, as technology has evolved, its representation in companies has shifted from an experimental technology to a strategic priority. Companies are using blockchain for a variety of tasks; individuals are more focused on leveraging the income generation opportunities arising out of cryptocurrencies running on blockchain technology.
As a result, people who understand this technology and possess the skill set to harness its capabilities for the benefit of companies are in high demand. In 2020 itself, jobs related to blockchain technology saw an increase of 33x, and the yearly global demand of blockchain developers has gone up by 300% to 500%.
These figures suggest that if you are thinking about becoming a blockchain developer, kudos to you because you have chosen the right career. But there is a difference between thinking about trekking Mt. Everest and walking the talk.
This is the guide you need to read before you walk the talk. We will help you what and how to learn to become a blockchain developer and where to find blockchain developer jobs.
What is Blockchain?
Blockchain is an information recording and processing system. However, the way it records the information is immutable, unhackable, and cannot be changed. In other words, any information recorded in the blockchain cannot be cheated within the system.
The information recorded within the system goes into a digital ledger consisting of all the transactions. These transactions can consist of any sort of tangible or intangible asset that is previously traded on the blockchain network.
Blockchain emerges as an answer to the pitfalls of the existing transaction systems. Current transactional systems are plagued with a high dependency on cash. People have to wait for a long time to cover the gap between transaction and settlement, especially for international payments.
Blockchain helps include more people in the financial system without facing barricades of rules diminishing the monopoly of the existing financial system. The emergence of blockchain is indeed inspired by improving the financial system.
But the stage we have reached today shows that blockchain has applications in every other system. As it breaks down walls set by the ruling kings, this can be the reason why some nations have banned cryptocurrencies, because they fear losing the monopoly. But that is a talk for another time. Let’s focus on understanding more about blockchain and how it works.
The security and swiftness provided by the blockchain are one of the many reasons why it has the potential to become an integral part of businesses. Its ability to deliver information accurately and transparently is something that modern-day businesses dig.
How Blockchain Works?
Think of a blockchain like a machine, and every machine has parts. So, here are the most important parts of the blockchain. Before you look for blockchain developer jobs, brush up on your concepts and understanding of this technology.
Nodes
A node is a user or a computer on the blockchain, and they are critical to its infrastructure. Every blockchain has blocks of data, and this data is stored on the nodes. As these nodes make up the entire infrastructure of the blockchain, they are also connected to each other.
Every node can send and receive information. Upon such a transaction, every node is also synchronized with the new information. Nodes have various purposes;
- Checking the transactions on the block and accepting or rejecting them.
- Saving and storing the blocks or keeping a record of the transactions history.
- Spreading and broadcasting node’s history synchronizing the blockchain.
Shared/Distributed Ledger
The ledger contains the contents of the blockchain ecosystem. Depending on the client running on the blockchain, the nodes can view the ledger accordingly.
Every blockchain ecosystem has one common shard ledger. This is one of the reasons for blockchain’s transparency and trust.
Consensus Mechanism
The consensus mechanism defines the rules and arrangements of executing the blockchain operations. How the blockchain and its ledger will operate and how the nodes will approve the transactions is defined here.
You may have heard proof of stake, proof of work, proof of time, etc., before. These are the consensus mechanisms set forth by cryptocurrencies for staking the tokens. But let’s not get into that for now because then we will have to open up a whole new chapter.
Blockchain works differently for a cryptocurrency than a business. Business-oriented blockchains are private, permission-based, and allow known identities to enter the network.
Besides the components you read above, businesses need to have two more components for a business.
Permissions
A private blockchain provides you with access control systems. You can set appropriate visibility and approachability of different users on the blockchain.
The transactions happening on a private network are more secure, verifiable, and authenticated. A permission-based blockchain requires every user to have a unique identity.
Employees of an organization are given a key card to enter the building. Some employees have access to more rooms than others. So, the coding is done within the keycards.
The rooms that share the unique identification number of keycards will allow entry, and others will restrict it. A permissioned blockchain provides access to only those users who have permission to participate in the network and access the transactions.
Smart Contracts
These are akin to legal contracts that we see in our daily lives. The difference is that smart contracts are executable on the blockchain, and they are automated.
That was brief on what blockchain is and how it works. There are a lot of integrated concepts that you will need to understand in your journey to become a blockchain developer. Now that you know blockchain, let’s move to the next part, i.e., a blockchain developer.
What programming language do you need to know for Blockchain?
Before you can start looking for the highest-paid blockchain developer jobs, understand how to become one.
Like any other type of developer, Blockchain developers use programming languages and other technologies to build programs. The applications they build, revolve around blockchain technology.
These applications have features and functions inspired by the blockchain and its components. They also work on optimizing the blockchain programs, integrating them with updated protocols and architecture.
Other parts of the job include;
- Designing the network architecture to manage the data and transactions.
- Create backend modules for dApp.
- Ideate and create front-end designs aligning with the client’s requirements.
- Working on developing and monitoring smart contracts.
To become a blockchain developer, you also need to learn programming languages. There isn’t one programming language used for all sorts of blockchain projects. Different constituents of the industry require different types of coding languages.
For instance, Solidity is used to write smart contracts, and cryptocurrency platforms like Ethereum are written in Go, C++, and Rust. So, depending on the use case, the programming language can change.
It also depends on your ability to learn and work with a programming language. Here are the top programming languages you should learn to apply for blockchain developer jobs in USA and other developed nations.
C++
C++ should be one of your first choices for blockchain development. As an object-oriented programming language, C++ has several aspects to it that are beneficial work on the blockchain.
Due to this, the founders of Bitcoin also used C++. Working with this language means that you will get access to multi-threading, polymorphism, better semantics, and primitive control over memory, along with a few other advantages.
Everything that comes attached with object-oriented programming is effective for building blockchain applications. If you have a functional understanding of C++, finding a job as a blockchain developer will be easier.
Python
Similar to C++, Python is also an object-oriented programming language. This means that learning Python can get you ahead in the line for getting blockchain developer jobs.
While learning to program with this language, try to make your way through the complex cryptographic systems required in the blockchain. Python is NOT the best choice for these parts.
This is something the recruiters will know. You must find out why Python is not good for complex cryptographic functions and suggest alternate ways to include them in the project.
There are a series of libraries, plugins, and additional resources available for use. While these are helpful, you will have to understand their usage and implement them accordingly.
Python is the right choice if you are a beginner in this field and want to pursue blockchain development from an early age. This is because Python comes without any long-winded coding requirements. Its open-source support is remarkable and something that you can use in your favor.
Solidity
At some point in your journey as a blockchain developer, you will be given tasks to build smart contracts and their execution sequences. At that point, you will need Solidity.
Solidity is another object-oriented programming language used specifically for writing and executing smart contracts. You might have heard the name before in reference to Ethereum, which is a cryptocurrency.
But Solidity can be used to build smart contracts for any purpose. It can be in the crypto space or for businesses. Solidity was built with blockchain developers in mind.
The entire development ecosystem in this language is here to help you build better blockchain systems and solve the problems. The syntax of Solidity is similar to ECMAScript, and its inherent features include static typing, arbitrary hierarchical mapping, structs, variadic return types, etc.
Java
How can we forget Java, the big boss of all programming languages? In every conversation about becoming a programmer, Java will always pop up in the conversation.
Java competes with C++ in the race of which is the best programming language for blockchain development. The reason Java can be considered is due to its huge development ecosystem.
There are APIs, Java Classes, packages, frameworks, interfaces, etc., used in building applications. Java is a ‘Write Once Run Anywhere’ kind of language. You need to write the code once and run it on any Java-based platform, offering complete portability.
The programs built on Java do not require a system-specific architecture as they run on the Universal Java Virtual Machine. JVM makes Java a portable language, which is an ideal setting for blockchain development.
Golang or Go
Go is an excellent place to start for beginner blockchain developers. Here beginner implies a scenario when you have not written a single line of code before and now want to begin.
Go is a fast and incredible programming language with conducive features for blockchain development. Its ability to create hyper ledger fabric is outstanding. This is one of the reasons why Go is preferred for building publicly available blockchain applications.
Developed by Google, it is a statically typed programming language with several intelligent features. These include annotations, classes & inheritance, generics, etc.
C#
The syntax of C# is closely related to Java and C++, which makes it another ideal programming language to build blockchain applications. While browsing through different blockchain developer jobs, you will find these three languages in most of the posts.
As an open-source development ecosystem, C# is highly portable. This means it can help build applications for different operating systems and devices.
The programming languages form the core of building blockchain applications. Irrespective of the industry, you can use them to build and innovate any type of application according to the requirements.
Out of all the industries, blockchain has upended the financial environment. 46% of the industry leaders in this technology are from the financial services. This means that your chances of working as a blockchain developer is higher in this industry.
While looking for blockchain developer jobs, prepare your credentials. This is crucial for beginners as they lack the experience, which reduces the chances of getting into this sophisticated industry.
One thing that you can do as a beginner is joining courses and get certifications. Follow ahead to know about the certification you will require and some courses.
Blockchain Developer Certification: What to know
Certification means an authentic record of doing some activity or participating in one. A blockchain developer certification can become your proof of authenticity, knowledge, and expertise in blockchain development.
This document can prove to be helpful for Jr blockchain developers and help them secure their first job. Not every certification course is right for you. Before investing your time and money, it is best to go through the curriculum and then join one.
Do you also have the same question as everybody? Well, the majority of people may say that getting a certificate course is a waste of time. We have also heard some Reddit chatter on “Should I Get a Blockchain Certificate?” where users are belittling a certificate course on blockchain.
One of them posted that the company’s president laughed at the candidate who got a certificate course to show his skills as a blockchain developer. Everyone has the freedom to think whatever they can; we cannot stop them. What we can do is find a way out.
You want to work as a blockchain developer; you need to get the skills. And courses are one of the shortest ways to get those skills into your brain. Implementing them is a different story, but courses can get you close enough to implementing them too.
The most important piece of advice we got from here says that you should not only rely on a certificate course. Yes, courses are good to build a basic understanding and how things work.
If you want to practice them, build your portfolio and post your projects on GitHub. If you have some previous projects to show along with your certificate, it says that you have done the work.
Other users suggested that instead of courses, start learning the basic skills from YouTube. As they are available for free, you need to take some time out and start learning from there.
The crux of all this is that you should know what you are talking about in an interview. Any recruiter will pay more attention to what you are talking about in the interview than the stamp on your certificate.
Becoming a developer means that you can never stop learning and experimenting. As a developer, you will need to build the skills required for creating new products and services.
Make innovation your best friend, and you will yourself immersed in a pool of opportunities. Blockchain is one of the technologies that will rule the future; there is no doubt about that. So, you better start preparing yourself now so that you can build a career in the future.
If you are going to choose a certificate course, here are the things to consider;
Does it Hold Value
Find out everything that the potential course has to offer and assess its value against its future relevance. Go through the concepts in the course and check whether they will be used in the future.
A blockchain developer course that teaches the basics is customary if you have no idea about it, but the basics can be learned from other sources for free.
Choose a course when it provides an advanced level of understanding of the subject matter. Check the course’s professional credibility, and does the institute has a professional reputation?
If the certification course passes the value test, go for it. Prefer the ones where teachers provide one-on-one problem-solving sessions and where you can also get recorded videos of the lecture.
Future Opportunities
Look at the certification course from a bigger perspective. Find out the relevance of everything you will learn 5 or 10 years down the line.
Indeed blockchain development will remain relevant in the years to come. But your focus must be on learning the skills that will help you become a good blockchain developer.
If you are going to join courses to become a blockchain developer, join the ones which qualify as a stepping stone in your career. Do not get carried away by fancy terms. Analyze everything and then make a choice.
Where can I learn how to be a Blockchain developer?
To become a blockchain developer, you need to learn, implement your learnings, make mistakes, and improve yourself. Rest assured that you will make some mistakes in the process.
If you are not making mistakes, then you are not learning; it is as simple as that. As far as where you can learn to become a blockchain developer is concerned, there are a lot of places to start.
Learning from the Universities
Universities like MIT, Cornell, Oxford, etc., are offering degrees and online courses revolving around blockchain. Other than this, online education platforms like Coursera, Udemy, edx, etc., also have user-generated content for educating users in blockchain technology.
But when it comes to becoming a blockchain developer, you need to make your way. The reason being that blockchain programmers need to combine two different sets of skills.
They need to understand everything about blockchain, and they need to learn programming. As you may have read above, there are no dedicated programming languages to build blockchain applications.
Nor will you find special blockchain developer jobs that focus on a single language. You need to learn one of many programming languages that have the suitable syntax to help you build blockchain-centric applications.
If you are thinking about Solidity, remember that it is used to create smart contracts and not applications per se.
The majority of the courses you will find online and within the universities are about different fields of blockchain. They cover areas like;
- Blockchain Ethics
- Cryptocurrency Engineering
- Blockchain and Money
- FinTech
- Cryptocurrencies and Ledgers
- Blockchain Essentials
- Distributed Consensus and Blockchains
- Lay of FinTech
- Introduction to Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, and Smart Contracts
- Blockchain for Managers
- Blockchain Software Engineering
- Oxford Blockchain Strategy Program
- Masters in Digital Currency
- Blockchain Financial Analyst Certification
- Blockchain Developer Certification
- Security Token Strategy
The list goes on…
As you can notice, only two programs are talking about development (bolded). One of them is offered by Oxford University, and the other is by the University of Nicosia. So, you have some options to learn from a recognized university.
Let’s dig a little deeper into these courses too. See the image below.
These are the four parts of the entire online course that started in Spring 2021. It is clear from the image that this course does not specifically teach you the ideal programming language or how to build a dApp sort of learning.
They are teaching different concepts revolving around the blockchain developer’s job. You will learn the real-world applications, build design thinking, understand the technical concepts in blockchain, etc.
And this is coming from the prestigious Oxford University. It is like that these courses teach the outside of blockchain development, leaving you to explore the more sophisticated subjects.
So, that’s one option covered, learning to become a blockchain developer from universities.
Blockchain Developer Courses (Not Accredited to Universities)
Online education has seen one of the biggest booms in the pandemic. People have been rushing to take as many online courses as they can, and the supply of these courses has been equally enthusiastic.
Company employees are taking these courses for reskilling and upskilling. This move is in response to the fact that companies are thinking of revising their workforces. The motive is to align them according to the arrival of new technologies.
No company wants to stay behind on transforming its processes according to the existing technologies. The same applies to companies wanting to include blockchain into their working.
This increases the demand for blockchain developer jobs along with other roles in the industry. This is one of the reasons why people may join online courses revolving around blockchain.
As it is with university courses, there are a plethora of online courses with the same system. You will find many courses for blockchain, but very few to become a blockchain developer.
We have found a few for you; make sure to follow the list below.
1. Blockchain A-Z™: Learn How To Build Your First Blockchain - Udemy
Here you will learn how to create a blockchain while understanding the concepts behind it. You will also learn how to create smart contracts, most probably with Solidity.
2. Blockchain Certification — Coursera Specialization
This Coursera course will take you from the beginner to the advanced level of blockchain development. It teaches how to create smart contracts and the process for developing dApps. The course is specifically built around decentralized application programming.
3. Learning Blockchain Development with EOS and C++ - Udemy
This is what we are talking about—a course, which teaches blockchain development with C++. Before joining, you will need to know how to use C++. So, do not expect them to teach C++ first and then blockchain.
To become a blockchain developer, you must be a developer first. This particular course can help you get Jr. blockchain developers jobs as you will learn the specific concepts related to the work.
4. Advance Your Skills in the Blockchain - LinkedIn Learning
This course will teach you blockchain programming for iOS. You will learn to use programming languages to build blockchain applications for iOS devices. As an advanced course, you need to have a solid understanding of the basic concepts.
5. Learn the Basics of Blockchain with Python - Codecademy
Python developers will find this course valuable and insightful. Here you will learn about the structuring and properties of the blockchain. Through the course, you will learn to execute the Python code for building projects on the blockchain.
These are the top five courses we could find directly related to blockchain development. You will find them easier if you are transitioning from a similar career to a blockchain developer.
For instance, Android developers with experience in Java or JavaScript and C++ will get a smooth process to become blockchain developers. This is compared to someone fresh out of college after completing a degree in computer applications.
Freshers and beginners in blockchain and development will need more time and effort. But nowhere is it mentioned that a fresher wouldn’t get blockchain developer jobs. There is a lot of demand for people who understand blockchain out there.
You have the opportunity; you have the resources; what’s left is the implementation. Use our guide as your beacon and start your journey today.
Blockchain Developer Salary Ranges
If you have skipped everything above and come straight here, we can understand. Money is the biggest motivator to start learning new skills and looking for a new job. Blockchain development will get you lucrative salary packages, no doubt about that.
As it is a new technology and not everyone is able to wrap their heads around it, those who do, get rewarded beautifully. Being a blockchain developer does not only get you a better salary. You can also get better opportunities.
If you have the skills, someone with a vision can ask you to partner up for building a new cryptocurrency or a dApp. You can go from a blockchain developer to a Co-Founder.
Coming to the salary part, as the importance and relevance of blockchain increases for a company, they will offer higher salaries.
Source: Deloitte
As you can see, blockchain is critical to a company’s top-five strategic priorities. Naturally, the developers who can help complete the milestones will be paid more.
The average salary of a blockchain developer varies across different countries. They also range depending on the skillset and experience. Higher experienced developers can grab more money up to $650,000 per year.
$650,000 per year is a bit much, don’t you think? We thought so too. The reason for mentioning it is to let you know that there is no limit to how much you can earn if you have the right skills.
Beginners or junior blockchain developers can start earning up to $130,000 per annum. This is still higher than most of the professions in the US. Companies hiring blockchain developers also have specific tasks for you in mind.
So, while applying for blockchain developer jobs, ensure to look at the job description in detail. As complex as this technology is, you don’t want to mess with the programming unless you have experience or expertise in the area.
With a higher salary comes more responsibility. Take some time to go through this job post on Glassdoor by MasterCard for a Lead Blockchain Software Engineer. After reading this, you will get an idea about the job requirements and responsibilities.
In the US, blockchain developers are making between $150,000 to $175,000 on average. Here is a city-wise distribution of blockchain developer jobs salary for different US regions.
There isn’t one kind of blockchain developer job that you can pursue. According to PayScale, there are different forms of blockchain developers. The decision of which sort of developer you want to become comes later.
Initially, your focus must be on developing the required skill set to get blockchain developers jobs of your liking. If you must know, here are a few types;
- Software Engineer - $76,000 to $137,000
- Senior Software Engineer - $81,000 to $178,000
- Software Developer - $55,000 to $160,000
- Software Engineer / Developer / Programmer - $65,000 to $85,000
- Sr. Software Engineer / Developer / Programmer - $115,000 to $152,000
When it comes to salaries, we cannot pinpoint an exact amount. Different platforms get different types of salary data and provide average salaries based on them. So, we can only provide you with an estimate or a range of salaries for blockchain developer jobs.
For our last part of the guide, we will help you with the platforms and methods to find blockchain developer jobs.
Where To Find Remote Blockchain Developer Jobs
Remote working has become a real thing today after witnessing the success of a global work-from-home experiment. Companies and employees are readily welcoming a new way of working, which has led to better work productivity.
With this in mind, you cannot ignore looking for remote blockchain developer jobs in USA or other countries as well.
Source: Cryptoslate
This figure shows the highest number of blockchain jobs. Most jobs are emerging from the USA followed by France, Germany, and then the UK. So, if you are located in China or India, or any other country of the world, you can look for remote working opportunities arising from these nations.
Out of all the places, Upwork must be your first choice as blockchain-related skills are top-rated on this platform. Since 2018, blockchain-related skills have grown by 6000% in y-o-y growth rate. Isn’t it incredible?
This means that companies that are hiring remotely from Upwork are not here to test the waters. They know what they want. On the other side, the skilled professionals working with them also have the right skill set to get hired. Their readiness to learn and upskill is one of the reasons for the massive jump in the skill meter.
Other options than Upwork to find blockchain developer jobs include;
- Toptal
- GitHub
- Arc.Dev
These are the platforms that have set a rigorous profile verification process. So, only highly skilled professionals get through. If you want to increase your chances of getting hired through any of these platforms, brush up your skills and start upskilling. This is a job post that we got from Upwork. Besides the description, look at the price, the level required, and job type (red rectangles). The employer is ready to pay $700 for a one-time job, and there is a scope to increase the payout if you have the skills.
This is a job post that we got from Upwork. Besides the description, look at the price, the level required, and job type (red rectangles). The employer is ready to pay $700 for a one-time job, and there is a scope to increase the payout if you have the skills.
Our point is that there are plenty of remote blockchain developer jobs out there if you have the proper skill set.
Where To Find Junior Blockchain Developer Jobs
One Google search will help you come across hundreds of hiring websites with Jr blockchain developer jobs. But not all of them are worth spending your time on. So, be careful which platforms you choose.
Platforms like Indeed and Glassdoor invite applications from some of the biggest companies from across the globe. Companies like General Dynamics, MasterCard, IBM, Accenture, Oracle, etc., have published posts on Glassdoor for blockchain developers.
Jr blockchain developers need to prove their skills, especially if they do not have experience. If you are one of them, make sure to ask for recommendation letters from your teachers who have taught you in college.
Create your account on LinkedIn and start connecting with people from your industry. There are job posts on LinkedIn, too; start applying to them, after looking at the job posts, of course.
If you get a chance, participate in open source projects and submit your code in Github. This way, you will have something to show in the name of practical work experience.
Where To Find Senior Blockchain Developer Jobs
Sr blockchain developer jobs mean higher pay and more responsibilities. Senior developers are asked to show at least 5 to 7 years of working experience. Plus, they need to have substantial (2 to 3 years) experience in one specific type of programming language for blockchain development. It can be in Go, C++, Python, Java, etc.
Start looking for a job on popular job-hunting platforms like Monster.com, Glassdoor, Indeed, SimplyHired, etc. As a senior developer, you might already have built connections in the industry.
Harness your network to look for new opportunities by asking people you know. Another way is to find out the top employers in the industry and check their websites for vacancies. While you are at it, also look for companies that are in the transformation stage.
These are the organizations that want to build a strong blockchain-enabled system. They need people who are learned and have experience in the field.
Conclusion
Blockchain has proved to be an amazing technology. Until now, we have seen developers using blockchain to build secure, transparent, and efficient solutions. Due to its growing importance, professionals who understand technology are in high demand.
This is the perfect time to grab these opportunities. Since we are in the developmental stage, you will not only earn more but also learn as you grow. As more companies are undergoing digital transformation, they are looking to include blockchain into their system.
If you are looking for blockchain developer jobs, this is the perfect time to pivot your career in the right direction. Start learning or upskilling to become a part of the industry.
As this technology can become an integral part of every industry in the future, you will see many new doors opening up gradually. Start learning, implementing, and improving yourself. Good Luck!
