Blockchain is a fast-growing technology in the industry. Statista predicts the spending on blockchain technology will grow to $15.3 billion by 2023. As businesses realize the benefits of blockchain applications and discover new use-cases of the technology, demand for the technology will grow. Consequently, increasing demand for blockchain developers. A blockchain develop in the U.S. earns an average
Blockchain development
Blockchain offers a significant number of use-cases for the industry. Prominent use-cases include smart contracts, cryptocurrencies, voting, digital identity management among others. These use-cases are a result of the inherent features of blockchain: immutability, transparency, data integrity, and security.
Blockchain development refers to using blockchain technology and/or any of its forms to build decentralized applications that inherit the features of the technology. To do so, blockchain developers should understand the intricacies of the technology. They should be familiar with various blockchain development forms, cryptography, consensus algorithms, programming, data structures, and more. Keen business acumen is also appreciated among blockchain developers.
Roles and responsibilities of a blockchain developer
The following are a few responsibilities of the blockchain developer.
- Design consensus mechanism – Bitcoin represents the most robust consensus mechanism; it uses proof of work as a consensus mechanism to validate transactions. Similarly, an application can use proof of stake, proof of stake –Casper, proof of importance, and more to validate transactions.
- Design blockchain protocols and architecture – Blockchain is ultimately a distributed ledger that records all transactions permanently, after getting validation from all the participants. How data travels among the participants is controlled by protocols. As a
blockchain developer, your familiarity and understanding of these protocols is important to build a blockchain application that works seamlessly and allows data transfer easily.
- Develop smart contracts – Smart contracts are programmable self –executing applications that facilitate transparent transactions. Corda, Ethereum, and Hyperledger, among others, are widely used to develop smart contracts.
- Develop the user interface of blockchain applications – Blockchain applications need a user interface to access the app. This requires knowledge of web design and user interface.
Learning blockchain development
Blockchain development can be learned by taking a blockchain certification. The following are a few prominent certifications in the industry.
- Certified Blockchain Developer (CBDTM) – This certification is offered by Blockchain Council. This a self-paced program that requires 9 hours of dedicated learning. The certification covers cryptography, consensus mechanism, mining, and much more. At the end of the certification, you also build your own blockchain.
- Certified Blockchain Engineer (CBE) – This certification program is offered by the Central Blockchain Council of America (CBCA), a globally –renowned body in the blockchain industry. CBE is a comprehensive certification and demonstrates your highly valuable knowledge of blockchain and an exceptional ability to build blockchain applications from the ground up. CBETM is a high-value credential and holds an immense reputation in the blockchain industry.
- Business Blockchain Professional (BBP) – Technical knowledge isn’t enough for companies to invest in technology. Companies require professionals who can validate the need for technology, find areas where the technology will be most useful for them. Business professionals combine their business acumen and technical knowledge to validate the feasibility and materialize tasks.
This certification is offered by CBCA. As blockchain is still in the nascent stage, combining technical knowledge and business acumen gained through this certification will catapult your blockchain development career.
- Certified Blockchain Expert (CBETM ): This blockchain certification is a notch above CBD and demonstrates the holders’ thoroughness in blockchain application development. CBE prepares you to create safe, secure, and reliable blockchain networks fast and conveniently. Taking this certification equips you with skills in cryptocurrency too.
