How I Landed a Web3 DevRel Job in 6 Months
I'm ecstatic that you're taking the time to read this. I'm both excited and nervous as I write this post because this position as a developer relations engineer is a dream job for me.
I decided to publish this article because I know a lot of people are trying their hardest to get into web development or Web3, but the truth is that you must trust the process.
This isn't a "aspire to perspire" piece; I just wanted to share a few things that helped me get started with Web3, and of course, the learning never stops.
I shared this tweet last year. 👇
I believed it would happen one day, so I trusted the process, which included minimal pressure, daily learning, and avoiding owambes (weekend parties) to develop content over the weekend.
In this post, I'll discuss my Web3 journey, roadmap, how building in public helped me, communities, and some pointers.
My Web3 Journey
Everything started late last year when I saw Nader's post(I can't find the tweet) and decided to look into Web3. Although the term "Web3" had previously trended on Twitter, I assumed it was merely a fad; nevertheless, as I started looking into it, I discovered I was mistaken.
In this post, I have a part dedicated to the roadmap/resource I utilized. To give you an idea of how the voyage looks, it's fascinating only if you're as curious as I am.
My curiosity prompted me to research, learn, and build decentralized applications to gain practical expertise in Web3.
I work full-time as a backend engineer, but I spend most of my free time reading Web3-related papers, watching videos, and so on. I realized that we need a lot more information in the Web3 arena because, as you know, it's still in its infancy.
This motivated me to put even more effort into documenting my journey as I learn or build things that will help others get started in the Web3 ecosystem.
After that, I found myself in the rabbit hole ;)
The Sacrifice
You might be wondering, "What exactly do you mean by sacrifice :0."
Starting in the Web3 space, I tried my best to learn, build, document, and be consistent. No matter how little the demo project is, I will always talk about it online (on Twitter and LinkedIn) or even provide information on how to build one.
Building in Public
Building in public is about embarking on a journey, learning along the way, and encouraging your audience to learn from it.
Building in public has played a significant role in my career because I have always created content before learning more about Web3. It has delivered many opportunities straight to my inbox without needing to apply on a job board.
You can learn more about my experience here.
I strongly suggest you build in public; you may not see traction immediately, but people are paying attention.
Roadmap
In this section, I'll detail my road map, offer recommendations based on my own experiences, and share what I've learned from experts in the field.
Disclaimer: I am not a Web3 expert; I merely offer advice based on what I've heard from others in the field and my experience.
The Basics
A roadmap is essential to any development cycle, whether you're a designer, developer, manager, or whatever. It is generally recommended that you understand the fundamentals first. For example, if you want to work in Web3, you must first learn how web3 works, what fuels it, and what expertise is required to be a part of the space and design web3 applications.
Learning the principles of blockchain will help you figure out what tools you'll need to build a decentralized app, so if you need to know HTML, CSS, and javascript, that will be your emphasis for the next few months before diving into a library like Reactjs.
You may now figure out how to interface with the blockchain using publicly available SDKs like ether.js, web3.js, and others after diving in and finding it fascinating.
If you want to build smart contracts after studying blockchain principles, concentrate on Solidiy or Rust for the next few months, and you'll be fine.
Meanwhile, remember that it's not about jumping around; adhere to a path, stick with it, and keep learning. As you may have noticed, things move quickly in the web3 space.
Frontend Skills
If you already know HTML, CSS, Javascript, or a library/framework like Reactjs, Vuejs, Angular, or anything similar, you've got a valuable talent that you can use in the web3 space.
You'll most likely need to learn blockchain fundamentals and how to use SDKs to interact with the blockchain from a frontend app (ether.js, web3.js, react-alchemy.js, react-moralis.js, etc.).
Backend Skills
Backend skills are also an excellent approach to deep dive into the Web3 space, and you might focus on building, coding, and coding because you despise CSS :)
That's fine; you may work full-time as a smart-contract developer, earn good money, and have multiple side hustles. Learning programming languages like Solidity or Rust is your best shot at creating excellent software.
Fullstack Skills
As a full-stack developer with frontend and backend skills.
No issue; you can create a full-fledged decentralized application in which you build and deploy your smart contract and a frontend application in Reactjs that interacts with the blockchain through a smart contract, and you'll be good to go.
Product Designer, UI/UX, Product management, etc.)
I'm not a designer or a project manager, but stepping into the Web3 space could mean studying the Web3 ecosystem, following Web3 professionals on Twitter, joining Twitter spaces, and looking at existing Web3 decentralized applications.
Design or redesign an existing Web2 application with a background in Web3 system designs or patterns.
Resources
Free Resources to Learn Solidity, Ethereum, Blockchain, Fullstack dApps & Smart Contract
Zero To Hero: Web3.0 and Solidity Development Roadmap by Vitto
The Complete Roadmap and Resources to Become a Web3 by Suhail Kakar
Communities
There are lots of communities in the web3 space, and as we might have noticed,
Web3 === Community-Driven Ecosystem.
Communities are crucial when learning or working in the tech world. The web3 community has been one of the most receptive thus far.
I'll share a couple of fantastic communities that can assist you in achieving everything you want in the web3 space.
It is pretty beneficial to have the impression that you are not alone, and guess what?
- Developer DAO
- Learn Web3 DAO
- Buildspace
- Web3 Afrika
- Web3 Community
- Web3 University
- Women Build Web3
- Web3 & Blockchains
- Odyssey DAO
Jobs in Web3
There are so many job opportunities in the web3 space with mouth-watering pay.
Platforms
Mentions
- How to get a job in Web3 by Eda
- Jobs in Web3 - How I Landed a Job In 4 Months by Kacie Ahmed
- How You Can Get A Job In Web3 Oliver Jumpertz
Congratulations on making it this far through the post.
I think I have carefully gone through everything I did. This is my experience, and I believe it helped me land the position of my dream after several rejections.
The learning process continues. I wish everyone the best of luck.
Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
If there's one thing I want you to take away from this post, it's that learning and expressing your skills in public can help you obtain your dream job.
So, if you want to work in this space, spend some time studying higher-level ideas in web3 and building higher-level projects for your resume.
It's feasible to get recruited primarily based on your activity in the web3 community for non-technical roles.
Say hello 👋 to the latest Developer Relations Engineer at Mara
I'd love to connect with you at Twitter | LinkedIn | GitHub | Portfolio
See you in my next blog article. Take care!!!