A year ago I made a life-changing decision — I decided I was going to start working at a blockchain company. Questions from my family ranged from: “Are you sure?” to “What’s a blockchain?”. This hopefully can shed some light for people looking into joining the industry as I look back at my first year at ARK.
In the beginning …
I first learned about cryptocurrency and blockchain during my last year in law school which was 2015. I officially didn’t start researching bitcoin and other projects until the beginning of 2017. One of the first projects I found in the space was ARK. During the time there was a lot of hype built up around other projects. That never appealed to me. For the most part, the entire ARK community was not only welcoming but interested in helping and answering questions. That is what kept me there and through the volatility of the entire market at the time, I would just periodically check-in and go about my business. It wasn’t until 2018 and 2019 that I started to get more involved. During that time I joined the ARK Community Committee, was a board member for the ARK Community Fund, ran a delegate with friends, and got to know more of the community members and team members at ARK.
In August of 2018, I interviewed for an open position at ARK. It was for the community engagement manager. I still remember the interview I had with Matthew DC. We had a long conversation about ARK, his vision for the company, the list goes on. It was during that interview I knew I really wanted to work at ARK. That was also around the same time that I realized my webcam had been off the entire time. Matthew had been talking for an hour to a faceless ARK enthusiast. After the interview, we had a second call and Matthew told me that they were going to go in a different direction with the job. He did say he had another role where he thought I would fit in well but that would happen later down the line.
If you are from the ARK community and wondering — “Well who got the job then at that time Ray?”. Well, it was the man who would later become the voice of the ARK Crypto Podcast — Justin Renken. If there was anyone I would rather get the job besides me it would be him. When I was just a lurker in the community, Justin’s involvement and interactions with the community always made ARK feel like home.
Fast forward nearly two years, I had interacted with many people from the ARK community as well as the team. Matthew and I had more talks concerning what a role at ARK would look like, his expectations of me, and how the hiring process would work. By August 5th, I was on-boarded and ready to get to work.
What’s it like working in crypto?
People have this misconception of the blockchain industry. People on the outside think it is all about Bitcoin, price, market volatility and Lambos (a sizable chunk of people within the industry think on these same terms). At its heart, ARK is a software company. We build products. Useful ones. Products that will push our industry forward. All of that aside, I would like to give you a sense of what it is like to work at a blockchain company in 2020.
The hours?
To give you a comparison, I used to work at a law firm. The hours were long and included weekends. In addition, there was a lot of pressure from clients and management to get everything done. When people would quit or get fired, a new hire would take their place within a week’s time.
At ARK, I probably work the same amount of hours. The main difference is that I am doing something that I love. Time passes by quickly and no two days are ever the same. Some days are filled with meetings. Other days I research and write articles. I even get to test out our new products with other team members.
My role?
I serve as the team’s Strategic Partnership Manager. A lot of time is actually spent learning. I research different companies, understand their pain points, jump into meetings with them, and see if there is any way we can help. Additionally, I help maintain ARK’s relationship with our partners and Powered by ARK projects that are building on the platform.
As we approach MarketSquare’s beta release, I’ll be reaching out to more projects, businesses and individuals in the blockchain space. I see it as an opportunity to learn about all the projects within the industry while also demonstrating to them all the progress ARK has made and the benefits they gain by using our products.
Company Culture Matters …
For a little bit of history, remote work has been going on for decades (at least in the U.S.). IBM was one of the first pioneers of remote work in the 1980’s with 40% of its workforce being completely remote by 2009. However, in 2009 they called their entire workforce back to the office. One of the main reasons was that management felt that IBM had lost its company culture.
At ARK we currently have 35+ different team members spread out over 12 different countries. While many of us at ARK grew up in different places, have different backgrounds, and experiences, I feel an incredibly strong sense of company culture working here. The values and shared vision that we all work towards really keeps me motivated. Being around people that are consistently pushing our products forward, discussing the future, and improving all aspects of our work is inspiring. It keeps me going.
Not only is the feeling of company culture important but also what ties into that is the relationship with your team members and your bosses. Everyone I have interacted with at ARK has been nothing but helpful. There is a strong feeling among team members that your bosses and leads have your back. I cannot stress enough how important this is at any company. When the recent pandemic started, management at ARK provided us with job security and told us that our health and well-being comes first. I don’t have to wake up wondering if half of our team will be let go today. I can focus solely on the job and on advancing our goals. It is important to be able to grow into your role at a company and be given the tools you need to succeed.
Final thoughts …
Blockchain, just like any industry has its challenges. Work isn’t always fun. All of that aside, working at ARK over the last year has been nothing short of what I hoped it would be. I truly feel a sense of belonging within the team and I am excited about the future.
From everyone at ARK, to the founders and board members, to the dev and comms teams (also our great friends over at Protokol), you guys are like family. Here’s to many more years and to the work ahead of us that will define ARK as a leader in the blockchain industry.
