We don't just mean cryptocurrencies and Web3 protocols when we say it's a building market. Now is the time to start working on yourself.
The crypto markets are currently in a downward spiral, but Web3 isn't going anywhere. The industry is better funded and more resilient than it has ever been.
As a result, even though market prices are falling, the industry as a whole is poised to grow. That means it's time to put your money where your mouth is and pursue your budding crypto career.
Now is the time to hone your value proposition, develop new skills, and expand your network.
Today, we'll give you five golden tips to help you get started in the crypto world so you can seize the bull market by the horns.
5 Steps to Getting Started in the Crypto World
So you're a crypto nerd with some useful skills, but you're not sure how to break into Web3's lucrative 'work-to-earn' market. This strategy will take you through five basic steps to finally get your crypto career off the ground.
- Start your crypto career with this goal in mind.
- Skill: Intermediate
- Effort: Ongoing
- ROI: Earning a decent living in a fascinating field!
How to Start a Cryptocurrency Career
So you want to start a crypto career but aren't sure where to begin. You've got a lot of questions, the most common of which are:
- Is it possible for me to make a living in crypto?
- Is it necessary for me to be a crypto expert to get started?
- What kinds of jobs are there?
Yes, you can make a living as a crypto trader!
Non-technical and technical crypto-economy positions, on average, command higher pay than their "normie" counterparts.
My first writing job, right out of college, was for $0.03 USD per word. On average, my crypto writing now fetches upwards of 20 times that amount. Part of this is due to my years of experience and undeniable talent (you're still reading, right?!).
Another important factor is the high demand for writing skills in the crypto-economy. That includes copywriting, journalism, technical writing, research, translations, and a long list of other services. All of it is required by crypto.
To answer the second question, do you need to be an expert in cryptography to begin a crypto career? No, you don't have any. I first joined the ecosystem as a general technical writer, then spent the summer of 2017 learning the ins and outs of cryptocurrency.
Several of my coworkers learned Web3 on the job as well, and many are now well-known experts in their fields. You can be as well! Everyone in this business has been a beginner at some point — and probably more recently than you might think.
Finally, when it comes to what types of jobs are available in crypto, the simple answer is that they are all available. Developers and engineers are in high demand, but all types of non-technical jobs are also being advertised.
These are some of them:
- Moderators and community managers (Discord, Twitter, etc.)
- Creators of content (graphic designers, newswriters, podcasters, etc.)
- Analysts of data
- Economists are people who study the economy (tokenomics)
- Editors
- Marketers are people who work in the field of marketing (partnerships, social media, storytelling, etc.)
- Managers of products
- Managers of projects
- Translators, among other things!
Even with the bear market, there are plenty of crypto job openings. It's up to you how you make the transition, but I've developed a simple program that I can recommend to anyone.
Here are my five suggestions for getting your crypto career off to a fast start.
1. Determine your objectives
If you have a good job now, you might be able to afford to take your time transitioning to the full-time web3 job of your cryptographic dreams.
If you're desperate to get your foot in the door, you might be considering anything: part-time jobs, bounties, contracts, handshakes, airdrops, and so on.
Consider your immediate needs when you're first starting out and strategize from there. Take some time to write down your crypto career goals, why you're making the switch, and where you might be able to contribute.
Do you value a relaxed work environment? Are you getting paid? On NFT projects that are innovative? Working in a stable environment? All of the aforementioned? Also, what kind of work do you want to do? I've spoken with technical professionals interested in transitioning to non-technical careers in crypto, as well as non-technical professionals interested in transitioning to technical work, and so on.
The rules of engagement in crypto are less rigid. So, what exactly are you looking for?
You can clear your path forward by sitting down and setting basic goals, desires, and boundaries. It will prevent you from settling on a project that isn't a good fit for you, wasting time on dead ends, and getting sidetracked by sidequests.
2. Make a plan for your (other) portfolio
Once you've determined what you want to get out of your crypto career, it's time to show off your abilities to others. To that end, creating your own website is a simple way to showcase and publish a basic portfolio.
For example, back in 2019 — when the previous bear market was still raging — I was looking to advance my crypto career. I recall Spencer Noon recommending the creation of a personal website at the time.
That's exactly what I did!
Since then, I've used that site, wmpea.github.io/portfolio, as my portfolio, and it's led to a number of fantastic job opportunities. I strongly advise you to create a portfolio website with your basic background information. It's entirely up to you how you go about doing so. I made and maintain mine for free using GitHub Pages, so if that's something you're interested in, check out this handy Quickstart for GitHub Pages guide.
If you're trying to fill out the "notable work" section of your website but don't yet have many (or any) bylines in major crypto publications, don't worry! Consider writing a post or two on topics you're passionate about using Mirror, a web3 publishing platform, and then linking back to these posts on your site to demonstrate how you're a thinker and a doer.
3. Become completely immersed in the culture
"My best advice for getting noticed when applying for web3 jobs is to always'make your case,' both on and off chain," says the author. Participate in chats, create a DAO, contribute where you can, retweet interesting content, and collect POAP NFTs. — all while sizing up the crypto job market and looking for roles that suit you" — Michael Wong, Bankless Culture Lead
Going crypto-native over time will be necessary for establishing and maintaining a meaningful crypto career. That means learning the intricacies of the ecosystem and its projects.
To be sure, all of this can be overwhelming at first. I recently came across an article titled "How to Learn Crypto as a New Language" written by Jackie Zhang, a data scientist at Dune Analytics. It's a fantastic piece about how transitioning to a crypto career is similar to learning a new culture and language.
That framing, in my opinion, is completely accurate and can adequately prepare you for what lies ahead. You'll have to learn new vocabulary, concepts, customs, and tools. The best way to conduct these investigations is to simply immerse yourself in the environment. Following in the footsteps of the Romans is a great way to go.
Start with the fundamentals and work your way up. Your crypto skill tree will quickly blossom before your eyes. By dogfooding, networking, and becoming a builder yourself, you'll automatically level up.
4. Develop your personal brand
This step is also known as "become an authority" or "practice and publish." This stage of the process entails putting your skills and knowledge to good use by creating public-facing content on a semi-regular basis.
This step can take many different forms. Perhaps it's making current crypto explainer videos for YouTube. It could be taking notes and publishing them to your blog during Twitter Spaces or podcasts. It could be something as simple as writing a newsletter about a niche web3 topic that you believe deserves more attention.
This choice was taken for a multitude of reasons:
- One of the most effective ways to deepen your material education is to teach others.
- Providing a valuable service to others is a quick way to establish credibility, expand your network, and increase your employability.
- Creating public content provides you with a steady stream of material to add to and improve your personal portfolio.
I started the DeFi Arts Intelligencer newsletter in January 2020 to learn more about NFTs, give back to the community, and build my portfolio at the same time. Later, Bankless offered me the job of creating the Metaversal newsletter as a result of my efforts there.
To this day, I continue to write Metaversal. It's fantastic! That opportunity arose as a result of my public promotion of my personal brand as an NFT analyst. Your career will become more focused as you develop your brand.
5. Fire your gun
So you've set your objectives, polished your portfolio, immersed yourself in crypto culture, and begun publishing content. So, what's next?
On the one hand, you could sit back, create content, and wait for teams to contact you about hiring your services. That happens all the time!
However, if you want to be more proactive, you can actively seek out positions that you believe would be a good fit for you. So you'll have to look around and apply for any interesting positions you come across.
Bankless maintains a Pallet job board where you can find and apply to some of the best job opportunities available in the ecosystem at any given time.
Another option is to follow projects you like on social media and see if their teams ever post job openings. PartyDAO, an NFT group bidding project, recently announced that it is looking for protocol engineers.
Even before a specific opportunity arises, keep an eye on your favorite projects and their team members, and then make personal connections with them.