Who exactly is a Blockchain Developer?
Essentially, any developer involved in the development of blockchain technology can be tagged as a blockchain developer. Blockchain developers can be classified into two distinct types:
A Core Blockchain Developer designs the security and architecture of the proposed Blockchain system. In essence, the Core Blockchain Developer creates the foundation on which others will build.
On the other hand, Blockchain software developers use architecture and protocol designed by Core Blockchain developers to build decentralized applications that run on blockchain technology.
How to become a blockchain developer (blockchain engineer)?
When it comes to a blockchain developer, there are some skills that are fundamentals. If you don’t have the relevant skills or experience to build a foundation on, then the path will be a bit more difficult and will require more work and time. You should be comfortable with object-oriented programming, and developing web apps in Javascript.
Fortunately, there is hope! Here are some steps anyone coming from such a place, but interested in a career Blockchain developer can take.
Understand Blockchain Fundamentals
One of the biggest hurdles to anything new and revolutionary, such as blockchain technology, is getting used to the various concepts that are indispensable in the system.
It’s essential to learn about the terms widely used in the cryptocurrency space. Otherwise, you will be very out of place in your learning process. Afterward, it’s time for you to learn about the technical aspects of blockchain.
If you are interested in the technical aspects of how to create a fin-tech application on Blockchain then you should definitely take in a deep understanding of token economics. Most developers are usually proficient in the “cryptocurrency” part but their knowledge of the “economics” part is extremely lacking.
This difference in knowledge is extremely obvious when you research some floating ICOs. It is very clear that the economic side of their ICO is not well thought-through.
After that, you should understand how Bitcoin works. Bitcoin is the most popular in blockchain and has a sizable influence on the crypto market.
For a deeper understanding, you should read Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin whitepaper. Now congrats, you have finished the first milestone.
Learn Blockchain Architecture
A blockchain developer should have a great understanding of blockchain, how it works, and its architecture. They need to have at hand concepts such as cryptographic hash functions, consensus, distributed ledger technology.
Second, in-depth knowledge and applicability of data structures are essential. Blockchain developers are constantly learning and tuning existing data structures like Merkle tree, Patricia tree, etc. to meet their personal network requirements. Blockchain uses a lot of data structures combined with advanced cryptography to build a secure and immutable system. Knowledge of blockchain, without any knowledge of data structure, can only be considered incomplete.
Understand Blockchain Programming Languages
If you’ve mastered a selection of programming languages, then it’s awesome! C++, SQL, JavaScript, and Python fulfill most of the requirements of becoming a blockchain developer.
Blockchain is a combination of advanced cryptographic and data structures, so it is clear that you also need to have a good grasp of cryptography. Lots of cryptographic methods, like hash functions SHA256 and KECCAK256, are used in blockchain in addition to asynchronous cryptography to generate digital signatures. Without understanding how these things work, it is impossible to become a blockchain developer.
Learn Blockchain’s Smart Contract Development
Smart contracts have become a huge thing since Ethereum was launched. Every blockchain now tries to incorporate smart contract functionality into its system. Smart contracts enable business logic to become appliable to the blockchain. Therefore, developers trying to get into the blockchain field should definitely learn about smart contract development. This usually requires learning network-specific languages like Solidity, Viper, Chaincode, etc.
Participate in the development of blockchain projects or blockchain platforms
If the prospect of joining the ground floor of this exciting innovation appeals to you, then you might be wondering what the next step is. So if you think that if you have what it takes to be a blockchain developer, then it’s a pretty good golden time for you as opportunities are booming. For every year blockchain developer job in the industry, only one blockchain developer is eligible. Many 500-asset companies like IBM, Accenture, and Capgemini are on the hunt for qualified blockchain developers.
How about blockchain developer salary?
In general, the average salary of a core blockchain developer is around $100,000 per year while blockchain software developers earn $70,000 per year.
In Vietnam, blockchain development companies are thriving and competing with other markets around the world. Bacoor Inc. is one of the leads in blockchain development in Japan. The company has a strong development team in Vietnam. Their outstanding products are HB Wallet and recently, Pantograph. This would be an ideal suggestion if you are looking for a blockchain company.
We hope this article helped you understand more about the path to becoming a blockchain developer. Good luck!