The market is stuck, interest towards bitcoin is decreasing and it just seems that the topics of cryptocurrencies and blockchain are coming to an end following last winters hype. All charts are showcasing a fall, with the exception of one - the number of vacancies opening up in our industry. For decentralized technologies, the future is in completely different sectors of the economy. And this future needs to be built by someone. Therefore, if you are suddenly thinking about choosing or changing your profession - welcome, now is the time.
As in any technology industry, programmers set the tone. Blockchain architects, cryptocurrency specialists, application developers for different operating systems, the list goes on. Existing projects require development, and new ones are appearing every day - the new blood. The number of open vacancies will continue to grow, and personnel shortage will be the main barrier to the further development of the industry. Those who enter the market are being snapped up instantly. The way the infrastructure looks now, it resembles the MVP, a full-fledged product is as far away as it is to the moon, and perhaps you, the person reading this, could help it get there.
For those who like the hardware, there is mining. We will leave discussions about its current profitability for later - the new equipment is being released, new farms are appearing all around, there are attempts to revive cloud mining. All this requires the hands of engineers who understand the word hashrate and are ready to open up to the new hardware. There are new cryptocurrencies, there are discussions about what is better ASIC or GPU. If you understand this - you will always find work.
The well earned cryptocurrency must somehow be exchanged. Trading is not for everyone, especially the stock exchange, and it’s strange to encourage everyone to go into trading. There is much more chance of losing there than earning. But if your work is somehow connected with traditional money, you should think about switching into a more modern asset. All the banks in the world are looking towards this, and some are almost considering creating their own cryptocurrencies. So if you suddenly decide to retrain - there should be no problems with employment. Exchanges, depositories, cryptocurrency storage systems are really common now. And if the first, against the background of the boring market, is trying to optimize the staff - the rest are ready to hire right here and now.
A separate workplace revolution took place among lawyers and attorneys. Industry regulators on a daily basis are generating fresh laws, regulations, recommendations, and more. Cryptocurrencies are given rights in some places and not the others. They are allowed to hold ICOs and publish the relevant documents - or vice versa, they prohibit and threaten with criminal sentences. Regardless of your specialization, whether it is a criminal law or international if you add one of the two magic words of cryptocurrency or blockchain - this can greatly increase the demand for you on the market. After all, no project can be launched nowadays without a good lawyer.
A year ago, just mentioning the word “blockchain” could raise not only the shares of companies but also the demand for a specialist. Today, the situation remains unchanged, and there are also job vacancies in related professions. In addition to programmers who write code, designers, copywriters, project managers are needed - the blockchain-startups structure is no different from a regular IT project, with the exception of an amendment to the specifics of a business. Whatever position you take up, just make sure you are familiar with how bitcoin differs from ether, and what’s the difference between Proof of Stake and Proof of Work.
To study the subject and understand what it implies - is not much of a problem today, in anticipation of a boom, universities around the world have launched educational programs. You can learn everything and anything in any accessible form, being offline or online. Actually, the abundance of courses, although indirectly all but confirms that the most interesting thing is still to come, and we are preparing for it right now. When the market turns around and goes up, the demand for those who understand a little bit about what is happening will continue to grow.
Overall, it does not matter in which industry you are working in now, in one way or the other, the blockchain will come to your field sooner or later. Storage of personal data, the Internet of things, logistics, medicine, energy and oil production, media, state governance, and private business. Banks, payment systems, numerous financial services, the list can go on for a few pages more. It’s hard to imagine a direction where a blockchain has not been tried at yet. If someone’s attempts were unsuccessful - it does not matter, with a high degree of probability - these are not the final ones, and other will try once more sooner or later. It's just the beginning.
Cryptocurrencies and blockchain made a lot of noise during the past year. Some perceive it to be a threat, others see it as an opportunity but scientists have proven that this technology works. And even if now, at a first glance, interest towards it is falling, we must understand - what we are dealing with what is, for now, a prototype. First and not very numerous solutions are just beginning to appear, the mainstream market is far-far away. But we could be there spurring it on and even taking part in is cultivation.