Throughout 2020 and 2021, we have witnessed a tremendous increase in the adoption and utility of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. As such, there has also been an increase in demand for blockchain education, and blockchain education courses. Moreover, there has been a specific increase in demand for smart contracts education and blockchain oracles education. As the number one in-demand hard skill, it’s no wonder we’ve witnessed such an uptick in blockchain education growth.
In this article, we’re going to explore why now is the best time to kickstart your blockchain education. We’ll explore the various means of gaining a blockchain education, plus why people can benefit from doing so. Further, we’ll look specifically at smart contracts education and blockchain oracles education opportunities. Also, we’ll look at the many different doors and opportunities that can open after gaining an education in blockchain.
What is Blockchain Technology?
Blockchain is a cutting-edge technology introduced as the foundation powering Bitcoin in 2009. Although today blockchain technology is largely used and recognized for its role in decentralized finance (DeFi), it can also be used across a wide array of industries. But, what exactly is blockchain technology?
Blockchain is a type of distributed ledger technology. Broken down, this means there is a global network (distributed) of computers keeping a record of financial transactions (ledger) through cryptographic security and computer science (the technology). All members of the network must reach a consensus on transactions before they are finalized.
Bitcoin Mining
The first consensus mechanism used in blockchain technology is known as Proof-of-Work. This is where the computers in the network, or nodes, compete to solve humanly impossible complex mathematical equations, to confirm and verify that a transaction is indeed valid. All nodes in the network must agree a transaction is honest and true to its nature before the transaction is added to a ‘block’. The first node to solve the equation wins the ability to add a verified transaction to its block. Verified transactions are cryptographically linked (hashing) as they are mined into blocks. Once a block is full of transactions it then becomes appended to the blockchain. Each time a node appends a block to the blockchain it is rewarded by the network in its native token. In this case, nodes receive Bitcoin (BTC). This process is known as mining.
Since 2009, there have been many different blockchains including smart contract-enabled blockchains which allow developers to build decentralized applications (dApps). The decentralized and secure nature of blockchain makes the technology ideal for any financial or data transaction. It is completely transparent with every transaction viewable to the public. Further, public blockchains are open-source, meaning any developer in the world can build on this technology. Public blockchains are borderless, permissionless, and non-discriminative with no centralized governing party.
Why Kickstart Your Blockchain Education Now?
The rate of adoption of blockchain technology has been exponential in recent years. However, this cutting-edge technology is still in the early stages in terms of global usage and adoption. As the popularity of crypto is taking off, understanding the underlying fundamentals of blockchain will put you at an unfair advantage. Moreover, when one understands the history of the financial system and the reasons behind the introduction of Bitcoin, by proxy one knows how to preserve their wealth.
With uncertainty and distrust growing among the public around banks, governments, and the excessive printing of money, now more than ever is a good time to kickstart your blockchain education. Gaining knowledge and education in blockchain technology helps people learn how to truly own their assets. Thanks to blockchain, anyone anywhere can use a secure peer-to-peer network to transfer funds with no intermediary. Furthermore, storing funds in crypto wallets means only those who have access to the private keys can touch the funds. Unlike the traditional banking sector where people require permission or are restricted on withdrawal amounts of their hard-earned cash.
As unemployment across the globe increases due to the Covid-19 pandemic, getting an education in blockchain puts one at a great advantage in the job market. As the number one in-demand hard skill of 2020 according to LinkedIn, gaining a blockchain education can open up a lot of doors and opportunities. Blockchain technology doesn’t just apply to programmers and tech enthusiasts. Bringing mass adoption to blockchain will require marketing, public relations (PR), human resources (HR), and customer services at least. Further, these roles can be applied to numerous industries, from the healthcare industry to the energy sector.
Blockchain Education Growth
Voted and promoted as the number one in-demand skill, blockchain education has seen tremendous growth. Three main areas exemplify the growth of blockchain in education. Firstly, the end-users of decentralized applications (dApps) are slowly becoming familiar with navigating novel platforms and protocols. Education around blockchain-based dApps is often sought through Reddit articles, Medium articles, word of mouth, or YouTube videos. Information and education can often be disjunct and disorganized. That’s why Ivan on Tech Academy offers an industry expert-led video tutorial for a full guide on how to interact with some of the most popular decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols! See our DeFi 101 course for more details!
Secondly, the demand for blockchain education has seen substantial growth in businesses. Many different types of businesses can benefit from integration with blockchain. Often, the main hurdle for implementation is the lack of education around the technology. Kickstarting your blockchain education now means you could be an educator, informing businesses about how easy it is to integrate decentralized technologies into current centralized IT infrastructures. There is a continuous demand from businesses for education in blockchain, as we are still in the early stages of the adoption curve. The potential for blockchain education growth in enterprises and corporations is almost limitless, as the technology continues to evolve and improve.
Thirdly, with a surge in demand, there has also been a tremendous uptick in the number of blockchain developers. Developers can create blockchain solutions for businesses, working as an employee or freelance engineer. Another potential reason for seeing such immense blockchain education growth is the indiscriminate and borderless nature of blockchain. Blockchain developers often work remotely. This provides the opportunity to work from anywhere in the world.
Blockchain Education Courses
Naturally, as the technology integrates into everyday operations and use cases, more and more blockchain education courses are becoming available. As the technology itself is still so niche, there are only a handful of blockchain education course providers available. Moreover, these are often aimed at tech-savvy individuals and programmers who would like to develop their current coding skills.
However, not all blockchain education courses are the same. Ivan on Tech Academy prides itself on the ability to welcome tech novices and become confident blockchain developers in a matter of months. Moreover, Ivan on Tech Academy provides a wide range of courses that are not programming-specific. In addition to blockchain development, Ivan on Tech Academy offers courses on the history of money, the basics of blockchain technology and Bitcoin, how to interact with protocols on different chains, and so much more!
Our Blockchain Business Masterclass course, for example, is perfect for anyone looking to work in blockchain consulting or project management. You’ll learn about the most-used current IT systems and how to manage a development team to integrate decentralized protocols.
Alternatively, students could learn about how Baseline Protocol is being used with the likes of Microsoft and CocaCola through our Blockchain for Enterprise course. Also, our OriginTrail 101 course is a great compliment to enterprise learning, discovering how blockchain works in supply chain management. Further, the OriginTrail 102 course shows students how to set up and run their own OriginTrail node!
Ivan on Tech Academy has courses around cryptocurrency and blockchain technology suitable for all ages and backgrounds (our youngest student is 12 years old!). No matter your blockchain desires or dreams, Ivan on Tech Academy can help you achieve them! Moreover, you can ensure your crypto investments remain legally compliant with our US Taxation of Digital Assets course!
Blockchain Smart Contracts Education
Blockchain education is in high demand. Also, blockchain specialists can come with an expensive price tag. One of the main valuable teaching elements in blockchain is smart contracts education. A lot of blockchain material is centered around smart contracts education. This is largely since the introduction of the Ethereum blockchain in 2015, as the first and currently largest smart contract-enabled blockchain. Smart contracts make designing and deploying decentralized applications (dApps) possible. On an atomic level, smart contracts are pieces of code or programmable money.
Blockchain education should naturally include smart contracts, explaining what smart contracts are, how they work, the history, and even how to program and deploy smart contracts. At Ivan on Tech Academy, we demonstrate the different programming languages used for different blockchains and why we use them. Moreover, we cater to non-technical individuals and teams who wish to learn about smart contracts but not how to program them. Our Ethereum 101 course would be ideal for this!
Smart contracts are the key cogs in decentralized applications (dApps) and decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols. Smart contracts create the infrastructure for automatic, autonomous open-source protocols. Additionally, oracles are used as the oil that keeps the machine running smoothly.
Blockchain Oracles Education
Further to smart contracts education, another valuable element of blockchain technology is blockchain oracles education. Oracles are protocols that collect pieces of data, either from on a blockchain (on-chain) or from centralized websites or databases (off-chain) and relay data back to the smart contract. For example, if a smart contract is designed to deploy betting funds to the winner of a sports bet, it will be the oracles that search sports APIs (application programming interface) to confirm the game score and inform the smart contract of the winner.
Information from oracles must first be verified. This could either be through the use of multiple oracles or API sources. Oracle nodes will be penalized if they provide incorrect or dishonest data, often resulting in financial loss for the node. If you would like to learn more about how oracles operate on a deeper level, save our “Explaining Oracles” article for later! Moreover, we have a variety of articles about specific oracle providers including our OptionRoom Deep Dive and Modefi Deep Dive article! Also, see our Chainlink Deep Dive article to learn about the number one oracle in the industry!
For blockchain programmers familiar with the Solidity programming language, see our Chainlink 101 course at Ivan on Tech Academy to discover how to integrate the biggest oracle project. Learn how to make API calls and manage decentralized data with our easy-to-follow video guides. For readers interested who are not programmers, see our Javascript Programming for Blockchain Developers course, designed for beginners with no coding experience! Then, you can move on to our Ethereum Smart Contract Programming 101 course to learn the foundations of Solidity. Moreover, our Ethereum Smart Contract Programming 201 course shows students how to use Solidity to build a decentralized exchange (DEX)! From here, your options are endless!
What Can You Do With Blockchain Education?
What happens after you kickstart your blockchain education? You will learn and develop confidence in navigating and interacting with cutting-edge decentralized protocols. Moreover, a lot of decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols offer users a way of earning a passive income with crypto.
Decentralized technologies appear to be the way the traditional financial sector is heading. Some influencers and investors have suggested Bitcoin could end global poverty or become the next world reserve currency. Moreover, blockchain could help rebuild the global economy. Understanding this and using it to your advantage can save you time and money, and ultimately improve your lifestyle.
With holistic access to blockchain education courses, students can learn about market cycles and dynamics. At the time of writing, there is a general consensus across the community that we appear to be in a Bitcoin bull market. However, as bull markets don’t last forever, we are next to prepare for a bear market. Why not kickstart your blockchain education now to be able to work in the crypto industry or in a blockchain-based role? This is a safe way to ensure income during a change in market trends. Also, a lot of decentralized finance (DeFi) projects offer payment in cryptocurrency for work.
Another benefit of having a strong blockchain education is being able to work remotely from anywhere in the world. Plus, these roles often come with better pay than non-blockchain-related roles. Furthermore, there are several blockchain education courses available that show you how to start your own project or blockchain business. Moreover, with these skills, you could educate others by offering consulting services or even your own blockchain education courses!
Why You Should Kickstart Your Blockchain Education Summary
There are many reasons to kickstart your blockchain education journey today! From gaining knowledge to interact with innovative profitable protocols, to understanding the underlying fundamentals of blockchain to preserve your wealth. Moreover, with record demand for blockchain experience and knowledge, there has never been a better time to consider a blockchain-based career. Knowledge of blockchain education can offer international opportunities, higher pay than the same non-blockchain role (e.g. marketing or customer service), and an overall improved work/life balance.
Ivan on Tech Academy is the number one online blockchain education suite, offering a range of crypto and blockchain courses to suit all levels of ability. Furthermore, the Academy offers students a Study Guide course, explaining the best ways to make the most from your experience. Also, our Essential Blockchain Job Search Guide has been designed specifically to help students become independent blockchain professionals and prepare for interviews.
One of the most special and unique things about Ivan on Tech Academy is the student community forum. Every student who joins has access and is encouraged to participate in the community forum. Here, students share ideas, help each other out with certain homework modules, and have the choice to network with other like-minded people. Ivan on Tech Academy also offers a personalized guide for specific courses to complete to achieve your goals, with a personal student counselor along the way who you can contact at any point if you get stuck! Check out Ivan on Tech Academy with our amazing blockchain education services and dedicated mentors, today!
Also, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @Academy_IOT! We’d love to hear your thoughts about blockchain education!
