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Indeed, becoming a blockchain developer is not an easy path to choose, but it’s a smart decision to make nowadays, as at the end it will pay off the hours spent gaining a worthwhile and successful career in an industry that’s booming with billions in investment.
The demand of blockchain developers in the today’s market is going up 300-500% yearly and much IT based giant companies worldwide are opening vacancies for such talents with a relatively high paying salary. The blockchain industry is likely to change how we engage with our values and exchange them either in material or intangible form. And additionally, in order to become a tech professional, you need to acquire and develop relevant blockchain developer skills required to take your first steps, which we will point out and discuss in this article.
Well, the national average salary for a blockchain developer in the US is around $112,213 per year, but it can vary from $80,000 up to $173,00 depending on the level of experience and skills the employee has.
Before stepping into the process of how to become a blockchain developer, it is essential to understand the basics of blockchain.
In simple words blockchain is a network of computer systems that record, store and distribute transactions or information publicly in a way that can’t be changed, cheated or hacked.
The main objective of blockchain is to have such a decentralized trustless network system that will allow the two parties to make digital transactions that will be recorded and distributed but not edited due to the immutable ledgers, which ultimately will remove the need of a middleman such as a bank or an agent in such processes.
Having a clear idea of blockchain in general, we need to go deeper into explaining and clarifying the role of blockchain developer.
A blockchain developer as its name entails is responsible for the development of systems that will be secure and efficient, preventing the system from being changed, cheated or hacked. However, not every blockchain developer performs the same tasks and has the same responsibilities. Generally speaking, blockchain developers are classified into two main types, Core Blockchain Developers and Blockchain Software Developers. A core blockchain developer is in charge of a blockchain system's architecture and security, whereas blockchain software developers build decentralized applications or Dapps using blockchain technology.
If you’re just a beginner in the field, here are a few steps along with tips you can take to become a blockchain developer in 2022.
In order to be good at what you do, you need to have some context and knowledge of the industry you’re going to work in. You may have heard the term blockchain or have some knowledge relating to it, but it’s very essential to understand not only the concept of blockchain but consensus mechanisms, public and private addresses, smart contracts and other topics related to blockchain. Start by researching on Google, watching tutorial videos on YouTube and if you need and want to go deeper, there are a number of blockchain courses available online.
Well, you can always start through self-education with the plenty of available material online nowadays. However, blockchain courses are fundamentals to getting into the learning process, it will serve you as a guide on how to become a blockchain developer. One of the best courses to take is ‘’Blockchain A-Z™: Learn How to Build Your First Blockchain’’ by Udemy, it will guide you through the ups and downs of learning blockchain development as a whole.
To become a good blockchain developer, it’s better to master the must-have skills for blockchain developer in 2022.
1. Cryptography
Well, cryptography is the key to making safe and secure transactions as a type of inscription. As a blockchain developer you will be a step ahead with experiential knowledge about cryptography to protect your products.
2. Data Structures and algorithms development
As a blockchain developer, in order to develop a decentralized environment for a blockchain network you need to have a good understanding of the basis of data structures and the process of algorithms to provide a good layer of security.
3. Smart contracts development
A smart contract is developed for business reasons including all the components needed to make business between two parties such as the timeline, the basis of work and the charging process, but in a digital and smart form to apply the business logic onto the blockchain layer.
4. Programming languages
It’s always smart to enter into blockchain development with some knowledge of other programming languages to serve as a base for becoming a blockchain developer.
Knowledge never hurts, but it’s always exceeded when practiced. Go ahead and put your time into a blockchain development training or internship with a perspective of future job suggestions. These kinds of internships will provide practical knowledge and new skills to boost your professional confidence to start applying for job interviews.
With knowledge and experience gained, it’s time to start building and developing your own products to showcase in your portfolio. Try your hand on products/projects that will differ in their essence to demonstrate all your skills and capabilities in a shot, it’s like killing 2 or more birds with one shot.