Blockchain Development: Online Courses for Security Experts
The combination of blockchain and cybersecurity skills is powerful. Use these blockchain development courses to be a more valuable security expert.
Blockchain development skills are more important than ever. As businesses begin to understand the value of blockchain in cybersecurity, they’re looking for experts who also understand this new and evolving technology. In fact, blockchain skills topped the list of the 20 fastest-growing skillsets in Q1 of 2018, according to UpWork.
Now is the time to get ahead by learning how to use blockchain technology alongside your cybersecurity skills. One way to do that is to take self-paced, online courses. Check out this list of courses created by reputable experts in the industry to find the ones best fit for your experience and career.
Hack This Contract
Created by: Philip Daian
This “experimental new site” provides you with a chance to get first-hand experience with developing secure smart contracts, and exploiting those that aren’t secure. How does it work? Hack This Contract explains:
“We provide a series of example, vulnerable contracts on the Rinkeby testnet, and encourage developers to exploit their vulnerabilities with their own contracts or techniques. We also provide a leaderboard for developers to rank themselves across the broader security community.”
Head to their GitHub to make contributions on the back-end and head to Rinkeby.io to get familiar with their Ethereum testnet.
Building JavaScript Cryptocurrencies and Smart Contracts
Created by: Stone River eLearning
This course allows you to learn using real-world applications of cryptocurrency and smart contract development, including design concepts, security protocols, proof-of-work protocols and more. While some experience with Angular and JavaScript is preferred, you don’t need to have worked in cryptocurrencies or blockchain before.
If you don’t have a lot of time, this 3-hour course is the shortest on the list, making it a great brief introduction.
PolySwarm Bounty Program
Created by: PolySwarm
PolySwarm is the world’s first decentralized threat intelligence marketplace, and our bounty programs are a great way to learn cybersecurity blockchain skills first-hand. You’ll be able to:
- Develop a micro-engine, if you haven’t done so already.
- Test the capacity of your engine to detect malware and then refine it.
- Compete to accurately identify whether an artifact (file, URL, etc.) is malicious or benign.
- Earn major prizes and rewards for outcompeting other participants.
When PolySwarm 1.0 is released at the end of 2018, you may even have a chance to plug into the live platform, being one of the first experts to earn passive income within the platform. Check out the results of our first bounty program and sign up for our Weekly Security Experts Newsletter to be the first to know about PolySwarm opportunities.
Ethereum and Solidity: The Complete Developers Guide
Created by: Stephen Grider
This course starts with the basics, and aims to give a well-rounded and thorough (23 hours of content!) outline for understanding the core technologies in blockchain development: “There are a tiny number of resources published to help you truly understand what blockchains are used for, let alone build apps with them. That’s the purpose of this course: to be the best resource online for learning about Ethereum, blockchains, and how to build apps with this new technology.”
Course creator, Stephen Grider, is an engineering architect and also created one of the most popular React courses on Udemy. He has 93K course reviews and has taught more than 224K students through this learning platform.
Various Blockchain Certifications
Created by: The Blockchain Council
If you want to be certified in blockchain, this is the option for you. While the certifications from The Blockchain Council are not recognized by any certifying body, they’re still created to provide valuable insight and actionable skills in the blockchain space. All courses are taught by experts with real-world experience in blockchain and options include:
- Certified Blockchain Developer
- Advanced Certified Blockchain Developer
- Certified Ethereum Expert
- Certified Smart Contract Developer
Blockchain for Business — An Introduction to Hyperledger Technologies
Created by: The Linux Foundation
This course provides “an overview of Hyperledger and introductions to its key frameworks” as explained on the course page. It was created for both technical and non-technical students alike, allowing you to understand blockchain development specifically for the enterprise.
Still, you’ll learn the technical details of how to perform clean installations of Hyperledger Sawtooth and Hyperledger Fabric along with how to develop applications on these frameworks. This means you must have experience with basic computer terminology, in addition to terminal and command line. While the course is free, you can pay an extra $99 for a verified certificate.
Blockchain Development: Start Learning & Earning
You are in the unique position as a security expert right now. With a lack of talent across the globe, you can use courses like these to boost your skillset and take advantage of the opportunities. If you’re looking to use this skills gap to boost your career, don’t miss another recent PolySwarm post:
