Blockchain development is certainly taking the world by storm in 2017. Companies in Silicon Valley, and big banks are scrambling to get there blockchain implementations off the ground. Companies are desperate in searching for new blockchain development talent in order to take proof of concepts and build them into products.
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Anyone that has a computer and a passion of coding and learning can become a blockchain developer. Learning enough from YouTube videos, and other online material can help you get started. Thankfully the Ethereum source code is completely open source so anyone can put a pull request. Even documenting code can go a long way to make you an awesome blockchain developer. Currently Ethereum lacks a ton of up to date documentation you could literally start by reading the code, understanding it and writing comments in the right place. This will also build your resume as you will have a strong open source contribution history. If you want I can also make a post on resources that would be useful in getting started. There is a wealth of resources online you can check out.
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In order to become a blockchain developer you'd need at least a decent command over programming. Most blockchain developers know one of C/C++, Java, Python, Go, OCaml etc. On top of that you'd need to be comfortable with the field of cryptography as well, you'll probably need to understand concepts such as hashing algorithms (SHA-256, Scrypt, Bcrypt) in full depth, as well as understand blockchain technology fully. Some financial and economics knowledge would certainly help as well. Understanding the shortcomings of different types of blockchain technology and understanding places where it can be improved would help. For example Ethereum can currently only handle 20 transactions per second (TPS), a blockchain developer might need to implement functionality that improves this.
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Blockchain technology is still in a very nascent stage. If you can make the right moves right now you'll essentially be set for life. Developing blockchain technology certainly requires a lot of patience and long hours, but it's very rewarding. I mean seriously have you seen Vitalik Buterin (founder of Ethereum lately)? Kid looks like he hasn't eaten in days. All joking aside, even something simple as writing down 1-5 blockchain implementation ideas per day would go a long way in pointing yourself in the right direction.
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Right now is certainly a great time to be a blockchain developer, while its young you can get acquainted with the technology and once it goes mainstream you'll certainly have an edge over the competition.
Cheers
~Np
