As Blockchain Heats Up, So Do Job Prospects for Developers

by  Lucas Mearian, Computerworld

There is a lack of developers or engineers who can build blockchain distributed ledgers, which is fostering a lucrative job market. In addition to earning big salaries, people experienced with specific blockchain iterations, such as Solidity and Hyperledger Composer, are in much higher demand.

Most programmers pursuing a career as blockchain developers are usually versed in coding languages such as Java or Python. While most techies who add blockchain to their skillset are versed in programming languages, it’s by no means a prerequisite for learning the technology.
Here’s why the blockchain market is hot and how to take advantage of the current skills shortage.

Salaries for blockchain developer or “engineer” positions are accordingly high, with median salaries in the U.S. hovering around $130,000 a year; that compares to general software developers, whose annual median pay is $105,000, according to Matt Sigelman, CEO of job data analytics firm Burning Glass Technologies. In high-tech regions of the U.S. such as Silicon Valley, New York City or Boston, a blockchain developer has a median annual salary of $158,000 – an $18,000 premium over salaries for general software developers.

However, Deloitte Consulting’s Eric Piscini notes, “More universities are starting curricula and the natural cycle to graduate enough students will produce good volumes in the next few years.” Several accredited U.S. universities currently offer blockchain courses, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which has two courses on cryptocurrency engineering and design, and Stanford University, which supports a course that trains developers on how to create bitcoin-enabled applications. There also are specialty schools including Blockchain University and B9lab, which launched an online Certified Ethereum Developer Training program in 2016.

However, you can teach yourself, and this article has some snippets on how best to do that. Read on!