Even with the recent crypto downturn, I continue to receive multiple requests from recruiters every week despite not even being in the market for a new role.
I have been involved in crypto for about five years now.I am a core team member of crypto options trading startup Genesis Volatility on the engineering side, and co-founded guava, a Web3 technology consulting firm.I also contribute to various other projects such as Gelato Network in developer advocacy and educational content creation roles.
While some big tech companies have implemented hiring freezes or laid off employees, smaller startups with lean operations see an opportunity to poach high-quality talent.
There’s a saying in crypto that “builders love bear markets”, and that’s because these times provide space to focus and develop a solid infrastructure that will last through the ups and downs.Many of the most recognizable companies in the industry were created during the crypto winters! I got my first job in crypto through a rather unconventional route
I was shopping at Target one October afternoon looking for a Halloween costume, and while goofing around the costume aisle, I tried on a gigantic panda bear mascot head..
For some reason that will forever remain a mystery, a random stranger walked up to me in the store, punched the panda head (with me in it) squarely in his cheek, and walked away.I had no idea that this incident was going to change my whole life.
Naturally, I quickly composed a tweet about the bizarre experience.
—sarah (@itssarahammann) October 16, 2017 I sent a direct message to a blockchain startup CEO
The tweet happened to receive a response from the CEO of a local blockchain startup – someone I had never met before.
At the time, I was in a coding bootcamp program focused on full stack web development.I had tweeted a lot about my bootcamp experience and shared my journey with crypto, so our algorithms must have overlapped.
I had no prior programming experience when I started bootcamp, but I had become fascinated with blockchains and bitcoin, mostly by reading about it on Twitter.
It had inspired me to try to go from sandwich maker at Potbelly Sandwich Shop to software engineer.
I was looking for all the help I could get, so after seeing the response, I decided to send a cold DM to this CEO asking for advice.Eventually we met for coffee and I discussed what I was building in my bootcamp program as well as my excitement for the possibilities of decentralized technology in society.
Long story short, he finally decided to give it a shot and offered me a summer internship at his company, and the rest is history.
While this seems like a strange situation, it’s not that far removed from the stories I hear from many of my colleagues in this industry who “fell down the rabbit hole” in one way or another.another and found themselves in the wild west of Web3 (a term that refers to the manifestation of cryptographic technology that is changing the way we use the web).It’s a world of unique people who challenge the status quo, and finding your place there means thinking outside the box.
There is an incredible amount of job offers
I can hardly think of a project that isn’t hiring for at least one type of position right now.In particular, if you can learn to code in Solidity, the demand greatly outstrips the supply.
Although not Absolutely necessary, having some prior experience with coding in general is definitely very helpful when learning Solidity or other blockchain-related development, and how long it will take you to get up to speed is highly dependent on your current level of programming expertise.
I started learning about smart contract development about a year and a half after I started coding, but I was also involved in crypto as an enthusiast and investor during that time.
In some ways, it may actually be easier to get a job in crypto because we’re incredibly early.
You can expect the competition to be intense, and while it can sometimes be, keep in mind that many of these roles require at least some level of blockchain and cryptocurrency familiarity.
You’d be surprised how many very high-level engineers simply don’t have any experience on the blockchain side.Another candidate may have more experience than you as a programmer, for example, but if you may have more knowledge than them in this space you might actually be the best candidate for the role in some cases.
The best thing you can do right now is build or contribute to a project
There are a variety of different types of software development within blockchain, and blockchain developers often wear many hats depending on the size of their business and what they do.
Among other things, a basic blockchain developer designing the architecture of an actual blockchain system would have very strong IT expertise as well as knowledge of peer-to-peer networking and cryptography, while a A blockchain software developer who writes smart contracts and builds decentralized applications is likely familiar with programming languages such as Solidity and JavaScript and has a good understanding of full web development.
Whatever track you’re aiming for (and there are plenty of non-technical roles in Web3, too), the best thing you can do to showcase your skills is to build or contribute to projects.There are tons of crypto hackathons out there, and joining a team or going solo can be a great way to start doing it.
In my case, I chose to start creating projects for YouTube videos so I could share my journey while learning and hopefully help others along the way.After my first internship, I worked at this crypto startup full-time for a while before moving into a development role outside of blockchain.I loved the fast nature of crypto
But I continued to stay very involved in the crypto community and contribute to various projects on the side, and it was around this time that I started making blockchain software development videos.
But I came back to crypto because I love it.
The industry has changed a lot since I started in 2018, with crypto becoming much more mainstream faster than I could have imagined.But just like when my enthusiasm for sharing my journey in crypto helped me land my first job as a developer, I think passion remains a key ingredient for success.The industry is changing very quickly and you are going to spend a lot of time with the people you work with – and they want to work with someone who shares their enthusiasm for the future of blockchain.Ditch the “traditional” job search method
When people say they have trouble finding a job in crypto, I think it’s often because they try to approach it too much in a “traditional” way.
That’s not to say standard job search practices can’t work, but if you want to stand out, try getting involved in the online community by joining Discord servers or networking on Twitter.
A good way to do this is to think about what interests you in “the real world” and then find where that community exists in Web3.
With the recent explosion of DAOs, it’s easier than ever to join a community where you can simply grab a ticket and start contributing to gain experience.In every blockchain role I’ve had, proven work has been most important.I’ve personally seen hiring managers specifically toss aside resume pages listing applicants’ educational backgrounds and skip right to work they can show.
Your portfolio is going to be critical, so make sure you have a site that gives a good overview of your work and showcases your experience near the top when applying.Building some sort of social presence, especially on Twitter where you regularly share your plans, is also helpful.
Blockchain is simply where the most fun problems to solve are happening right now.You will never be bored working in crypto.
Sarah Amann is the Web3 front-end manager at Genesis Volatility, co-founder of co-founded guava and creator of YouTube..
