How to become a blockchain programmer?
We are in the early days of blockchain technology, and if you take the initiative to learn programming on the blockchain, you can have a very lucrative career in the future. The situation is not unlike the early days of the Internet, where programmers who had the vision to learn to code on the web found new and growing opportunities for impressive income in the future.
What do you need to learn to position yourself for that future, and where can you start learning?
The potential of the blockchain
When most people think of “blockchain”, they immediately think of Bitcoin . However, there is a big difference, as the following Google trend charts reveal.
The following is the search trend over the last two years for “bitcoin”.
The chart below is the search trend for “blockchain” over the same period.
It can be seen that both saw a huge spike in interest in the latter half of 2017. After the news of Bitcoin's tremendous price rise wore off. Interest in Bitcoin dipped back slightly below the end of 2017.
Interest in blockchain remains high at the end of 2017 and is likely to continue to rise as new innovations are developed.
Bitcoin is just an early application of blockchain technology. But the real star of the series. Regardless of what happens to Bitcoin. It is the blockchain.
The massive demand for blockchain programmers
Blockchain technology is so new that universities have not caught up with it with their curricula. For this reason, Token Swap Platform Development companies looking to develop blockchain technologies are turning to the talent of independent developers.
Evidence of this was revealed in Upwork's Q1 2018 report. According to Upwork, the growth in demand for blockchain skills has been exponential.
IBM has been at the forefront of blockchain development initiatives. Operating several pilot projects. In early 2017, the company conducted a survey of 200 government leaders in 16 countries and found that 9 out of 10 of those leaders said they planned to invest in some aspect of blockchain use across government functions.
Blockchain programming skills
If you're hoping to break into this booming field, the obvious next question is what skills do you need to land one of these lucrative jobs.
Your next steps depend on where you already are with your skill set. Blockchain programming is not a place where you can start learning. You will need to know a number of basic computer science fundamentals, and know them well, to be successful as a blockchain developer.
What this means is if you are only in high school and have a strong interest in technology and programming for a future career. So aiming for a computer science degree in college is a great first step. Start learning programming skills right away.
The skill development programs.
- Learn basic computer and programming skills.
- Focus on understanding networking and security skills.
- Understand core web technologies like HTML5, CSS3, Javascript, and full stack applications.
- Start diving to learn how the blockchain works.
- Start developing your own blockchain programming skills through online or college courses.
- Conceptually, it can be hard to understand how a technology doesn't have a specific set of programming languages that you need to learn to use it.
- But the beauty of blockchain is that it is more of a framework than an actual technology. It is the way transactions are communicated through a distributed and decentralized network instead of through a centralized network.
Some of the best online resources to learn more about blockchain programming.
Blockchain Courses Online
To develop your own blockchain applications in any programming language, you'll want to work through one or more courses. Most free courses are introductory. So if you want to get to an advanced level, plan on investing money in some really solid blockchain courses.
The following are online sites that offer some valuable courses to learn about blockchain and blockchain application development.
Grade
Blockgeek intensive. This crash course is a complete guide that will teach you the basic code to develop your own very simple blockchain application.
Edx
You will find an updated list of courses to learn blockchain programming here. There are even certification programs offered by Berkeley and the Linux Foundation.
udemy
This growing list of blockchain courses are mostly highly effective courses that will help you go from beginner to advanced level. They are not free, but if you want to get a job as a blockchain developer, these are a good investment.
Coursera
This popular online course resource is starting to develop a collection of blockchain courses.
B9Lab Blockchain Academy
This is a collection of courses intended to help you develop the skills and certifications you need to launch your career as a blockchain developer.
Blockchain Online Practice
If you are a software developer and already have all the basic programming skills outlined above, you can dive into learning blockchain programming today. The following resources provide online platforms and environments to help you practice developing your own blockchain applications.
IBM Blockchain for developers
IBM has been leading the charge in blockchain development Company. In early 2018, IBM and Walmart collaborated on a chain of supply chain pilots. IBM recognizes the need for more blockchain expertise and offers a comprehensive platform to help developers learn and practice blockchain programming. Under Learn, in the Developer section, you can sign up for a starter plan to try out your own blockchain app. It's not free but you get $500 starting credits.
BitDegree Tutorial
This introductory course will introduce you to blockchain. Specifically, you will learn about the programming language created by the developers of Ethereum called Solidity. By learning this language and practicing it through game development simulations like Space Doggos and Crypto Zombies, you'll become a solidly expert in no time. This is a good place to start if you want to work on developing smart contracts.
