How to Build a Development Career in Web3 | BUIDL for Web3 Summit
Building a career in any field, be it blockchain technology or any other, involves keeping track of the latest trends. For a while now, Web3 has flourished, much to the delight of its proponents.
However, with the disastrous collapse of FTX highlighting how volatile crypto can be, the need for regulatory oversight has grown in importance. Quite clearly, crypto trading has fallen out of favour with investors in many countries whose activity is being scrutinized by governments around the world.
Yet, even if cryptocurrency is not the only use case for blockchain technology, this negative impression of what Web3 has to offer in general seems to have affected the blockchain job growth numbers too.
Blockchain Jobs in 2023: Not All Rainbows and Sunshine ATM
According to a report by Coincub, there’s been a 40% drop in the number of blockchain jobs compared to 2022. As alarming as this might sound to folks who are just getting their feet wet in this up-and-coming niche, this has also been the case with general tech and engineering jobs as well, where a ‘lag in hiring’ has been detected too.
Speaking of which, both Europe and Asia now lead the way when it comes to available blockchain jobs while the number of jobs offered in North America has dropped severely during the same period. Despite these negative numbers across the board, Asia stands out with respect to the lowest percentage of job losses, amounting to just 20% in all.
In fact, a surprising contributor to the number of available blockchain jobs in Asia has come from Japan and Uzbekistan while Singapore’s commitment to offering employment opportunities related to cryptocurrency and blockchain technology remains unaffected.
What is also worthy of note is that most of the blockchain jobs that are on offer have nothing to do with cryptocurrency but with the technology itself. Still, despite such bleak news related to blockchain jobs, the industry on the whole continues to expand, in terms of overall activity.
Clearly, these stats affect job seekers, regardless of skill set, region or just current hiring trends. No one wants to be out of work, right? So, let’s look at a few strategies that budding and experienced blockchain developers can adopt to make their job search much easier.
5 Tips to Help Blockchain Developers Land Their Next Big Break
Now, before you think about making any hasty moves, it’s worth acting on information that comes from verified sources. Particularly, when it comes to the blockchain industry. Yet despite the economic downturn, here are 5 tips that can help blockchain developers land their next role.
Tip #1: Think Long Term, Not Just About 2023 Trends
Despite the reported job losses for 2023, the future looks bright for this industry as it has grown from strength to strength. Ever since its humble beginnings in 2021. One must remember that only a handful of blockchain developers were hired that year. Since then, the number of available jobs has grown exponentially as is to be expected in a nascent domain such as Web3. No matter how disappointing these trends might seem, blockchain technology is here to stay and these numbers will improve in time.
Tip #2: Take Rejection in Your Stride
If you are serious about applying for a blockchain job, you must remember that this is just like any other job that you apply to. It’s important to set expectations by taking rejection in your stride. Especially with tech and engineering jobs not enjoying much growth this past year. Expect at least 6–10 rejections as you continue to apply for work for a minimum period of three months. Given how slow the market is, the sooner you recover from such a rejection, the more likely you will be successful in your job search.
Tip #3: Apply for a minimum of 10–15 jobs Before Calling it a Day
It’s not just the number of months but also how many jobs you apply to that matter as well. Sure, there will be jobs that are far more desirable than others. However, on average, you need to apply for a minimum of 10–15 jobs to get some positive employment news. While there’s bound to be rejection, this should be enough to get a positive answer back.
Tip #4: Pick Up Core Blockchain Development Skills At Lumos Academy
Just like any other technology, Web3 builders need to work on niche-specific skills. For example, being aware of Solidity and React will pay dividends while also getting to know how Rust is used in the Web3 domain can also help with finding work. Of course, there’s a learning curve to this entire process of understanding how development works in Web3. Our educational offering, otherwise known as Lumos Academy, can guide you through this sometimes convoluted process.
Tip #5: Attend Offline Networking Events
Now, to be able to apply for relevant jobs, you should level up your skills but also explore the right online channels. In addition, networking with others offline can be just what the doctor ordered. In doing so, you will increase your chances of getting hired given that who you know is often just as important as what you know.
Keeping that final tip in mind, we, at Lumos Labs, are holding a job fair at the BUIDL for Web3 Summit at The Den located in Whitefield, Bengaluru on December 4, 2023. Register as early as possible for this event to gain uninhibited access at this link.
