TE Academy Roadmap 2023
TE Academy had a significant year in 2022, and 2023 is expected to be even more significant. We took a giant leap by launching TE Fundamentals, the first all-encompassing educational program in the field of token engineering in October 2022. This new course paves the way for token engineering’s recognition as a legitimate discipline.
As of March 2023, more than 1950 students have enrolled in the program. Within just four months of launching the program, 750+ NFTs were minted as a graduate’s proof of knowledge.
In 2023, TE Academy plans to expand on these accomplishments and grow its ecosystem.
This year, we will focus on the following objectives:
- Creating job opportunities for token engineers;
- Establishing NFT-based proofs as a vital asset of the community and a critical gauge of expertise and accomplishments in the field;
- Establishing token-based value flows for our own ecosystem.
Career Opportunities for Token Engineers
At TE Academy, our most valuable resource is our community of exceptional students and graduates. In 2020, only a select few cryptoeconomic researchers and builders were forging ahead in the field. Today, thousands of students are studying token engineering, contributing to a growing knowledge pool and greatly expanding hands-on experience in the field.
There’s a huge demand: While DeFi has benefitted greatly from the wealth of research, frameworks, tools and metrics originally developed in Quantitative Finance, other crypto sectors are lacking this infrastructure. Tokenized Data & AI, DeSci, NFTs or DAO governance need new incentive models, KPIs, and risk management.
Our graduates are spreading the word about the importance of rigorous engineering, establishing networks to develop TE tools like cadCAD or Machinations and build service offerings at TE Labs, Tokenomics DAO, Tokenomia Pro, or Bankless Consulting. Most importantly, they support crypto projects and contribute to token designs.
TE Academy receives dozens of requests and job offers every week even though the space is still in its early stages. Despite discussions about token design, tokenomics, cryptoeconomics, and token engineering, there is no common understanding of expectations. There are no well-defined roles or specific skill sets in this field, nor is there a clear outline of typical deliverables or how to plan a token engineering project. In addition, essential components of other industries, such as tools, collaboration frameworks, or standard charging rates, are missing.
This creates challenges in hiring that make things complicated, risky, and less enjoyable for everyone.
Therefore, TE Academy’s mission is to provide a neutral platform to foster growth in this sector and to match demand with supply in token engineering expertise.
In 2023, we will establish the new TE Academy formats to achieve this objective. If you are interested in hiring a token engineer, please get in touch with us!
Knowledge & Reputation — Our Community’s Key Assets
So far, 750+ certificates have been minted for successful students of TE Fundamentals, which serve as verification of having successfully completed a TE Fundamentals exam. However, these proofs of knowledge are just the first step in the reputation system that we envision.
The goal is to create a system of NFT proofs that acknowledges and rewards various contributions that are relevant to building this new engineering field:
- knowledge (such as courses, case studies, research seminars, and research)
- skills (such as applied knowledge demonstrated in hackathons and bounties)
- tool development (such as open-source tools, models and frameworks for collaboration)
- support (such as mentors, tutors, and ecosystem development)
- exceptional achievements (such as scientific research, cross-disciplinary collaboration, new cryptoeconomic primitives)
- and more.
Today, these proofs are available based on exams (TE Fundamentals), an off-chain evaluation process (Study Group Hosts), and achievements in the field (like for TE Fundamentals course authors). In the future, we aim to implement automated tracking of contributions, token-based peer reviews, and mutual verification. Instead of the TE Academy being the central authority to award certificates, mutual proofs based on reputation and staking can eliminate the need for a central authority.
Building On an Individual’s Track Record
NFTs represent an individual token engineer’s track record and achievements. As on-chain tokens, various access rights, voting rights, and roles can be built on top of these proofs. Technically, TE Academy proofs are account-bound Otterspace NFTs, on the Optimism Network.
In our own TE Academy ecosystem, NFTs can grant access to advanced courses, trainee programs, or project opportunities.
NFTs also have wider applications beyond our own ecosystem:
- Identity Verification: TE Academy NFTs are account-bound and non-transferable. The collection of achievements serves as a fingerprint to verify identity without revealing private information.
- Access & Decision Making Rights: TE Academy NFTs represent token engineering expertise. Third parties can leverage this expertise by granting access to discussions, bounty programs, or to by assigning curation or decision making rights based on NFTs.
Aggregated NFT Proofs
On an aggregated level, NFT proofs will enable permissionless peer reviews or curation.
Moreover, aggregated information on proofs and holders will allow our community to monitor the evolution of the discipline itself. We can monitor how subdomains or specialization emerges (“Skill Trees”), or how networks of collaboration evolve. For the first time, there’s data available to observe the formation of a new discipline.
In 2023 we’ll build out the reputation infrastructure in the token engineering sector, via new NFT proofs and third party integrations.
Token-based Value Flows
At the core of the discipline of token engineering is the design of value flows. The third objective for TE Academy in 2023 is to establish token-based value flows for our own discipline.
Starting from March 1st, TE Academy is charging fees for NFT certificates. Professional token engineers are in high demand and are expected to receive decent salaries. With NFT fees, we make sure that creators of educational materials and learning opportunities participate in the flow of value. Note that learning materials are still freely accessible, and that fees apply to minting NFT certificates only.
TE Academy understands that not all students can afford to pay fees, particularly in the early stage of their professional journey. For this reason, there is an alternative route available where students can contribute with their knowledge and work instead of funds. Any student has the chance to earn a free NFT certificate, new scholarship opportunies will open in March, stay up-to-date via our Twitter!
In collaboration with TE Commons, who supported our activities from day one, TE Academy aims to integrate the $TEC token in our community’s value flows.
Over the last year, TE Commons has built an economic layer to fund projects that discover, develop and proliferate the best practices for engineering safe, tokenized economies. They have also built a social layer to unite the token engineering field around ethical principles, standards, tools, and methodologies.
In 2022, TE Commons launched the $TEC token to align collective success with the individual benefit of token holders.
TE Academy and TE Commons have assigned a dedicated team to develop $TEC token utility in educational value flows and capture the value created in our community. The first MVPs for these integrated value flows are scheduled for Q2/2023.
Summary
With career opportunities for token engineers, proofs and reputation infrastructure, and token-based value flows, TE Academy is on track to deliver on its mission.
We couldn’t be more excited about the months to come! 🙌
If you are interested in studying TE Fundamentals, find all course offerings here. Follow us on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter to receive updates about token models, research and news in the space!
Note:
This article was made for informational purposes only. We do not provide legal, tax, financial or investment advice. No party should act in reliance upon, or with the expectation of, any such advice.
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