How to Become a Blockchain Engineer

A blockchain engineer creates decentralized solutions to guarantee that users’ financial and personal data is properly safeguarded.

Currently, there is a growing need for professional blockchain engineers who understand how to develop smart contracts and navigate around Web3 environments. According to experts, the adoption of blockchain technology makes it possible to obtain a greater level of protection for personal information from hacker assaults.

A blockchain engineer is a professional in the digital economy who creates and implements blockchain applications. The term “blockchain development” refers to constructing, maintaining, and creating applications and systems that use blockchain technology. In general, it aims to utilize the unique qualities of blockchain technology to find solutions to issues and generate new opportunities.

Blockchain Engineer

The job of a blockchain engineer may include creating prototypes and developing projects that use the blockchain technology; deploying networks, designing, implementing, and developing blockchain platforms, and security and architecture of a blockchain system. In addition, the blockchain engineer participates in creating server code and testing and produces technical documentation for programmers of apps that communicate with nodes.

A blockchain engineer’s primary responsibilities will typically include:

• Designing blockchain protocols
• Evaluation of smart contract security
• Designing and creating smart contracts
• Creation of new products and their execution
• Support for and creation of new blockchain nodes
• ERC20, ERC179, ERC1155, and ERC721 standards-based testing
• Oracle identity and access control technologies

Some additional responsibilities of a blockchain engineer include:

• Working with management to ascertain the requirements for blockchain technology and the functionalities envisioned for it.
• Utilizing several programming languages and developing multithreaded code to create application features and interfaces.
• Utilizing the most recent developments in cryptology to defend digital transaction data against cyberattacks and other forms of information theft.
• Performing maintenance on both the client and server sides of the apps.
• Improving the performance of blockchain apps while simultaneously enhancing their safety by using new tools and technology.
• Educating sales staff on the aspects of the blockchain that make it possible to make secure digital payments.
• Creating documentation for the processes of blockchain development and ensuring compliance with data protection best practices.
• Staying abreast with the most recent developments in cryptography and blockchain technologies.
• The engineer should work with legacy infrastructure and the limitations that come with it, all while satisfying the inherent expectations in the process of developing a Blockchain application.

What are the Roles of a Blockchain Engineer?

Blockchain engineers create mechanisms to record and retain blockchain data in a way that makes it resistant to alterations or hackers. This enables digital transactions to be conducted securely. In addition, they are responsible for the design of secure blockchain technology, the development of application features and interfaces, as well as the maintenance of client and server-side applications.

Since the processes involved in implementing decentralized cryptocurrency-related systems fall outside the traditional IT development skill set, a blockchain engineer must have specialized skills. Therefore, one challenge is understanding the technical practicality of implementing these decentralized systems.

Educational Requirement for a Blockchain Engineer

Since blockchain is such a new industry, very few people have a formal degree in the subject and are typically self-taught. However, a common educational credential for working as a blockchain engineer to move along smoothly is a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems or engineering, or a related technical subject. Furthermore, experience in single sign-on (SSO) security and a strong background in distributed database systems can help when applying for a position. In addition, becoming a Certified Blockchain Expert by participating in online blockchain courses would also work in your favor. In some cases, organizations will give an advantage to individuals with a certificate displaying that they are knowledgeable in blockchain technology.

Blockchain Engineer Skills

A person who builds on the blockchain should know about how it operates at a deep level. In addition to that, they should be well versed in development languages such as Solidity, C++, Golang, and Java, in addition to other protocol development languages. Working with peer-to-peer (P2P) networks is another crucial ability for a blockchain developer, along with the ability to manage application programming interfaces (APIs).

Engineers working on blockchains should have strong analytical skills to effectively evaluate the requirements of a company and provide appropriate solutions. In addition, because they frequently work with several different system components simultaneously, these engineers should also have a high level of attention. 

Blockchain developers have experience working with huge codebases and have expertise in back-end programming and data structures. Another crucial ability for a blockchain developer to possess is the ability to manage consensus algorithms. These algorithms ensure that all network participants will reach a consensus regarding the current state of the blockchain.  

Other Technical Skills Required to Become a Blockchain Engineer

A blockchain engineer needs to have a multitude of abilities, including:

Blockchain Architecture

A blockchain engineer should know its workings and architecture. In addition, they should understand cryptographic hash functions, consensus, and distributed ledger technologies. Going through the bitcoin blockchain whitepaper is the best method to learn about blockchain technology. However, it may be tiresome, and a little direction helps boost the learning curve. To become a blockchain engineer, you must comprehend basic concepts and terms. Without domain knowledge, you can’t advance in the blockchain sector. Learn the core ideas of blockchain, get a better understanding, and learn about real-time blockchain applications and consensus methods. Explore blockchain’s recent advances.

Cryptonomics

In blockchain technology, the data is secured cryptographically through several security procedures. Cryptonomics is the combining of economics and encryption. Strong mathematics and computer science principles are necessary to develop robust cryptography protocols. A blockchain network employs numerous cryptographic protocols, including RSA and hash algorithms. In addition to asynchronous cryptography, multiple cryptographic methods, such as hash functions such as SHA-256 and Keccak-256, are utilized in blockchain to generate digital signatures. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether require an understanding of both cryptography and economics to comprehend. It is hard to become a blockchain developer without understanding how they function.

Smart Contract Development

Smart contracts have experienced explosive growth since the introduction of Ethereum. Every blockchain endeavors to integrate the functionality of smart contracts into their respective systems to make it simple to implement business logic on the blockchain. Therefore, software engineers who want to work in the blockchain industry should educate themselves on developing smart contracts. In most cases, this requires becoming proficient in network-specific programming languages such as Solidity, Viper, Chaincode, etc. Smart contracts are the most important aspects that set blockchain technology apart from traditional databases. Smart contracts are the most powerful features of blockchain technology, as they distinguish it from other databases.

Familiarity with Algorithms and Data Structures

Cryptography is the foundation for the data structure known as the blockchain. The two blockchain database types that are used the most frequently are known as UTXOs for the Bitcoin network and account/balance for the Ethereum network. Therefore, blockchain developers need to be conversant with these concepts and the operation of data structures.

The Proof of Work algorithm, the Proof of Stake algorithm, and the Delegated Proof of Stake algorithm are examples of popular consensus algorithms in the blockchain sector. There is a significant need for software developers proficient in writing smart contracts in the coming days. Consequently, it is essential to consider this when searching for a blockchain developer to hire.

Ethereum and dApp Development

Ethereum is a decentralized platform based on the fundamental ideas of blockchain technology. This is an open-source technology that is utilized by a large number of industry experts. It grants the developers of the Ethereum blockchain the ability to design a unique transaction protocol known as smart contracts and decentralized applications (the dApps). These are very similar to traditional programs that run on mobile devices.

Blockchain Development Industry Familiarity

Although blockchain development is a specialized field of study, it also encompasses other subfields. Consider selecting a handful of the abilities that piqued your attention from the preceding list. You may keep current on industry developments and in-demand skills by reading blogs and watching YouTube videos related to your specialty. You can also follow industry leaders in your profession on social media. With their newfound knowledge and experience, blockchain coders might apply for internships with companies seeking to expand in this field. Online training and educational institutions give free and paid hands-on tutorials, and their certification is highly valued in the market.

Countries to Hire Blockchain Engineers

Most blockchain engineers are based in the United States, India, the United Kingdom, Canada, and France, all of which have large populations. However, due to the lower labor costs associated with outsourcing, businesses are increasingly turning to overseas countries for blockchain engineers. 

When it comes to adopting blockchain, China is at the forefront. While the country’s government is open to technology and actively supports intelligent contract platforms and crypto, thousands of potential blockchain-based enterprises are in the country. 

Switzerland is well-known for its widespread adoption of blockchain technology and for being home to some of the world’s best blockchain startups. In addition, tax payments in bitcoin were accepted in Zug, Switzerland, for the first time in 2016. 

Estonia has become the most digitally advanced country in the world using blockchain technology. To assure the legality of cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings (ICOs), e-Residency was used to safeguard the health records of the country’s residents (more than 1,320,000). 

Blockchain Developers Leading Among Other Programmers

According to Glassdoor, a blockchain engineer in the United States earns an estimated $115,709 a year, with an average salary of $91,082. Additionally, ZipRecruiter reports that a junior blockchain engineer in the US makes an average yearly pay of $125,992. The average annual salary of a blockchain engineer is between $150,000 and $175,000, according to a report by CNBC. This is significantly higher than the average salary for programmers in the US.

The only professionals who can compete with blockchain engineers on an equal basis are artificial intelligence programmers. Future technologies are rapidly being employed in the US, as seen by the high wages for engineers in both categories. The need for blockchain engineers has roughly quadrupled in the past year. Large technology companies like Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft are increasingly funding blockchain research and development in addition to young tech startups.

Final Thoughts

Basically, everything that you should know about becoming a blockchain engineer has been addressed in this article. You should now know better what a blockchain engineer does daily. Additionally, we discussed the remuneration for a blockchain developer or engineer and the future of blockchain technology. It is a fast-growing technology that will significantly impact the future. Bitcoin has established a solid foothold in the financial services industry, and it won’t be long before blockchain technology is used to improve the world.

So, if you’re looking to get started in the blockchain industry or advance in your current position, consider taking one of the expert or professional courses. I hope you found this helpful information, and if you’d want to learn more, visit the Blockchain Council online for the best Blockchain Courses and expert blockchain certification. To begin a job as a blockchain developer or engineer, graduates of these programs will have gained substantial practical experience.

To level up and gain a deeper knowledge of all things related to the future of the cryptocurrency industry, check out the latest content in the Supra Academy section.

References

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