From journalists to engineers, the cryptocurrency boom has launched jobs in a completely new frontier.
With the world in a seemingly unending tailspin of inflation, quarantines, restrictions and strains — Now is the best time to upgrade your skill set for truly Brave New World.
— Dante
Cryptocurrency hasn’t just opened a can of worms in the financial world with accountants, banks, governments and regulators playing catch up. With fresh worms, comes fresh opportunities for those seeking something more than a government handout.
Remember the days when the only type of currency you had to worry about was the kind in your wallet? How the times — and money — have changed from copper, gold and paper to well, we’re getting to that.
Cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin— You hear these mentioned on all your newsfeeds but what do they actually mean? Throw in Blockchains and Decentralized Finance plus the now popular NFTs.
Where do you even begin? Like most things, from the beginning.
What is cryptocurrency?
Let’s go to Investopedia where cryptocurrency is currently defined as “a digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography [secret code] for security.” BUT (notice the CAPS), these cryptocurrencies are not printed by our modern governments or present day banks.
Most cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are tracked and traded on decentralized public ledgers known as the blockchain. These are found online and can be accessed by anyone.
With the advent of the first and most-widely accepted cryptocurrency — Bitcoin, there are thousands of other digital currencies that share similar fundamentals.
What about the rest of it?
Decentralized finance (also known as DeFi) started making waves back in 2015 and has since exploded into an umbrella term that covers decentralized applications, brokerages, digital contracts, exchanges, insurance and much more.
However, the core concept of DeFi is that the middleman is removed.
For example, Visa and Paypal act as intermediaries of online purchases. Promising to keep your data secured while collecting fees on these promises. Many DeFi applications cut out the middleman while giving the data and security responsibilities to the users via password keys and phrases.
Blockchain services will track online transactions while being unaware of user identities. IDs only being shown by online addresses and transaction numbers.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the other hand are a different kind of beast. Essentially they represent a wide range of digital assets that are unique because of their digital numbers specifically sent from the creators to the precise digital wallet.
Think festival tickets with unique tracking numbers, Pokemon cards with limited editions, or even ‘rare’ artwork with their own unique data numbers tracked on the blockchain.
NFTs have changed the way artists, athletes, innovators and musicians interact with their fans since transactions can be done on the blockchain using DeFi applications that remove middlemen.
This has opened the floodgates of artist potential and fan interaction.
What skills are needed for cryptocurrency jobs?
This all might sound very interesting but as you could imagine, technical skills are usually required to land a gig in the cyptocurrency universe. Many positions call for hard IT skills: AI, Java, machine learning, Python,C/C++, Node.js and more.
If you can’t tell the difference between a Java language and a potato don’t worry. Crypto companies also value potential candidates with other skills such as admin, communication, creation, managerial and writing talent.
The biggest trend across all these openings however is the willingness to learn in a new frontier with an entrepreneurial mindset. The oldest players of the whole industry hardly older than a decade.
Jobs in cryptocurrency
Monster just released some interesting trends in the cryptocurreny job market.
Using data provided by the TalentNeuron tool from insights and technology company CEB, we found that listings for jobs mentioning either “cryptocurrency,” “Bitcoin,” or “blockchain” have risen 194% year-over-year, from 2018 to 2017. — Monster
Cryptocurrency and Blockchain is not an easy thing to completely grasp overnight. There are so many fields and subfields waiting to be explored and conquered by those willing to learn something new and be a part of something truly revolutionary.
So don’t get frustrated if you’re learning from scratch. We’re all still learning and as we know with tech — Things move fast.
The following are the top 9 fields for newbies to get into this exciting universe:
Business Development Reps
The job: With any other exploding field (think internet providers or app creators post 2000s), there’s a need to bridge traditional industries to new ones like cryptocurrencies or blockchain.
Things like art, education, healthcare, finance, fundraisers, real estate and supply manufacturers all tick the boxes on when it comes to clutter and trying to simplify using blockchain tech.
You’re gonna need: An understanding for how your company could help benefit this field/industry. Do you handle payments? Simplify a process? Best of all — could you make things more economic and reduce overhead?
Communication and Sales would be obvious benefits and many candidates may hold business, finance, or communication degrees.
Estimated Salary: $45,619 per year
Find business development jobs on Monster.
Data scientists
The job: Blockchain has unleashed tidal waves of user data available for everyone to see. Sifting through all this data to forecast trends and user experiences makes data analysis crucial for engineers and designers to make their own waves in the space. This is where data scientists are needed.
You’re gonna need: Data scientists often hold master’s degrees in data and computer sciences. To add, they often possess great analytical skills along with communication techniques required to structure data in a way where you can communicate with industry leaders and trend setters.
Estimated salary: $111,840 per year
Find data scientist jobs on Monster.
Financial analysts
The job: These days everyone is trying to get into the crypto space. Old-time industries like hedge funds, mutual funds, insurance, securities and private equity firms all want a piece.
Reviewing market trends, reading traffic and paying attention to all the shifting parts requires someone to get behind the wheel and drive these accounts. Did I mention you’re gonna have to keep an eye on impending regulatory bodies and shifting government policies?
Enter the life and day of a financial analyst.
What you‘re gonna need: More often, financial analysts hold degrees and licenses simultaneously. Licences are issued by a regulatory body and many go on to become Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certified.
Great computer and math skills will come a long way, along with a broad understanding of economic and regulatory trends.
What you’d make: $81,760 per year
Find financial anlayst jobs on Monster.
Journalists
The job: Where do you get all your crypto content from anyways? The journalism field has seen a huge shift from classic newspaper reporting to basically anyone on Youtube reporting in on their favourite token or project.
The spectrum of journalism can range from having your own newsletter, to being online content gurus. Many crypto journalists have had experiences writing copy, organizing Q&As or maintaining a web platform.
What you’re gonna need: Depending on the type of journalism you’re interested in, relevant experience is often gained from doing internships or going freelance. Business, communication and writing degrees can help but most companies will prefer hands on experiences.
What you’d make: $38,870 per year
Find journalist jobs on Monster.
Machine learning engineers
The job: Many would argue machine learning to be the backbone of the blockchain and cryptocurrency zeitgeist. Applications, contracts, exchanges, websites, security, design and filtering all require back end algorithms to maintain standards and improve performance.
User-friendly experiences is still one of the biggest pulls for people wanting to invest in cryptocurrencies.
What you’re gonna need: Most machine learning engineers will have a natural language processing base and careful understanding of incoming data analysis. Maters and PHDs can be useful, however companies will be looking for progressive builders who are proven.
What you’d make: $112,421 per year
Find machine learning engineer jobs on Monster.
Marketing managers
The job: The world’s most identifiable companies often have top marketing managers who coordinate teams and projects simultaneously. They’re able to identify potential trends and swings in public perception while balancing values and design campaigns to bring users onto a platform or buy a certain type of token.
Market share and profits is the name of the game here and what better way to do that then to get more users.
What you‘re gonna need: Marketing managers may be promoted once they have several years working in the field or within a company. Some may have formal education, however, having proven projects or experiences where you can show your work will catch eyes.
What you’d make: $127,560 per year
Find marketing manager jobs on Monster.
Security architects
The job: Cryptocurrency is young and you don’t have to look very far to find loopholes and coding issues that led to system errors and lost funds with today’s leading platforms. And albeit a long list of lessons learned, there is still lots of opportunities for security specialists.
Security architects build the systems necessary to prevent platform attacks and user identity theft. To add, they often find themselves trying to hack their own systems or help identify fraudulent transactions.
What you’re gonna need: A bachelors in an IT related field with proven experience is often necessary. Yet there are many who have learned the craft by their own zeal. Careful attention to detail and analytical skills are key.
What you’d make: $92,600 per year
Find security architect jobs on Monster.
Technical writers
The job: Companies getting into the space are in need of writers who can blend the exciting and technical elements of a project to attract interest and investors. These writers will lay out the structure and future of the company often by whitepapers, a multi-use document describing the development, technology and marketing plan behind a new venture.
What you‘re gonna need: Writers interested in blockchain tech and an understanding of cryptocurrencies are essential. These writers have often done content creation before and don’t necessarily require school degrees. Attention to audience, grammar, mediums are also necessary plus a strong understanding of a social media platform will be a plus.
What you’d make: $69,850 per year
Find technical writer jobs on Monster.
Web developers
The job: As mentioned, a blockchain is composed of smart contracts executing transactions in place of middlemen. These computer algorithms govern the world’s most popular exchanges and protocols. Web developers are integral to writing code that make up these smart contracts.
Web developers work often work in teams, each branch forming a section of the platform or service for users. Which is thoroughly tested, maintained and updated.
What you‘re gonna need: A background in computing along with a strong understanding of common web languages. Javasript, React, Python and Solidity are a few.
The crypto space is going through rapid changes, so the ability to adapt and learn even newer languages along the way is part of the job.
What you’d make: $66,130 per year
Find web developer jobs on Monster.
Where do we go from here?
Finding a job during the last few years has been a challenge. Globally, millions have been laid off and are questioning foundational institutions that are supposed to protect our finances and our futures. Yet how is it possible that markets are often in the green? Or how some companies are reporting profits during these times?
Take control of your own destiny by looking at the planet’s most innovating and interesting field since the advent of the Internet.
