In the Beginning
I am from Hyderabad, India. Upon graduating in 2012, I joined an IT firm and worked as a software engineer for 3+ years. I had a little twist in my career as I became a Zumba Fitness and Dance Instructor. I had my own studio, and it was going great, but the pandemic hit and it had a drastic effect on my business; leaving me in chaos.
Then What?
I always try to embrace the change and move on with something new and inspiring. Then I came across Web3 through my brother. He advised me to start all over again, as Web3 is emerging, and I started surfing and exploring it, and sensed the power of the blockchain ecosystem. Once I decided to get into Web3, I started exploring more and more how to proceed where to start, and everything seemed difficult because the terms were unfamiliar, concepts were difficult to understand. But patience and continuous learning gave me confidence, and I decided to develop. Moreover, I had a tech background and I thought, let me start with the development part, and of course, many advised the same.
The Crypto Journey
I still remember when my brother told me about crypto, and I got fascinated and invested some of my savings though he warned me. He intended to encourage me to choose crypto as a career instead of just trading them. But I was a novice, and very soon, I understood crypto is not only about trading but much more than that. And it is here to change the way the world views the financial system. The entire Web3 ecosystem is so welcoming, and there are many opportunities. My best experience was getting a scholarship from Harmony in association with H.E.R DAO to attend EthDenver 2022.
Becoming a Blockchain Developer
When I started looking for guidance, materials, etc., as we know, Web3 is still in its initial stage, and nothing is structured. Loads of content are scattered on the internet, often confusing beginners. The best one can do is contact some experienced people and try to get their guidance, and a little bit of self-research will take you to the point where you know exactly where you want to be. Finematics, Coin Bureau, Dapp University are Youtube channels that will give you a basic understanding of the terms related to the blockchain field and its a great way to widen your knowledge. There are also a few clubs that regularly conduct free boot camps, like Encode club, Questbook, Buildspace, The Phoenix Guild, etc., which will help learn the programming languages of smart contracts.
What exactly do Blockchain Developers Do?
Blockchain developers are responsible for building and launching blockchain networks or writing smart contracts on top of different blockchains. The blockchain space is still emerging, and many dedicated people work day and night to make the ecosystem much better. As a result, a new network pops out every other day. Hence it is essential to stay up-to-date with what’s going on in the space. I am new in the space and still in the learning phase. I deploy smart contracts on testnets, and now I am working on a few real-time projects and hopefully soon will be deploying contracts on the mainnet. I think its the perfect time to keep learning and growing because the one with knowledge will win the race.
And Decentralised Apps?
DApps are applications built upon the blockchain networks, making them way more robust than any typical applications. As the name itself says, decentralized Apps, there is no authority regulating it and have control over it. Our data is not residing in any central server and hence much secure. In web2, whatever applications we are using, we are not sure about whether our data is safe or not. Everyone knows companies like Facebook and WhatsApp use our data without our awareness and do business. This is all because they maintain all the data in the central server, which they own and have complete control over it. The only solution to get out of such a trap is adopting DApps.
Thoughts On Crypto and Blockchain in India
I am glad to say the crypto and blockchain space is rapidly spreading in India. I feel proud to see many Indian faces behind big projects like Polygon, Solana, etc. However, a particular crowd can still not understand the power of the same because they perceive it as a risk trading factor. But in my view, crypto is not only about trading and making money, but it is something big and will revolutionize how anyone perceives the financial system.