Karen Cohen aka “Blockmum” has been working in the Blockchain space for the last 5 years. She runs her own HR agency called Emerging Tech Talent, connecting Humans to technology.
“I have never seen so many call outs for Blockchain Developers as I have in the last 6 months, every day someone rings and asks me to find them a Dev, they are elusive and expensive and rare as hens teeth”
What is it about the Blockchain industry that is attracting so much buzz and how can web2 developers get involved?
“Its a perfect storm, We have the growth of Crypto Exchanges, Blockchain, DeFi and NFT industries at the same time. The Blockchain industry is experiencing exponential growth.
According to Yahoo Finance, the Global Cryptocurrency Market size & share revenue was worth approximately USD 800 Million in 2020 and is expected to reach around USD 5200 Million by 2028. There has never been a better time to join the Blockchain Industry
I realised that there needs to be an easier path for developers to learn the industry”, I won a grant from the Algorand Foundation, to build a virtual developer hub and launched the AlgoHUB” states Ms Cohen
Algorand is a newest iteration of the Blockchain that is fast, cheap and secure. The Algorand Foundation is giving grants to business applications that deliver value creation, mass adoption and disruptive economic and business innovations. If you have a business idea for the blockchain, You can apply for a grant here
There is a shortage of developers to build these projects. There had to be a better way to increase the supply of developers available to the Blockchain ecosystem.
AlgoHUB is partnering with universities such as RMIT, Monash, Melbourne Uni, Swinburne and Deakin Uni to teach students how to program on Blockchain.
There are specialised Blockchain Development Houses who are also re- training their developers to meet the demand for Blockchain Projects.
Bill Angelidis CEO of Asta Solutions states, “ The demand for our Blockchain and NFT programming solutions has never been higher with sporting, gaming and art all wanting to list their NFTs on a platform. We are training interns from Swinburne to program on the Algorand Blockchain using Reach. We are the first software development house to offer Algorand developers in Australia.
The importance of keeping the user experience simple and easy to use is something we have at front of mind when developing on the Blockchain. The apps should feel like Web2 but have a Web3 layer, this is something that a lot of Blockchain Development Houses don’t consider when they design Blockchain Dapps. ”
Polynize is another example of a company that went from a game where users had to be in the same room to play to building on a decentralised gaming tokenised platform.
Shourov Bhattacharya, co-founder of Polynize.io states, “We want to capture innovation from communities, reward players for their creativity and to gamify innovation in its own metaverse. We are building on the Algorand Blockchain using Reach, and we invested early in training our programmers and supported their journey from Web2 to Web3 … they have found this process super rewarding!”
Reach is a programming language that works on both the Algorand and the Ethereum network to write smart contracts and compile them.
The Reach Foundation together with AlgoHUB will run a Bounty Hackathon to teach people how to program in Reach Programming Language and give developers Bounty Rewards as they progress through the Hackathon.
“The theme for the hack is “Reach for a better tomorrow. We want ideas that will make our world a better place to live using a decentralised platform as a basis for real world applications.
At the end of the Bounty Hack program these newly skilled Blockchain Developers will be introduced to potential employers . I am sure they will be snapped up quickly by the start ups and scale ups in the Blockchain industry. We have so many fabulous founders in food provenance, art, gaming and finance, all chomping at the bit for new talent” states Ms Cohen.
Deakin University has also jumped on board with their NFTs for good themed project, Alessio Bonti, Academic Director Innovation at Deakin University (Australia), states “Saving the world is a challenge that belongs to everyone, however, not everyone knows where to start.”
The NFTs For Good Hackathon aims at providing a platform for learning about Blockchain technology and how this can help to solve Environmental Sustainability problems it will form, part of the Reach Hackathon.
If you ever wanted to be a Blockchain Developer now is your time to learn for free and earn crypto along the way, sign up here
