Blockchain is more than this year’s fad that will be next year’s fizzle. And blockchain is a lot more than bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. It has become an important technology in large enterprises and small startups. If you want a piece of the action — yes, a blockchain career — you first need to figure out how your existing skill set can contribute to this field. The best part is, if you have the right skills, establishing a blockchain career isn’t too difficult. Why? Because where there’s a lot of money, there will be plenty of jobs.
As more fledgling companies emerge, lots of positions need to be filled and issues need to be fixed for integrating this newfound technology.
So, numerous opportunities are present for enthusiasts to make a career out of blockchain. Below are some of the most accessible yet rewarding blockchain careers worth knowing:
1. Blockchain developer
Various institutions, including governments, organizations, banks, insurance, technology, and financial companies are embracing blockchain technologies. But before they can use blockchain for improving their speed and efficiency, developers must write and develop code to run the required programs and platforms companies in the blockchain space.
As a result, blockchain developers are in high demand right now. In fact, it might just be the most lucrative career opportunity in the industry for expert techies and graduates who wish to help companies provide better blockchain services to clients.
Blockchain developers need skills like Visual Studio, JavaScript, SOAP, Node.js, SOAP, HTML, XCOD, Agile Scrum, Microsoft SQL Server, Regression, REST, .NET, FTP, XML, HTML, C, C++, C#, Neural-networks, MVC, MySQL, and AJAX. Blockchain developers should work on blockchain use cases, private and public blockchains, create distributed ledgers, and develop software for blockchain systems.
2. Blockchain engineer
In 2018, a blockchain engineer or developer can choose one of several available positions in an organization. This just goes to show how rewarding and full of opportunities this profession can be. Engineers must first understand the blockchain tech requirements of their business, and form applications to fulfill those needs.
Once you become a pro at creating and implementing different digital organizational solutions with blockchain technologies, then you’re all set to further your career as a blockchain engineer. Blockchain engineer aspirants must hone their skills in Python, bitcoin, Ripple, Java, Solidity, Oracle Identity, Hyperledger Fabric, and access management solutions.
Your role within a company will involve studying the technological needs of the companies and building an infrastructure that supports the use of bitcoin and Ethereum. You will also have to develop the applications that meet the business needs to support blockchain.
3. Blockchain project manager
At the moment, numerous organizations are expressing a keen interest when it comes to developing blockchain solutions for optimizing their business processes.
For this purpose, they must convey their complex needs and requirements to the blockchain development company. The job of a project manager basically involves managing and facilitating the blockchain projects, especially when businesses expand their client portfolio.
It will be the responsibility of the project manager to translate the company’s demands into a more technical language as well as the needs of the blockchain developer back into more comprehensible English. Any aspiring blockchain project manager should consider a project management degree. They will also be involved with the planning and execution of the overall blockchain project in the company.
The blockchain manager is normally the first individual within the organization to know when management wishes to introduce blockchain in-house and adapt it to as per their technology platforms.
4. Blockchain designer
Companies rely on blockchain designers to develop websites informing potential clients about their blockchain offerings.
Normally, the job postings seek a professional capable of creating a UI design that works equally well in web and mobile applications. Apart from these skills, a techie interested in becoming a blockchain designer must also possess superior communication skills and be in a position to work alongside marketing, content, and operations teams.
As more blockchain businesses and startups emerge in the IT space, more designers will be wanted by companies for designing apps and websites who can spread the word to clients and customers about the blockchain technologies and services.
Pair your existing design skills with other technical skills, such as Bootstrap, Jquery, Figma, Sketch, Swift, HTML, JavaScript, PS, CSS, and more, and a bright blockchain career and future awaits you as a leading designer.
These professionals are required to create a solid user interface that supports the latest marketing techniques and design app and web pages for new blockchain firms. They must also develop graphic content that spreads the relevant details in the blockchain space.
5. Blockchain legal attorney/consultant
Many attorneys employed in the tech space are being approached by potential clients who require advice on structuring and governing initial coin offerings (ICOs). Apart from that, they are also fielding questions and inquiries from businesses eager to launch FinTech and blockchain projects. Most of them deal with the sort of hurdles one might run into when launching a new project.
So, if you’re passionate about the legal field and wish to guide projects that are likely to grow with the maturity of the technology, then a blockchain career as a legal professional/attorney is one path you will not regret.
6. Blockchain quality engineer
The blockchain development environment is rich and varied, and the job description of a quality engineer involves ensuring quality in every aspect, including dashboards, manual testing, and automation tests and frameworks. You must take care of the delivery and planning of multilayered blockchain projects. On top of that, you will have to develop, apply, and uphold QA automated test standards.
If you have a knack for dashboard support, manual testing, and the implementation of automation tests and frameworks, then you are perfectly suited to this profile. You need to develop and apply the requisite quality assurance tests and perform the latest test automation strategies. Also, you will be tasked with researching new test automation methods, tools, and technologies. Moreover, junior testing engineers will look towards you for mentorship and technical leadership.
To show that you are serious about this professional career choice, a good first step would be to get an engineering management degree.
Your blockchain career awaits
Find anything that piques your interest above? Then it’s time to start prepping for a lucrative, rewarding blockchain career in this developing field. New opportunities will also present themselves to blockchain enthusiasts in the near future as the technology grows — which it will and is.
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