What is a blockchain developer?

If you’re interested in becoming a blockchain developer, you probably know all about blockchain. But what is a blockchain developer? And how do you become one?

Blockchain is a system of recording information, with each transition being a block, and these blocks form a chain of data - which makes each transaction easy to track. Blockchain is incredibly difficult to tamper with but that doesn’t mean it’s immune to hacking.

In 2019 alone, the demand for jobs in blockchain increased by 300% and each year the global demand for blockchain developers is going up by 300-500%.

What is a blockchain developer? A blockchain developer is someone who designs and develops a blockchain systems. In order to fulful this role, an individual needs to have good technical skills as well as an understanding of Blockchain architecture, cryptography, data structure and web development. There are two types of blockchain developers; blockchain software developers and core blockchain developers. Similar to that of frontend and backend developers, core blockchain developers are responsible for the backend of DApps (decentralised applications) while blockchain software developers are responsible for the front end. There are other roles within blockchain including design, marketing and sales of course. How do you become a blockchain developer? Perhaps you’re already working in software development, or you’re looking to start your career in tech. There are a tonne of resources you can start out with, regardless of your background and experience. Here are a few of note:

• Udemy Courses
• Code Academy
• Harvard CS50 lectures
• Tech with Tim on youtube
• Code First Girls courses

There are certain skills that a blockchain developer requires in order to be successful, just as there are skills that a frontend engineer needs to become successful. At the core, the fundamentals include the history of blockchain, and the fundamentals of the process behind it.

Some of the main coding languages that blockchain uses include C++, C#, Go, Java and Python. There is another language, solidity, which is the only new programming language designed to write Ethereum based smart contracts. Becoming a blockchain developer is like any career, you've got to start somewhere. Do your reading, do your research and allocate time to learn and grow to find out more about the opportunities around it.

The applications of Blockchain across sectors Speaking to Asia, a Junior Blockchain Developer on her thoughts on the industry, she said:

“Personally, I believe blockchain technology will allow us to have the freedom and control we desire, not just because it is decentralised and gives us control of our finances but also our data and anything we own. It gives us data control, data integrity, ownership and accountability. I also think over the next 5 years companies will start implementing blockchain technology for security purposes, speed and ownership.”

Blockchain technology can be used across all sectors, but there are a few dominant, with 67% of total blockchain startups across 5 different sectors. The financial services sector was what blockchain was originally created for, and accounts for 28% of all blockchain startups. The second largest being Healthcare at 11%, Energy at 10% and Food/Argriculture sectors accounting for 7% of blockchain startups. The application of blockchain within the food and agriculture sector is interesting. With one of the biggest obstacles being the trust between consumers and manufacturers of food, and a frustration with a lack of transparency. Blockchain can provide that transparency through it’s traceable transactions.