It seems like every day the internet is buzzing with news and rumors about Web3, as the Metaverse, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs become more popular. But what exactly is Web3?
Conceptually, Web3 is projected by many to be the next phase of the internet — a decentralized digital space based on blockchain technology that minimizes the need for corporate-sponsored platforms and gives users more ownership and control of their digital assets and identities.
Practically, you can think of blockchain as a ledger system that helps ensure security and transparency by providing everyone on the network with information about every transaction.
Obviously, there’s a lot of nuance to this topic, which is why we’ve partnered with the Stacks Foundation — an organization that provides tools and resources for people to learn about Stacks technology — to teach you all about the tech underlying Web3 and the Metaverse in our new course: Introduction to Blockchain and Crypto.
Who is this course right for?
Intro to Blockchain and Crypto is perfect for anyone who’s curious about blockchain technology and how it’s being used today. You don’t even need to be a programmer — if you just want to learn more about the NFTs and cryptocurrencies that have been trending over the past few years, this is the course for you.
And if you are a programmer, you’ll definitely want to take this course. As the internet moves toward Web3, developers will need to understand the basics of blockchain and decentralized applications to prepare for what’s in store. Plus, Blockchain Developers are in high demand and earn competitive salaries, so if you’re looking for a career in the field, this course is a great first step.
What will you learn from the new course?
In Introduction to Blockchain and Crypto, you’ll learn:
How blockchains work, their underlying components, and the advantages and disadvantages of various consensus mechanisms used to verify data
The differences between Web2 and Web3 architecture
The pros and cons of decentralization, the composition of decentralized apps (dapps), and real-life examples of dapps
What smart contracts are used for, the programming languages behind them, and the security threats they face
What NFTs are, the different types of NFTs, their key components, and how they’re implemented in different blockchains
How DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations) help ensure openness and transparency in organizational decision-making, how they’re structured, their benefits and drawbacks, and examples of how they’re used in real life
Self-taught software developer Timothy Carambat has always had a knack for building things — from cars, to games, to a Python app that automated his student job in college. “Like any other Codecademy learner, I’m a person of a billion projects,” he says. (Fun fact: Timothy actually learned Python on Codecademy.)
While working a full-time job as a Full Stack Engineer at Product Hunt, Timothy had a side-hustle coding smart contracts for NFT creators. As an experienced builder with an entrepreneurial mindset, he sensed that this blockchain project could be a business. “I wanted Web3 to be accessible, so that’s what I did,” he says.
In March 2022, Timothy left his job to co-found Mintplex, a collection of no-code tools and services that enable people and communities to build Web3 businesses.
“Our entire ethos at Mintplex is that we are Web 2.5,” Timothy says. Mintplex’s suite of tools aims to lower the barrier of entry for people who want to get into Web3. For example, Mintplex will generate smart contract code for folks so they can get a project launched without needing to code it on their own or hire a smart contracts developer.
The company got a significant boost in May, when it was accepted into Y Combinator, a prestigious startup accelerator program. (Did you know: Codecademy was an early YC startup. Our co-founder and CEO s Zach Sims is a S11YC alum.) Timothy and his co-founder Jorrel Sto Tomas are currently in the midst of the 3-month S22 program.
“This is the first time I’m launching a startup and going the distance,” Timothy says. “But Mintplex is standing on the shoulders of at least 30 to 40 dead projects and ideas that I launched, marketed, and got little-to-no traction.”
Here’s how Timothy took his passion for coding and turned it into a Web3 startup that got into YC, plus his advice for builders who want to be founders, too.
What got me interested in the job
“I’ve always been interested in blockchain, just because it’s cool to have decentralized, immutable code that you can’t change — what’s more high-stakes than that? NFTs obviously were a very popular use case for the technology and still are.
I was working as a Software Engineer at Product Hunt, and I had experience building my own consumer-facing tools and side projects that maybe some people used and had some notoriety. I built a congressional stock-trading app that people were very much into.
I taught myself Solidity and was launching NFT projects for people on the side, only charging them a couple hundred bucks because I had automated the process for myself. I saw that people were charging thousands of dollars to write these copy-paste smart contracts, and I just didn’t think that was fair.
I just made this tool, and people started using it almost immediately. By March, we had over 200 contracts deployed. I was like, Wait, there’s actually a business model here. The entrepreneurial part of me was like, If I’m going to do a startup, now’s as good a time as any to try.”
How I got in the door
“The one thing that bolstered my decision to leave my job to pursue the startup full-time is that Mintplex was already making money. We charge a very small 5% fee on primary sales. If someone actually doesn’t even charge a minting fee, we don’t make any money off them, but they still get their project. We’re okay with that, because we still want people to succeed.
It’s obviously extremely risky, and I took a step down in pay. But it’s always something that I’ve wanted to do, so it made the risk worthwhile for me.
In May, we got into [startup accelerator] Y Combinator. It was my fifth time applying to Y Combinator — so it just shows that you have to keep trying. People always kind of mystify the Y Combinator process. But honestly, as corny as it sounds, they invest in founders and teams — not products. Being in Y Combinator obviously has helped us tremendously.
YC has helped us build trust with outside people. Your product has to be great, but being attached to YC helps build that initial trust. This is helpful in Web3, especially where the space is full of vaporware and con artists. The advice, network, connections, and access you get as a YC member are truly cheat codes in some way.”
What I actually do every day
“Today, all of the code has still just been written by me, but I can’t do that forever. Being a founder is a frankly very difficult balancing act, especially if you are the builder type.
What the day-to-day looks like for me is I’ll wake up probably around 7 a.m. I know most engineers like to wake up late, but I can’t do that anymore. I’m probably on four to five calls a day. Especially during fundraising, which we’re doing right now, I write hardly any code at all.
We started fundraising in August, and I’ve only delivered maybe two or three features during that entire month. There are priorities that you have to manage, and there is kind of a song and a dance. You have to go talk to people and rub elbows — luckily I love talking to people so it really doesn’t bother me that much.
The one thing that frustrates me is, at the end of the day, I’m like, Dang, I really could have written a lot of code today. I am just used to writing code all the time. Programming started out as a hobby, it became my passion, and now it’s my career — but it’s always stayed my passion.”
Here’s what you need to get started
Since the Web3 ecosystem is still relatively nascent, it can be tough to figure out where to start. Timothy suggests that developers who are interested in working in Web3 explore the free tools and open-source code that’s available online. Take a look at different resources, like Polygon, Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), and Optimism, or play around with Remix, an IDE for deploying and administering smart contracts, he says.
In our new free course Introduction to Blockchain and Crypto, you’ll learn the basics of blockchain technology and smart contracts, plus you’ll get to write your own idea for a dapp (decentralized application).
If you want to learn a programming language that’s used for smart contract development, Timothy recommends picking up Solidity. “Most engineers, if you’re familiar with Java, C++, or even just JavaScript, honestly, all you have to learn is variable types,” Timothy says. “You can just jump in and be like, Okay, how does this whole thing work? What are the syntax problems?” (If you need a refresher, check out our JavaScript, C++, and Java courses.)
Timothy’s overarching advice for developers who have their sights set on launching a successful startup is to start small and avoid “shiny object syndrome,” which is a term for entrepreneurs who get distracted because they’re chasing after trends. In other words, just because you can build anything as a software developer doesn’t mean that you should.
Instead, focus on one area, cause, or technology that you’re truly passionate about: “When trying to attack a problem there is nothing wrong with being niche,” Timothy says. “Solve one specific problem very well or do a few small things really great.”
If you’re the go-to person for tech-related questions among your family and friends, there’s a good chance someone’s asked you what the deal is with NFTs — a.k.a. non fungible tokens). And no matter how many times you patiently explain that an NFT is a record of ownership of a unique digital asset that’s stored on a blockchain, even you might have lingering questions and curiosities about the technology.
NFTs are a fascinating (and occasionally controversial) piece of the Web3 puzzle. All of the hype and evangelism surrounding NFTs makes it challenging to get a solid understanding of the phenomenon — even as a programmer or someone with a tech background.
In our new free course Intro to Blockchain and Crypto, you’ll learn about the process of generating an NFT on popular blockchains, as well as some of the other practical use cases for smart contracts. The course is designed to introduce folks with basic web development and programming knowledge to the technology behind Web3, crypto, and blockchain.
After completing the course, you’ll be able to confidently field those NFT questions from well-meaning friends and family members. But more importantly, you’ll have enough information about the Web3 landscape to make decisions about where you’ll take your career as a programmer. Read on to get answers to pressing questions that new programmers often have about NFTs.
How much coding goes into making an NFT?
A lot of coding or basically none, depending on the route you choose, explains Kenny Rogers, Developer Advocate at the Stacks Foundation, an organization that provides tools and resources for people to learn about Stacks technology.
Coding an NFT from scratch is pretty complicated. Assuming you’ve decided on a digital item (like a profile picture or a MP3 file) that you want to make an NFT, the next step for a developer would be writing a smart contract, which is an immutable, self-executing chunk of code that lives on the blockchain, and handles the creation of an NFT collection as a whole.
The NFT smart contract determines all of the attributes and functions that an NFT will have, explains Juliette Chevalier, a Developer Advocate at Aragon, where she’s building a DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) framework, and the co-founder and CTO of Surge, a crypto-native talent pool for women. Much like an analog contract used in business, an NFT smart contract outlines parameters for the NFT, like the ability to transfer it, change the attributes of each design, have a token ID, and get paid for it.
The exact process of coding a smart contract for NFTs varies depending on the chain. Broadly speaking, it involves following the blockchain’s standards and methods for implementing an NFT, so that your smart contract inherits those properties. For example, an NFT on Ethereum would use a different programming language for the smart contract and token standard for an NFT than, say, an NFT on Solana.
Technically, you don’t need to know how to code in order to generate an NFT. As NFTs have exploded in popularity, lots of no-code tools that simplify the process of making an NFT have emerged. For example, marketplace platforms like OpenSea and Nifty Gateway, connect to your crypto wallet — an application that’s used to store cryptocurrency and NFTs — and enable you to sell and collect NFTs. So ostensibly anyone with a crypto wallet and a little technical know-how can mint an NFT. (Good to know: These marketplaces typically charge a commission when an NFT is sold.)
Taking the DIY approach to creating an NFT means that you have a higher level of ownership over your NFT project, Kenny says. “The process you choose all depends on the goals of the project creator, their experience level, and their funding capabilities,” he says.
Can programmers get jobs working with NFTs?
With all the flashy headlines about people raking in millions from NFT sales, it’s easy to dismiss NFTs as a get-rich-quick scheme. However, as Web3 expands, there are more opportunities for programmers and technologists to pursue professional careers in blockchain development.
Organizations in the business of NFTs also typically hire Smart Contract Auditors, which are developers who test an NFT project’s code to uncover potential security vulnerabilities, as well as Penetration Testers (aka “Pen Testers”) who can simulate real-world cyber attacks.
And of course, since art and NFTs tend to go hand-in-hand, there’s a demand for designers who can create the digital assets that individuals or corporations mint as NFTs. If someone’s making a massive NFT collection with thousands of unique images, programmers might use a generative art algorithm to automate the art creation using something like Python, Juliette says.
Do I really need to care about NFTs and blockchain technology?
The internet as we know it isn’t going to morph into a decentralized Web3 overnight. That said, having a big picture view of the problems that blockchain can solve and the benefits of decentralization — paired with a healthy dose of skepticism for larger-than-life claims — could help diversify your career as a programmer.
As Kenny puts it, think about “being a T-shaped developer,” which means you have deep expertise in one area, but keep an open mind to learning a little about lots of different topics.
Whether you’re curious, unconvinced, or just plain indifferent about the technology, learning the basics of how the blockchain and NFTs work could pay off. “Because Web3 is growing so much, there’s an asymmetric opportunity to invest a little bit of time learning about it for potentially a huge reward down the line,” he says.
Ready to learn how NFTs fit into the blockchain and Web3? Try our new free (and beginner-friendly) course Intro to Blockchain and Crypto, created in partnership with the Stacks Foundation. If you find that you need a refresher on web development and basic coding principles, check out our full course catalog. And if you’re still not sure what type of programming interests you the most, take our programming personality quiz.
Knowing how Web3, crypto, and blockchain works is way more than just a hobby or dinner party conversation-starter — it’s a marketable skill that can help your career in tech.
The trouble is, reading job descriptions for roles in the Web3 space is not super straightforward, because the terminology and field is so new, explains Kenny Rogers, Developer Advocate at the Stacks Foundation, an organization that provides tools and resources for people to learn about Stacks technology.
If you envision having a career in Web3, you’ll need to understand how a blockchain works, what it’s actually good for, and what the long-term vision is for the technology. In our new free course Introduction to Blockchain and Crypto, you’ll learn how blockchains and their underlying components function, and get to work on a capstone project writing an idea for a dapp (decentralized application).
Keep in mind that, even with this new swath of technology and skills, traditional tech careers like Web Developer or Product Manager are not automatically in jeopardy because of Web3 and the world of crypto. Rather, Web3 is “just another layer of the internet that’s emerging right now that provides new opportunities both for developers to build on if they want to, and for users to use applications in a different way,” Kenny says.
Here’s an overview of the types of work you can do in the blockchain and Web3 space, and the technical skills that will help you stand out in the job market.
Blockchain Infrastructure Engineer
For a quick refresher, when we talk about a “blockchain,” we’re referring to a network of computers that all host, maintain, and create new blocks of data that are chained together using cryptography. Put another way, a blockchain is a decentralized digital ledger system with information about transactions that’s available to anyone on the network.
A Blockchain Infrastructure Engineer is someone who works on the actual blockchain protocol itself. For instance, a Blockchain Infrastructure Engineer working on Stacks would need to know the programming language Rust, and would primarily contribute to the open-source codebase that actually runs the Stacks chain itself. A Blockchain Infrastructure Engineer for Ethereum might write code in multiple languages, like C++, Python, Go, or Solidity.
The exact scope of a Blockchain Infrastructure Engineer’s role really depends on the specific organization or project; they might also be responsible for writing smart contracts to build the chain’s consensus mechanism, Kenny says. Most Blockchain Infrastructure Engineers need computer science knowledge under their belt in order to understand the architecture, security, and high-level design protocols that go into creating a blockchain, he says.
Web3 Developer or Blockchain Software Developer
Another role that you might come across is a Web3 Developer or Blockchain Software Developer, which is anyone who builds applications that utilize the blockchain and its back-end technology. Although there may be overlap between this role and that of a Blockchain Infrastructure Engineer, they tend to be very different jobs, Kenny says.
To become a Web3 Developer, you’d want to learn web development technologies, as well as smart contract languages. Using Stacks as an example again, a Web3 Developer would learn JavaScript and Clarity (the smart contract language that’s specific to Stacks) and then build software that utilizes Stacks’ blockchain.
Smart Contract Developer
A Smart Contract Developer writes code for smart contracts, which are immutable, publicly accessible chunks of code that live on a blockchain. For example, a financial institution in the DeFi (decentralized finance) field might hire a Smart Contract Developer to write code for smart financial contracts.
The programming language that a Smart Contract Developer uses depends on the blockchain ecosystem that they work with. Some common languages for blockchain development include Solidity, Rust, and Clarity.
Front-End Developers
The need for beautifully designed and functional websites or applications doesn’t go away in the metaverse. If you’re a Front-End Developer, there are Web3 jobs out there for you where you’d primarily be responsible for building the front-end and user interface of a dapp (decentralized application) that interacts with smart contracts or blockchains, Kenny says.
As so many companies shift into Web3, there’s a huge gap right now in the user experience of Web3, Kenny says. “People are still trying to tack on normal Web 2.0 interfaces onto Web3, but it works so differently that we need UX people to come up with the correct ways to interact with some of this stuff,” he says.
Although you don’t necessarily need to know how to code a smart contract to be successful in a front-end role, it’s important to understand the fundamentals of blockchain technology because you’ll be interfacing with them closely, Kenny adds. Learn more about the skills you need to become a Front-End Developer here.
Cybersecurity Specialists
Blockchain technology presents a new set of security challenges and potential vulnerabilities. In August, the FBI issued a public service announcement alerting people to an increase in cyber criminals “exploiting vulnerabilities in the smart contracts governing DeFi platforms to steal cryptocurrency, causing investors to lose money.”
Cybersecurity Specialists who can identify and respond to blockchain security issues are key to establishing a safer and more secure Web3. A Smart Contract Auditor is someone who reviews code in smart contracts looking for potential security exploits, like reentrancy and access control, and provides security recommendations. Penetration Testers (aka “Pen Testers”), who mimic real-world attacks to identify an organization’s vulnerabilities, are also needed for blockchain and Web3 projects.
Developers in these roles need to be well-versed in the intricacies of smart contracts and blockchain development (plus reading someone else’s code) in order to be able to pinpoint possible vulnerabilities and come up with solutions. Cybersecurity Specialists typically have intermediate- to expert-level experience working as a Smart Contract Developer, Kenny adds.
Curious if cybersecurity is the path for you? Our course Introduction to Cybersecurity covers fundamentals like cybersecurity standards, cyber threats, cryptography, and network security basics.
Game development companies and brands hoping to expand into Web3 need Metaverse Architects and UX Designers who can dream up and build the 3D virtual environments where the games take place. (FYI: Metaverse is one of those terms that has multiple meanings. Sometimes it’s used to describe an ecosystem of Web3 tech that’s not limited by physical boundaries. Other times, a metaverse refers to a virtual world.)
If you’re a Game Developer interested in Web3, you don’t necessarily need to have blockchain-specific experience with smart contract development, Kenny says. “You can take your game development skills and just apply them to a Web3 game company.”
Developer Advocate
There are lots of opportunities for Web3 jobs that have to do with education, outreach, and developer relations, Kenny says. As a Developer Advocate, Kenny “makes sure that developers are happy and successful building on Stacks,” he says. That might entail hosting workshops, writing tutorials, or having one-on-one calls with developers to work through specific issues.
Kenny’s advice for getting a job as a Developer Advocate is to start compiling a portfolio of your written tutorials, blogs, or even videos. “You can build up a really solid Developer Advocate portfolio just from taking the initiative to learn things on your own, and then create content based on those things that you’re learning,” he says.
Job search tips from a crypto recruiter
Emily Landon, aka “The Crypto Recruiter,” helps tech professionals get jobs in crypto, blockchain, and Web3. Here are some of her tips for standing out if you want to have a career in Web3:
Focus on your transferable experience: Keep in mind that everyone is relatively new to Web3, so it’s okay if most of your work experience has been primarily in Web 2.0. Emphasize the transferable skills that you’ve honed as a developer, Emily says. For example, you could talk about how you’ve had to learn new languages quickly, or pivot technologies for projects in the past, so you’re confident in your ability to get up to speed on Web3 topics.
Prepare thoughtful questions to ask: One way to showcase that you’re enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the Web3 landscape is to do your research on the company you want to work for, and ask questions about its competitors, Emily says. “Companies want to hire people that want to work there — doing your research validates your interest in the company,” she says.
Bold programming languages on your resume: As you write your resume, bold the name of the programming language or technology that you know, Emily says. “HR spends 3 to 30 seconds looking at your resume, so you want the keywords to really pop out. The goal is for HR to immediately think, Perfect, they check all the boxes. Let’s have a call.”
Bookmark Web3 job boards: Setting alerts for Web3 and blockchain jobs on LinkedIn and Google is a good place to start, but you might have better luck browsing Web3-specific job boards. These are some of Emily’s favorites: Crypto Careers, Web3 Jobs, CryptoJobsList, and useWeb3.
Feeling inspired to dive into Web3 topics? Take a look at our new free course Intro to Blockchain and Crypto. It’ll give you a high-level, yet thorough, introduction to decentralization, Web3, NFTs, smart contracts, and more. Then, be sure to check out our full course catalog to round out your tech stack and get ready to land a job in tech.
The hype surrounding blockchain technology is practically unavoidable these days — and whether you’re fully on board with the ethos of decentralized software or remain skeptical about Web3, you might be wondering what sort of tech skills and programming languages will be valuable in the new “Wild West” of the internet.
The good news is lots of coding languages that you already know can be used in blockchain development (more on that later). And even the newer languages that are specific to smart contracts, the essential building blocks of the programmable blockchain, are relatively easy to pick up if you have some basic coding knowledge.
But before you start learning a language, you should do a little research and decide which blockchain platform interests you the most, says Kenny Rogers, Developer Advocate at the Stacks Foundation. “There are tons of them right now, which is kind of overwhelming,” Kenny says. “And they all claim to be doing different things the best way.”
For example, maybe your Twitter feed is full of Ethereum news, or you keep seeing job listings for Web3 developers who know Solana. Once you narrow down which blockchain platform to focus on, you can dig in and see the specific programming languages they use.
In our free course Introduction to Blockchain and Crypto, built in partnership with the Stacks Foundation, you’ll learn about different chains and their practical use cases, and walk away with an objective, high-level understanding of blockchain development. Here are the programming languages that are used the most in blockchain development, and what you need to know about each of them.
Solidity
Solidity is the most commonly used language for writing and deploying smart contracts on the Ethereum chain. It’s a statically typedcurly-braces programming language that has familiar features that you might recognize from other languages.
“Solidity looks rather high-level but is still very close to the [Ethereum Virtual Machine],” Christian Reitwiessner, creator of Solidity, said in a 2020 interview. “At the same time, people with some background in programming usually understand what Solidity code is about.”
Solidity’s main influences are JavaScript, C++, and Python. If you have a solid (sorry) understanding of those languages, then picking up Solidity is relatively easy. Check out our course catalog for courses on JavaScript, C++, and Python (as well as our new Intro to Blockchain course).
C++
Known for its speed and efficiency, C++ is a powerful object-oriented programming language that frequently comes up in Web3. (Fun fact: Bitcoin was written in C++, which C++ creator Bjarne Stroustrup was not thrilled about.) C++ can be used for smart contract development on the EOS blockchain.
Of course, there are many other reasons to learn C++ that aren’t directly related to the blockchain. C++ is a general-purpose language that can reliably run large software infrastructure and applications on few resources, making it the go-to for performance-critical applications. C++ is used for everything from gaming to financial software to AR/VR applications.
Learn one of the world’s most widely used programming languages with our beginner-friendly course Learn C++. If you’re already familiar with the fundamentals of coding, or need a C++ syntax refresher, check out our C++ for Programmers course.
Rust
Rust is consistently ranked the most-loved programming language in Stack Overflow’s developer survey, with 87% of devs saying they want to keep using it. One reason why Rust is beloved is because it’s type- and memory-safe, and those safety features are why it’s preferred for blockchain development. Rust is used to build smart contracts on chains like Solana and NEAR.
“If you know Rust, depending on the blockchain that you choose to work in, you can very likely meaningfully contribute both to the blockchain work itself and also smart contract development,” Kenny says. Want to learn Rust? Keep an eye out for our new course Rust for Programmers, launching soon.
JavaScript
Good news for JavaScript fans: “For both Web3 and Web 2.0, JavaScript is the number one thing to learn if you don’t know it already,” Kenny says. If you initially learned JavaScript to build websites and apps, that knowledge can still serve you in the Web3 and blockchain space. (And if you haven’t dabbled with JavaScript yet, we have lots of JavaScript courses at every level for you to explore.)
Let’s say you’re a Front-End Engineer who builds an app with JavaScript. You can make your application interact with existing smart contracts or the blockchain itself without needing to learn another language from scratch. NEAR, for example, is a popular protocol that’s set up so developers can write smart contracts right in JavaScript or Rust, Kenny says. “You can get really far just with JavaScript, and then kind of branch into those other languages depending on what your goals are and what chain you want to work in,” he says.
Clarity
This newer smart contract language is specific to the Stacks blockchain and has a few distinctive features and guardrails that make it especially secure.
For starters, Clarity is decidable, which means there’s a finite number of steps for every input and you know where the code will terminate. Clarity doesn’t permit looping, and it’s purposefully “Turing incomplete,” so you can be certain that a program execution will end at some point, eliminating the risk of a halting problem — a valuable property to have in an immutable, globally-distributed system. The language also prohibits reentrancy, which is when one smart contract calls into another and then calls back into the first contract — a situation that can expose contracts to attacks.
Another reason why you should consider checking out Clarity? Kenny says there’s a hiring demand for Developers who know Clarity. “We’re at this weird point where there are not a lot of Clarity developers, so there’s kind of a shortage right now,” he says.
Go
Google’s statically-typed open-source language Go (or “Golang”) is often used for back-end development and creating high-performance applications. Geth, short for “Go-Ethereum,” is an Ethereum client that’s written in Go.
Compared to other languages, Go is fast and lean, and allows you to multitask running multiple processes without sacrificing memory resources. With Go, you can build applications from its robust library of functions and packages. Our course Learn Go is a beginner-friendly introduction to Google’s programming language, and will have you setting up a Go environment and creating a Go file right away.
Python
Lots of people are fans of Python’s English-like syntax and cross-platform versatility, and the general-purpose language can also be used for blockchain development. If you’ve never picked up Python before, we have lots of beginner-friendly Python courses to choose from, no matter what your goals are.
Ready to give blockchain development a chance? Try our free course Introduction to Blockchain and Crypto for a language-agnostic overview of the world of crypto and its underlying technology, built in partnership with Stacks Foundation.
Although blockchain technology is most often associated with banking and finance, it’s used in a huge range of industries, from automotive to health care to gas and oil. This increase in the adoption of blockchain technology has put Blockchain Developers in high demand in the job market today.
As skilled programmers and cryptographers, Blockchain Developers create innovative solutions to challenging problems; and they’re generally some of the highest-paid programmers out there. But these salaries vary by location, experience, education, and skillset. Here’s a closer look at what impacts a Blockchain Developer’s salary.
What determines a Blockchain Developer’s salary?
The average annual salary for a Blockchain Developer in the United States is $129,424 per year, according to data from ZipRecruiter. But experienced Blockchain Developers in some areas of the country are making close to $200,000, and 22% of those polled reported a salary falling within the range of $119,500 to $135,499. So what’s influencing this range?
Location
The rise of remote work has decreased the impact that your geographic location has on your salary. This is good news for anyone who wants to live in a different state — or even a different country — than where their employer is located. And as a Blockchain Developer, you can essentially work from anywhere with an internet connection, as long as you meet any workplace requirements your employer has in place.
Although the impact is smaller than it once was, factors like the cost of living and competition in the area still affect salaries. For example, according to ZipRecruiter, a Blockchain Developer in New York earns an average salary of $141,473 per year, one in California earns $136,052 per year, and one in Arizona earns $125,870.
Education
While some employers require at least a Bachelor’s Degree for Blockchain Developers, you’ll also see job postings without an education requirement. This is in part due to tech companies moving away from degree requirements, and it’s also because you can gain the knowledge and skills you’ll need to be a successful Blockchain Developer in ways other than a formal degree.
You can learn specific blockchain skills through professional development training, like taking online courses. And you can leverage those skills when you’re negotiating your salary. If you’re new to the workforce, an internship is another opportunity where you can learn on-the-job skills before applying to a full-time position.
But since formal degrees still hold weight in the job market, having one can give you a competitive advantage during the job-hunting process and while you’re negotiating your salary (at least for your first job). Degrees that are most relevant to blockchain development include computer science and information technology, and other related disciplines, like data science and math, can also prepare you for work in this field.
While there are specific degrees in blockchain development, this is a relatively new area for universities and colleges across the U.S. You’re more likely to see specific courses on topics, like blockchain ethics and cryptocurrencies, as well as developer boot camps, offered to students.
Experience
The amount of time you’ve been working in your field is one of the biggest factors that will affect your earning potential, especially when you’ve been working in the field for a long period of time. In most cases, the more years of experience you have, the higher your salary will be.
Based on data from Glassdoor, entry-level developers, those with 1-3 years of experience, earn an average salary of $96,676. Mid-level developers with 4-9 years of experience fall within the range of $104,799-$110,114. And senior developers who have 10 or more years of experience earn salaries of $115,000 and above. Keep in mind that senior developers may be working in management positions and overseeing and directing junior and mid-level developers on multiple projects.
If you’re applying for entry-level positions and looking for ways to add experience to your resume, an internship is a great place to start. You’ll gain real-world experience while learning both hard and soft skills, and it’s something you’ll be able to highlight during the interview process.
Technology
Beyond your college degree and/or nontraditional education, keeping up with the ever-evolving technology in blockchain can help you boost your salary.
Programmers need to continually invest in learning skills that will help them perform their job and stay competitive in the job market when searching for a new role. This might look like taking a course to learn a new programming language or tool, attending a relevant conference, or even just staying up-to-date on the industry via Twitter.
Specialty
As a Blockchain Developer, you can choose a specialty within your field to focus on, and having a specific expertise can oftentimes position you to negotiate a higher salary. Some specialties that Blockchain Developers can focus on include data structures, blockchain architecture, cryptography, web development, and smart contract development.
Other skills you’re likely to see listed on job descriptions are Node.js, React.js, and experience in DevOps environments, and our courses Learn Node.js, Learn React, and Introduction to DevOps cover these topics in depth.
Once you’re ready to start applying for jobs and interviewing, you can find advice on resume writing, portfolio creation, and interview prep at our Career Center.
Introduction.General understanding of texts is an important skill. Students with special educational needs (SEN) often struggle and have difficulties with reading comprehension. Graphic organizers, mainly frames or diagrams, help them visualize and understand concepts more effectively. So, they are excellent tools that can be used to enhance the students’ ability to organize information from a text and access deeper meaning (Adler 2015). I also use them to help my students identify the main idea, the plot structure and develop their critical thinking. English Literature is a part of Israeli final exams and such tools prevent SEN students from misunderstanding stories and poems, getting bored, and giving up.Strategies for improving reading comprehension. “Reading comprehension is the mental process the reader goes through to understand the content of a reading text” (Suyitno 2017). It can be achieved due to all the necessary activities done before, while, and after reading. As individuals read, first of all, they use their prior knowledge along with clues from the text to construct meaning. This means that they have purposes for their reading and adjust it to each reading task. Strategic readers are those who are “good at monitoring their comprehension, know when they understand, what they read and when they do not” (Adler 2015). I. Suyitno indicates that reading strategies (RS) include selecting, predicting, confirming, and validating the results of the understanding. Therefore, in SEN classes teachers should devote more time to pre-reading tasks and elicit as much information from students as possible. In their turn, students can share their personal or other people’s experience that is connected to the topic of the poem or story. It can be done in pairs or small groups with the help of diagrams or frames. The main reason for applying RS is to enhance students’ achievement. Moreover, we teach SEN students to use RS to help them:• develop a positive attitude towards reading• understand the meaning of a text• explore and understand the genre• be able to apply critical thinking According to McEwan, “cognitive strategies are defined in various ways. They are sometimes called mental tools”. They can also be described as “behaviors and thoughts”. In SEN classes behaviors include such actions as working with graphic organizers prepared for the following activities:• pre-reading notetaking• generating keywords• understanding chronological order of the story• identifying similarities and differences of the characters• making a summary of the story• giving a presentation as a post-reading activity Thoughts include cognitive processes such as explaining the actions of the main characters, the key events and the climax of the story, and all the possible endings. Students with severe dyslexia and/or dysgraphia do not have to write a lot. They can complete the diagrams offered by teachers or prepare their own ones and give presentations. Teaching critical thinking skills According to the national program, critical thinking is compulsory for passing the final exam in English Literature. Remedial teachers should use graphic organizers and help students understand how higher order of thinking skills (HOTS) may be used to “examine and show relationships in a text” (Adler 2015). Teaching HOTS not only enhances students’ ability to analyze literature but also enables them to answer reading comprehension questions and improves their language skills on all levels. Within the framework of the Literature program, teachers are supposed to incorporate the following HOTS:• inferring• cause and effect• problem-solving• making connections• explaining patterns• distinguishing different perspectives Since in Israeli SEN schools each class contains up to eight students, that enables teachers to adopt such a complicated material to each learner successfully. I prepare diagrams for critical thinking exercises to show how the events in the story are connected. They help SEN students develop their thought processes. Conclusion Graphic organizers and diagrams are very helpful to SEN students. It is a great strategy, which provides a visual representation of information. Teachers can download them or prepare them with kids and use them for teaching poems, stories, and novels. With the help of graphic organizers students can understand the plot structure and analyze the texts critically, so they are also great tools to teach critical thinking. I also practice this activity to develop their speaking and listening skills. Many ESL textbooks with graphic organizers, approved by the Israeli Ministry of Education, are very popular in the local SEN schools.Bibliography.1. Adler, C. (2015). “Seven Strategies to Teach Students Text Comprehension”. 2. McEwan, E. 2004. “The power of strategic reading instruction” http://www.corwin.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/6863_mcewan_ch_1.pdf 3. Suite, I. 2017. “Cognitive strategies use in reading comprehension and its contributions to students’ achievement” https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1162686.pdf Julia Koifman was born in Ukraine. Graduated from Simferopol State University in 1995 and got an MA degree in TEFL. In 1999 she immigrated to Israel and got a TEFL certification at Shaanan College in Haifa in 2002. In 2006 she started teaching in Beit Ekshtein high school for SEN and in 2009 became an ENGLISH COORDINATOR in the same school where she still works. Published some articles about overcoming dyslexia and other SEN. Koifman is a member of IATEFL, TESOL, and ETAI organizations and a regular presenter at local and international conferences. In 2018, she won a scholarship for participation in the IATEFL conference in Brighton, UK.
Author : Julia Koifman Degree : Major : Special Needs and Inclusive Education Country : United States Language : English
In this lesson, students will learn how Republican governors are sending migrants to Democratic cities and towns to protest the high number of arrivals at the southern border.
Language is a structured form of communication that uses words and expressions by a group of people in a particular region or country. Language is a vital part of society and connecting with others. Through language, we can share our thoughts, feelings, and ideas with others. Learning a new language is a great way to build relationships and connections in the global world. For the 700 million Europeans that make up the 46 member states of the Council of Europe, it’s encouraged. This European Day of Languages (26 September), the Council reminds us that “linguistic diversity is a tool for achieving greater intercultural understanding and a key element in the rich cultural heritage of our continent.”
Fun Facts About European Languages
No one knows where language comes from, but it is essential to how society functions. In Europe, Russia is the most spoken language, with 120 million native speakers. German follows at second place with 95 million speakers. It’s also the official language of three countries, (Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein). It’s also the secondary language to three, Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Here are some other interesting language facts to this fascinating construct:
The U.N has six official languages, and all documents are published in all these.
For 600 years, French was the UK’s official language.
More than 7000 languages are spoken globally
A new word is created every 98-minutes and there are over 200 languages that are now extinct.
Half of the global population is bilingual.
The origin of Spain’s Basque language is unknown although it’s spoken by around 700 00 people. It’s not related to any other language.
Benefits of Learning a New Language
We live in a globalised world. On any given day, we can communicate with individuals from different countries through social media, our travels, or at work. Learning a new language is a great benefit to help bridge the possible communication gaps.
Improved career prospects. Employers consider this a valuable skill. You increase your chances of promotion, working at an international office, breaking into new markets and industries, and communicating with customers and clients. Being bilingual, or trilingual, is a great addition to your resume.
Makes you a better communicator. When you learn a new language you not only understand a new language, but you also become better at understanding your own. You find yourself using more words and enlarging your vocabulary. This bolsters your creativity as your mind is stretched to the “new”.
Improves memory. The more you use your brain, the better it functions. Learning a new language gives your brain a good workout and helps you with recalling facts, figures, and more.
Makes you better at multitasking. When you learn a new language, you teach your brain to slip between languages as you translate and practice what you learn. This places extra demand on the brain and this switch slips into other daily functions that need multitasking.
Cultural appreciation. Learning a new language means learning about a new culture. This makes you more open, tolerant and a wider outlook on life. You soon realise that your way is not the only way, and you appreciate differences in everyone you meet.
And of course, traveling to new destinations and not worrying about the language barrier when you land will be one less stress to think about. You can begin your journey with some of our incredible free courses in French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.
Creative Ways to Practice Speaking a New Language
Learning a new language is not easy. There are a myriad of tools at your disposal that you can use to master a new language. Classroom learning is fun but being out and about and is a great way to practise what you’ve learned in other settings.
Watch a movie. Put on a film in the language you’re learning – without subtitles (if you want to challenge yourself). Track how well you can follow the movie. And if you hear new and interesting words, look them up and add them to your vocab bundle.
Join a club. There are many people also learning the same language as you are. Search out one of these and meet up with the group to practice the new language in an informal setting.
Read. Find easy-to-read books in the language you’re learning and assess how much of the book you understand. As you improve, buy more challenging books, magazines, and newspapers.
Speak the language. Find someone who speaks the language and ask them to help you practice. There isn’t a better way to learn a language than to speak it. Your confidence will grow as your pronunciation, enunciation and skills improve.
Board games/flash cards. These techniques sound simple, and they are. But they are also very helpful and a fun way to learn.
Immerse yourself in the culture of the language you’re learning. Language and culture and interlinking. The nuances, expressions, and traditions will enrich your understanding of the language. This also helps you learn the history associated with the words and will prevent you from saying the “wrong” thing.
“The European Day of Languages is a celebration of the rich tapestry of languages which make our continent so special. Linguistic diversity is our cultural heritage. It helps us appreciate difference and helps us understand that diversity is our strength. Let us value all languages in Europe”, Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
Visit our Language Hub and discover all the courses you can enrol for. We’ll have you saying ‘bonjour’, ‘ciao’, ‘hej’, or ‘olá’ and more in no time.
