Blockchain technology is suggested to bring an upheaval in the functionality of existing server systems. Furthermore, it promotes the idea and application of decentralized distributed information systems, thereby increasing the transparency and authenticity of the internet.
In sync with its popularity, the demand for blockchain developers has also increased. Various companies in the tech space and other enterprises looking to shift their operations to blockchain technology are willing to pay blockchain developers a great deal of money.
Such a scenario in the field of blockchain calls for the attention of people in the IT sector who would like to tap into its potential. Or anyone who wants to become a blockchain developer and wishes to proceed in the field should get into action.
Blockchain offers greater security and is contributing to the age of new technologies. Therefore, pursuing a career in it and upskilling oneself to become a blockchain developer would be worth the effort.
In this article, we’ve covered all that you need to know to become a blockchain developer, starting with what it means to be a blockchain developer. Read till the end for valuable insights!
Who Is A Blockchain Developer?
A blockchain developer is someone who is skilled and knowledgeable in the use of blockchain technology. They understand how to create and improve decentralized applications and smart contracts based on blockchain networks, structure, and protocol.
In addition, they also have the ability to work with 3D modeling, 3D design, and 3D content development, which are currently the essentials in game development.
The skills of a blockchain developer could differ based on the specific industry they’re working in, the nature of their work and their interest.
How To Become A Blockchain Developer?
Before one thinks about becoming a blockchain developer, one needs to consider a few things. The first and foremost point entails assessing one’s technical knowledge – Whether you have had some experience in the computational background or would be starting from scratch?
The procedure to become a blockchain developer would notably remain the same, with slight differences for absolute beginners in the coding and computing space.
Following are the general steps for becoming a blockchain developer:
1. LEARN THE BASICS OF BLOCKCHAIN
One needs to understand the fundamentals of blockchain before planning to become a blockchain developer. The basics would include learning about decentralization and the meaning of a distributed ledger, which would be followed by understanding the components of a block.
Block components largely entail hashing function, block index, timestamp, block hash, and block time. In addition, you’ll learn about nodes and mines in the blockchain. Additional concepts such as security in blockchain, cryptocurrencies and consensus mechanisms would also come under the purview of basics.
One can either take an online course or enroll at an institution to learn better about blockchain. Or avail quality study material for becoming a blockchain developer from the internet to learn independently.
2. PRACTICE THE CONCEPTS & INTERACT WITH THE SYSTEM
Practicing the concepts learned and understanding how they drive existing applications is a great way to strengthen the fundamentals to become a blockchain developer.
Getting into the workings of developed wallets and dApps and learning how they work is one of the ways to begin. In addition, one may also create and use wallet addresses and private keys. And start working with crypto by transferring value over two or more blockchains, learning the data recordings and transactions.
Lastly, familiarizing oneself with the working of crypto exchanges and smart contracts platforms by joining special developer forums would go a long way in helping one become a blockchain developer.
3. IMPROVE CODING SKILLS & GET CERTIFICATION
Coding is an essential skill required for becoming a blockchain developer. If one already knows to code, they may go for a specialized blockchain coding course. Otherwise, it would be convenient to learn the basics of coding first.
The key to becoming a good blockchain developer and programmer is identifying the right coding languages that can optimize a blockchain’s performance and help with its resource management.
Besides that, learning about the nature of transactions and information on the blockchain and understanding all the code-related aspects of it is also necessary. In addition, knowing code analysis will also be beneficial.
4. AIM TO BECOME A BLOCKCHAIN ENGINEER
Several organizations and companies organize hackathons and competitions that help the participants add credits to their profiles. Winning or even participating in such events is constructive for a blockchain developer.
These competitions usually require the participants to exhibit their coding and blockchain skills. For instance, it may ask you to develop a blockchain by building a genesis block, adding new blocks, validating the information and finally, using the blockchain.
Certification from such events or proof of participation proves to be quite helpful in the future for getting internships and placements as a blockchain developer.
5. DEVELOP A SMART CONTRACT
Smart contracts are essentially lines of codes with agreements, terms and conditions embedded in them. These function when the user successfully fulfills certain pre-conditions.
If you aspire to become a blockchain developer, knowing how to develop a smart contract would come in handy. In fact, creating a smart contract would help you practice and re-iterate your coding skills.
Hence, it is an important step toward becoming a blockchain developer.
6. GET AN INTERNSHIP IN A BLOCKCHAIN COMPANY
As one acquires all the relevant knowledge and technical skills to become a blockchain developer, the best logical step would be to implement all that has been learned in a real work environment.
Getting an internship in a good blockchain company or start-up can help improve the insight for working with the technology. In addition, there’s a lot that one can learn from fellow blockchain developers, understanding the requirements of different projects and refining the skill set.
Nothing can replace the lessons a blockchain developer can learn from internship opportunities to excel in their career. The greater the number of internship experiences, the better the chances of future placements.
7. AFTER ADEQUATE INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE, LOOK FOR A BLOCKCHAIN DEVELOPER DESIGNATION
Last but not least, after adequate training and experience as a blockchain developer or engineer in different organizations, one may finally grasp their dream job in a blockchain company and call themself a blockchain developer.
There is always a scope for further improvement and improvisation in any specific skill-based field. Once you’ve become a blockchain developer, you can always work on polishing your skills and learning new programming languages to add and improve the blockchain system.
What Skills Does A Blockchain Developer Need?
Skills required for becoming a blockchain developer entail technical skills, primarily. Apart from the technical skills, certain personality traits go a long way in helping to become a successful blockchain developer.
These personality and social skills include being open to out-of-the-box thinking, being ready to work in collaboration with others and accepting the various challenges that might come along the way with a constant spirit of improvement.
Below is the list of technical skills that a blockchain developer should possess.
1. HAVE THE ACUMEN TO UNDERSTAND NEW TECHNOLOGY
Working in the blockchain field requires having the acumen to understand the latest developments in blockchain technology and have the readiness to update oneself constantly.
Without the ability to comprehend the workings of this technology, becoming a blockchain developer could get difficult.
2. KNOW HOW TO WORK WITH DATABASES & DATA STRUCTURES
Apart from blockchain-centric information, having basic knowledge of working with databases and data structures is also necessary. A blockchain developer must know how to configure various kinds of information.
3. KNOW WHAT IS CRYPTOGRAPHY
Blockchain operations are based on cryptography and digital ledgers. Therefore, a blockchain developer must understand cryptography and its algorithms.
In addition, they should also know the cryptographic functions that work best for different types of blockchain networks. And lastly, they should understand how these algorithms are created.
4. UNDERSTANDING CRYPTO-NOMICS
Crypto-nomics means the economics of cryptocurrencies. It entails encoding cryptocurrency supply and regulating the market with smart contracts.
It would involve topics like game theory or mathematical framework for modeling cryptocurrency economics and addressing related conflicts in its study.
For blockchain developers, it is a necessary skill to be aware of the general tech concepts that affect several aspects of people’s lives. One of them is the working of cryptocurrency and related monetary measures.
5. KNOW HOW TO CODE
Coding languages such as C++, C#, Java, Python, Simplicity, and Solidity are the most functional programming languages that a blockchain developer can learn. Different blockchain platforms have been developed using different coding languages.
Therefore, a beginner blockchain developer should have analytical skills to see which one is more in-demand in the industry and skill themself accordingly.
How Many Types Of Blockchain Developers Are There?
Blockchain developers can essentially be of two types. They may either belong to the ‘Blockchain Software’ category or the ‘Core Blockchain’ category.
1. Core Blockchain Developers
A Core Blockchain Developer is responsible for designing, developing and optimizing the protocols that support a blockchain solution.
For instance, building a consensus protocol, which defines how members of the blockchain would agree to share the resources and other related guidelines, come under the purview of a core blockchain developer.
In addition, they have the following functions or responsibilities:
- They put the blockchain’s functionality and features to work, ensuring that the network runs without unnecessary hindrances.
- Designing and implementing the network security system is another important part of their work.
- With practical and conceptual knowledge of the subject, they warrant that the network is fully functional.
- Lastly, a key responsibility of a core blockchain developer is to strategize, configure, and implement blockchain network integrations with other services, along with improving the features and capabilities of a blockchain network.
2. Blockchain Software Developers
A blockchain software developer builds on the work of a core blockchain developer. They develop and execute the design in accordance with the plan of core developers and produce a variety of applications.
Essentially, blockchain software developers play a significant role in developing dApps or decentralized applications. These applications can belong to any genre, such as utility or entertainment.
For smooth functioning of the decentralized applications (dApps), blockchain software developers ensure to implement smart contracts as designed by the core blockchain developers. And ensure that the dApps run as planned.
Lastly, thorough research and market analysis is another function they have to undertake, besides integrating the blockchain network with other applications and services.
Apart from these two major categories, there are other kinds of less mainstream blockchain developers. These are enumerated below.
3. Back-End Developers
The back-end developers for blockchain design and develop APIs or Application Programming Interfaces, run performance tests, and deploy blockchains in new applications. They also create software specifications and collaborate with other blockchain developers to build applications, in addition to providing technical support to users of blockchain technology.
4. Smart Contract Engineers
Smart contract engineers primarily evaluate and build smart contracts. They reach out to customers and business clients to understand their needs, business flows and security. Followed by these factors, they develop smart contracts that will address all the essential aspects.
A smart contract engineer aims to ensure that smart contracts are free of flaws and perform end-to-end testing of business processes.
In the present times, given how the prominence of smart contracts is increasing, smart contract engineers are one of the most in-demand blockchain developers.
Other FAQs:- Becoming A Blockchain Developer
Given below are some of the most popular and frequently asked questions on blockchain developers. Take a look at them to refine your understanding of the same.
Q.1 What Mindset Is Needed To Become A Blockchain Developer?
The mindset of a blockchain developer needs to be tenacious since blockchain development is a challenging area of work and requires creative ways of thinking.
Q.2 What Is The Role Of A Blockchain Developer?
A blockchain developer is responsible for overseeing the development of blockchain architecture and designs the protocols which determine how the blockchain system is governed.
Conclusion – Becoming A Blockchain Developer
With the right approach and a good strategy, anyone can try and become a blockchain developer. Though various technical skills are required for a career in blockchain development, it isn’t even nearly as complex as rocket science.
Blockchain developers can make strides in their particular work fields by learning the right coding languages and following the fluctuating updates on this technology. In addition, essential skills and attaining constant valuable work experiences can help anyone become a successful blockchain developer.
Nitisha Lal is a writer enthusiastic and curious to learn new things. Currently, she writes about the latest developments in technology, particularly around Web3 and the Metaverse. She enjoys nature walks, capturing the world around her on the phone, or reading books when away from work.