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Should You Go to School to Become a Blockchain Developer?

September 5, 2018 by Eric C. Jansen, ChFC®

The demand for blockchain developers is growing faster than the existing supply of available talent. This supply/demand imbalance is creating tremendous career growth and above average income opportunities as companies worldwide are rapidly implementing this emerging technology, whose importance has been compared to the cloud and even to the internet. Here’s a closer look at why you should give serious thought to getting an education as a blockchain developer.

Industries You Could Work in as a Blockchain Developer

Blockchain doesn’t just support cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ether. It offers the potential to support major processes in numerous industries that need trustless, verifiable, immutable records and automated processes. Industries where blockchain is expected to become a major underlying force include shipping and logistics, supply chain management, banking, real estate, health care, law, politics, and many others—even nonprofits. No matter where your interests lie, you can probably find a blockchain job there.

Companies You Could Work for as a Blockchain Developer

Whether you want to work for a small startup or a longtime behemoth, you can do it as a blockchain developer. Take a look at the online job boards: JPMorgan Chase, Amazon, MasterCard, KPMG, Microsoft, and IBM are all hiring blockchain devs. So are small companies like Gem, Gorilla Logic, Binance, and BitPay. These companies represent only a tiny sample of your options. Blockchain talent is in such high demand that there are even entire companies dedicated to sourcing it, including Block Recruiters in San Francisco and Crypto Recruit in Sydney.

Blockchain Developer Pay

Being a blockchain developer pays really well. Interns can earn $30 to $55 an hour. Freelancers and consultants can earn $80 to $150 per hour. Full-time employees can easily earn six figures and can expect entry-level salaries of at least $65,000. The median income for a blockchain developer is $140,000, which is $35,000 more than the median income for a general software developer.

There’s a wide range of pay depending on your skill set, the position, the hiring company, and its location, but these are jobs where you can make a comfortable and even lucrative living. And once you develop these in-demand skills and advertise them through your LinkedIn profile, you can expect blockchain job opportunities to come to you instead of having to spend hours perusing job boards and blindly submitting applications.

Blockchain Skill Acquisition

Here are a few places where you can gain blockchain development skills in a structured way:

–Udacity’s Blockchain Developer Nanodegree Program. Udacity is a lifelong learning company that offers online courses. Its Blockchain Developer Nanodegree Program, built with the help of existing blockchain developers, “prioritizes mastering job-ready skills with a hands-on approach.” Designed for individuals who are already comfortable with object-oriented programming and developing web apps in JavaScript, the program consists of two, three-month sessions each requiring 10 hours of study per week.

A detailed course syllabus outlines how you’ll learn about managing your blockchain identity, creating your own private blockchain, migrating your private blockchain to your API web service, building your own private blockchain notary service, supply chain and data auditing, and more. The course culminates with a capstone project where you’ll build your own public blockchain. Each term costs $999, for a total cost of $1,998.

Is this course too advanced for you? As you can see from the course’s prerequisites, if you aren’t already a developer, learning JavaScript is a good place to start. Udacity offers a free Intro to JavaScript course for beginners and a free intermediate-level course, Object-Oriented JavaScript.

–Coursera’s Blockchain Basics course. Created by the University at Buffalo of the State University of New York system, this first course in a blockchain specialization gives an overview of the bitcoin and ethereum protocols. In an online course built upon videos, demonstrations, and hands-on exercises, you’ll learn about asymmetric key encryption, hashing, the consensus protocol, and more.

The course is self-paced, with an estimated completion time of four weeks at 3.5 hours per week. You pay $39 per month for as long as you need to access the course materials. A 7-day free trial gives you the opportunity to watch lectures, try assignments, and participate in the discussion forum. You can also audit the course for free, which provides access to course videos and some course content but does not provide a completion certificate that you can add to your LinkedIn profile.

Here are some more online options:

–Coursera’s IBM Blockchain Foundation for Developers (6 weeks, 2 hours per week, $49 to purchase, free to audit)

–Blockgeek’s blockchain and cryptocurrency courses and tutorials (7-Day Free Trial)

–BitDegree tutorial (self-paced, free)

–IBM’s self-paced blockchain courses (8 hours, free)

–MIT Sloan School of Management Executive Education: Blockchain Technologies self-paced online course (6 weeks, 5–8 hours per week, $3,000)

–Oxford Blockchain Strategy Programme (6 weeks, 12–15 hours per week, GBP £2,200)

No College Degree Required

Programming is one of those fields where employers are less concerned about candidates’ credentials and more concerned about their ability to execute, and where not having a bachelor’s or master’s degree doesn’t mean you’ll have to settle for lower pay. You don’t need to spend four to six years in school, take on massive student loan debt, or miss out on years in the workforce to get the education you need to be taken seriously as a blockchain job candidate.

That being said, if you’re planning to attend college and you want to learn blockchain, some top schools where you’ll find relevant coursework are Cornell, Stanford, the University of California – Berkeley, MIT, New York University, and Duke. If you’re already in college and your school doesn’t offer any blockchain-focused coursework, get a computer engineering degree and focus on developing your skills in cryptography, machine learning, and the programming languages most commonly used by blockchain developers, such as Solidity, C++, JavaScript, and Python.

Conclusion

As the second-fastest growing job category and one where 14 openings are available for every developer, blockchain-related positions are something to take seriously if you’re looking to become a developer or expand your developer skillset. Many people still haven’t heard of blockchain; even fewer understand how it works and only a tiny percentage know how to create and use blockchains. But companies big and small are starting to use it, and they need lots of help. Gaining blockchain developer skills now could be the next best thing after being an early investor in bitcoin.

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Eric C. Jansen, ChFC

Fun Facts About Me

When he is not researching the next great stock to add to client portfolios, you can find him travelling frequently with his family to Jackson Hole Wyoming.

  • Hometown: Chicago, IL
  • Birth Month & Year: November, 1964
  • Favorite Hobby: Goldmining in Nome, AK
  • Favorite Food: Steak at Charley’s Steakhouse in Orlando FL
  • Can't be interrupted when: Watching the Discovery Channel
  • Hidden Talent: Finish Carpenter
  • Something on bucket list: Obtain Helicopter Pilot License
  • Family Pet: Goldfish

Steven C. Johnson, ChFC

Fun Facts About Me

Steve would tell you that one of the best parts of the day is spent talking to clients and relationships that result from it. When away from the office, he loves to travel the back roads of New England enjoying all the great sites that can be found off the beaten path.

  • Hometown: Townsend, MA
  • Birth Month & Year: December, 1967
  • Favorite Hobby: Playing Hockey
  • Favorite Food: Chicken Caesar Salad
  • Can't be interrupted when: Watching the Bruins
  • Hidden Talent: Cooking – Makes a great Thanksgiving turkey
  • Something on bucket list: Travel to Italy and Greece
  • Family Pet: Max – our Pomeranian

Frederick M. Lane, ChFC, CASL

Fun Facts About Me

When not managing client portfolios, Fred can be found relaxing with family and friends.

  • Hometown: Nutley, NJ
  • Birth Month & Year: July, 1954
  • Favorite Hobby: Dog Walking
  • Favorite Food: Italian
  • Can't be interrupted when: Listening to Pink Floyd
  • Hidden Talent: Landscaping
  • Something on bucket list: Space Flight - Tourism
  • Family Pet: None

Catherine M. Gareri

Fun Facts About Me

When not caring for her clients Cathy enjoys relaxing in her yard at home.

  • Hometown: Bellingham, MA
  • Birth Month & Year: July, 1957
  • Favorite Hobby: Cooking and Entertaining
  • Favorite Food: Steak at the Capital Grille
  • Can't be interrupted when: It's family time
  • Hidden Talent: Dog Whisperer
  • Something on bucket list: Spending a couple months on the Almalfi Coast
  • Family Pet: In Between Mastiffs now so a little blue fish “Willy”

Katie E. Moore, CLTC

Fun Facts About Me

When Katie is not busy taking care of her clients, she spends her time being a mom to her two little ones, Owen and Isla.

  • Hometown: Modesto, CA
  • Birth Month & Year: September, 1982
  • Favorite Hobby: Swimming
  • Favorite Food: Mexican Food
  • Can't be interrupted when: I'm cooking
  • Hidden Talent: Climbed Yosemite's Half Dome, twice - no fear :)
  • Something on bucket list: See the Northern Lights and Potty Train my 2 year old
  • Family Pet: Caddy and Sierra – our two cats

Hesper Duval

Fun Facts About Me

Loves spending time with 2 daughters and enjoys participating in 5k obstacle races throughout the year.

  • Hometown: Charlton, MA
  • Birth Month & Year: October, 1981
  • Favorite Hobby: Running
  • Favorite Food: Cheesecake
  • Can't be interrupted when: Reading a good book
  • Hidden Talent: Interior Design and furniture restoration
  • Something on bucket list: To travel cross-country in an RV
  • Family Pet: Charlie and Nora, both black labs from the same litter

Donna Fournier

Fun Facts About Me

When not cheering for the Patriots, Donna spends her free time travelling throughout the United States looking for new haunted places to explore. She loves to wear her cowboy hat and boots when travelling out west.

  • Hometown: Swansea, MA
  • Birth Month & Year: February, 1961
  • Favorite Hobby: Exploring haunted locations
  • Favorite Food: Pizza
  • Can't be interrupted when: Eating my pizza
  • Hidden Talent: Rollerblading
  • Something on bucket list: Travel to Australia
  • Family Pet:  Had a pet skunk

Danielle Drew

When Danielle does not have her head in a book studying to expanding her financial planning knowledge, she enjoys anything active and outdoors, including visits to the beach and hiking.  

  • Hometown: Dennis, MA
  • Birth Month & Year: November, 1985
  • Favorite Hobby: Working out, concerts, and exploring wineries
  • Favorite Food: Lobster pot pie, cheeseburgers, BBQ, the list goes on...
  • Can't be interrupted when: Working out 
  • Hidden Talent: Country line dancing
  • Something on bucket list: To hike the 48, 4000 footers of New Hampshire
  • Family Pet: none, hopefully a big dog someday

Jay Willwerth, ChFC

Fun Facts About Me

Jay’s days are spent helping clients achieve their financial goals, followed by nights and weekends typically watching his daughters play competitive volleyball.

  • Hometown: Melrose, MA
  • Birth Month & Year: September, 1959
  • Favorite Hobby: Golf
  • Favorite Food: Anything at a Patriot’s Tailgate
  • Can't be interrupted when: Watching the Patriot’s Game
  • Hidden Talent: Competitive Volleyball Watcher (Mostly his 2 daughters)
  • Something on bucket list: Play a round of Golf at Pebble Beach
  • Family Pet: Bella, our Shih-poo
 

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