Blockchain is a decentralized application, which is developed using multiple programming languages. Therefore, the person tasked with developing a blockchain system needs to possess a broad range of technical skills to meet the growing and ever-evolving demands of the industry.

This article will help explain what it is that you need to know about blockchain engineering and blockchain architecture while offering some guidance on how you will use those skills in the real world.

A blockchain developer is a software developer or a web developer who has blockchain skills. The most important of those skills are knowledge of smart contract development, data structures, cryptography, computer networking, and algorithms.

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Just a brief perusal of blockchain developer job dashboards will reveal that you don’t actually need a college education to succeed in what can be a highly lucrative profession. At the very least, having a high school diploma or GED will suffice.

What you will need more are professional certifications that validate your skills as a blockchain developer. You can also learn blockchain through online courses, some of which can be completed at your own pace. The courses themselves will not take you that long to complete, and some are relatively inexpensive.

If you want to attend university for a Bachelor’s Degree in Computing or a related field, that will stand you in good stead. However, you should never feel compelled to complete that level of tertiary education just to learn more about blockchain applications.

Classes that are specifically related to blockchain technology can be taken at a local community college. A typical certificate program will develop your grasp of blockchain development whether for blockchain technologies like Ethereum and Hyperledger.

A certificate course like this really helps you to better understand cryptocurrencies, which are currently the biggest beneficiaries of blockchain technology. Community college certificates are a building block, though, and nothing more. You will need to do more study.

There are several degree programs that a future blockchain developer can enroll in at universities across the United States. Among those are the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science, Bachelor of Computer Science, and a Bachelor of Engineering and Computer Science.

Within all of those degree programs, software development and web development will feature in the curriculum. However, both these disciplines are things that can pretty much be self-taught, at a lower expense and over a shorter period. This is provided that you have a strong level of commitment and discipline.

While you do not need the degree, you can still become a blockchain developer with a degree in one of the related fields. A degree is especially helpful if you require a higher level of guidance and engagement to learn.

When it comes to learning blockchain development, one of the most relevant education tracks is coding bootcamps. Coding bootcamps are ideal training grounds for learning the fundamentals of Python, game development, and web development at a much faster pace than doing the same in college.

Blockchain developers are really just software and web developers with a unique skill set. You too need that development base, before you can move onto learning blockchain.

Several online courses are designed to get you started with blockchain development from scratch. You could take a course that will teach you how to build your first blockchain. The first time developing anything for the web can be the most daunting part but once you are beyond that, building up your skill set will become a lot swifter and easier.

One of the more popular routes after learning about blockchain is learning Bitcoin fundamentals. This is arguably the first and most popular type of cryptocurrency available in the market. Ethereum and DogeCoin also make the list.

There is a gradual progression you can take here, without spending much more than a few hundred dollars or even less per course. Among the popular platforms for learning blockchain are edX, Udacity, LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, and Udemy.

There are three major components to becoming a blockchain developer. They include understanding why blockchain technology exists, what it is predominantly used for, and building up a solid technical base. Then, the key will be understanding how to merge all of these facets.

Below are the essential skills you’ll need to hone to become a successful blockchain developer.

Blockchain developers face a promising job outlook and lucrative salaries. According to Glassdoor, the average blockchain developer salary is about $107,000. However, blockchain developers can earn as little as $70,000 per year. Meanwhile, the highest earners in this industry can make as much as $163,000 per year.

Just two years ago, there were some doubts about the future of blockchain technology and the people who develop those blockchains. However, there has been a dramatic shift in 2021 as the world has become increasingly dependent on this technology.

Prominent financial news organization Bloomberg News even went so far as predicting that “everything will be on blockchain soon.” This would indicate that the demand for blockchain developers will also increase dramatically in the foreseeable future.

In short, if you become a blockchain developer now, you are likely to earn a competitive salary. You are also likely to enjoy considerable job security. It is a good profession for you to try and get into, not just in the United States but also around the world.

At an entry level, a blockchain developer is expected to have a working knowledge of programming languages like Java, C++, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, and C#. Those are six of the main languages you will use, depending on the types of blockchain being developed.

A blockchain developer working at this job level is also expected to have a sound knowledge of web development or web applications. As with most technology-related job listings, employers are more interested in blockchain developers who exhibit the skills required to perform the task at hand. Qualifications are important but not always vital for first roles.

On that score, an entry-level blockchain developer should be able to demonstrate that they have three years of meaningful experience. This should include working with various programming languages, open-source remote procedure calls like gRPC, and software products like PaaS and SaaS. They should also be able to use tools like Git and Travis CI.

A blockchain developer is responsible for the creation, maintenance, and upgrade of a functional blockchain without compromising on the data and information of the clients using that blockchain.

Blockchain Council is the main certification body for developers working in this field. However, other certification options are also linked to established and credible online academic institutions. There are just three of those below.

This blockchain certification, offered by Blockchain Council, is evidence that you have mastered the core concepts of blockchain development. Sitting on the certification exam will only set you back $129, and you will only need about eight hours of course training to prepare for the exam. All of this can be achieved online, too.

The completion of this blockchain certification will require about 16 hours of coursework, which is usually conducted over four weeks. To enroll for the exam, you will need to fork out about $397. On passing the test, you will be able to prove that you have a working knowledge of blockchain technology and its ecosystems.

This is a very compelling certification program because of its close association with the University of California, Berkeley, one of the top technical universities in the world. To complete this certification, you will need to commit yourself to about five hours of course work and preparation per week, over about five months.

To sit the certification exam, you will have to pay about $178. A lot of blockchain development has to do with cryptocurrency. There is tremendous emphasis on that with this certification.

Throughout the job interview, you can expect to be tested on your blockchain knowledge. Make sure you’re confident about your product knowledge to ace your job interview. Below are several blockchain developer interview questions to expect.

The length of time it will take you to become a blockchain developer can hinge on your answer to several questions. How much free time do you have available to learn and gain meaningful practical experience? How much experience do you already have with development? How much can you afford to spend on resources required for learning?

If you teach yourself software development, without attending a coding bootcamp or college, it can take you about six months to land your first blockchain developer job. You could conceivably achieve similar results within just three months if you have a solid base to work off.

Some will choose to attend university, and a standard computing degree will take at least three years to complete. However, note that a standard computing degree program does not typically focus on blockchain development.

Absolutely. There is a general acknowledgment that cryptocurrency is here to stay, and economic experts are bullish about its immediate future. That is going to spill over into traditional financial services like banking.

The success of crypto is an example of just one area in which the demand for blockchain developers is expected to explode in 2021 and beyond. All of the evidence on job dashboards also points to a profession that will pay well if you apply yourself and get a little lucky with the right employment opportunities.