Welcome Anon! As the crypto industry is growing at an exponential rate, an increasing amount of talent are leaving web2 companies to join the web3 revolution. Exciting times are ahead and it is understandable that you want to join this exodus. As a person that has left web2 to work full time in web3 myself, I will give you the blueprint in order to land a job.
We all want to work with something we have a passion for and being able to help you do that is something I look forward to. However, where should you start?
Identify your skill
Everybody has a skill. What have you been working on in your current job that you think can be applicable in crypto. Dig deep and find your skill, we tend to underestimate ourselves but you definitely have one. However, what you are doing in your day job does not have to be what you are working with in the crypto industry. Of course it can be, but that is completely up to you. What is amazing about this industry is that you have the opportunity to revamp yourself as long as you put down the effort.
All skills are applicable to something, whether that is finance, marketing, computer science and the list goes on. Focus on one thing and double down.
Develop a fundamental understanding
If you can’t explain what a blockchain is, you got some homework to do. The beauty of crypto is that there are no shortcuts. Everybody has to go through the same steep learning journey to grasp what’s going on. It’s a mountain to climb but when you start to grasp the fundamentals you can build on top of it. However, the learning never stops. I don’t believe in the concepts of “crypto experts” because of how fast this space moves. You can focus on a segment in the industry such as DeFi, NFTs, Metaverse, etc., but being an expert at crypto? No chance.
Understand the fundamentals and then explore the segments that interests you more and build from there. After that your learning experience will be more pleasant and in time you will be a crypto native.
Publish your work
The Crypto industry works after one mantra. Less trust, more truth. Meritocracy at its finest. People want to see the results in this industry, saying that you have “this and that capability” doesn’t matter. Display it. Have a willingness to fail openly. If you are an developer, build projects and publish them on GitHub. Even though you might not believe it, people are watching and the right person might see it. If you are into finance or research, publish your work. You might not get everything right, but you are inviting and open discourse which might help you on your learning journey.
Build projects. If you don’t know where to start, Buildspace is a great place to get started. When you complete projects at Buildspace you get rewarded with an NFT as a “certification'“ that can be used in your job search as well (Trust me on this one, I did it). No matter what route you decide to go, publish it. Don’t be afraid of failure, you got this.
Join a DAO
Joining a DAO is one of the most underrated experiences when it comes to landing a crypto job. It will teach you the ways of working with other web3 natives and is a quick way to get started. There are countless of DAO’s out there. Depending on what you are interested in there is definitely a DAO for you. What will you learn from joining a DAO? You learn how governance works and how to provide value early. Considering you will need to “identify your skill” when you join a DAO because that’s how you pitch yourself, It is also why it was the first piece of advice in this guide.
Web3 companies really appreciate if you have been apart of a DAO, it shows a different kind of commitment that others have not participated in. It most likely also separates the tourists from the believers so take the jump and join one. If you don’t know where to find one you can find a list here.
One of the best things about this is that it can turn out two ways here:
Either the DAO helps you land a full time job from the experience you acquired.
The DAO experience is so successful that you are able to go full-time DAO.
The only “negative” is that it requires time but if you are willing to go full-time crypto I assume it is time well spent for you either way.
Apply
When all this is said and done, you’re ready for the final step. Go and apply for crypto jobs. A good place to start is cryptocurrency jobs where all the new positions related to crypto gets uploaded. However, to maximize your chances I would spend 6 months on honing your skills and make you ready for the new challenges that the industry entails.
If you apply all of the steps shared in this guide, it will only be a matter of time before you work full time in crypto. Good luck!
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