As the entire crypto ecosystem expands and gets more diversified, so do the job opportunities. It’s easier now than ever before to find a job in the crypto world starting from scratch. However, one important aspect is what sector or ecosystem you are trying to break into. Traditional sectors would be; are you a marketer? Coder? Writer? Community Manager? These niches still apply and are a great way to find jobs in crypto, but one way to find a job that is not frequently mentioned is by picking a particular ecosystem and becoming an expert on it. Continue reading for a full breakdown of why picking your niche, becoming an expert, and establishing yourself in the industry is a bullet-proof job-hunting strategy.
Before we dive into the strategy, an ecosystem in crypto can be Layer 1 blockchains, such as Ethereum, its Layer 2 scaling solutions, such as Arbitrum, or even a group of projects building in a niche, such as NFT utility projects. Like individual projects, ecosystems are on a path and whether that path is trending upwards or downwards depends upon the current narrative and sentiment of the crypto ecosystem as a whole.
For example, the GameFi niche has seen a decline in users and investment since the beginning of 2022 so you could say that the GameFi ecosystem is seeing a downward trend. Although GameFi is here to stay, during a downtrend there are fewer projects building and fewer people interested in the niche which ultimately means less job opportunities.
Picking Your Niche
Deciding which ecosystem you want to focus on comes down to experience. The more time you spend in the crypto ecosystem, the more you fully understand different niches, chains, or scaling solutions and it will become more obvious to you where you want to place your efforts. Choosing an ecosystem that has potential and is growing is your best bet. For example, a recent ecosystem that many have been flocking to is Arbitrum, for its great potential and clear uptrend not only in crypto-specific statistics like TVL but community engagement and management.
It’s important to note that just because you pick one ecosystem it doesn’t mean you’re stuck with them forever. Crypto is constantly evolving, and so are your preferences. Luckily for you, the more experience you have the easier it is to break into a new ecosystem.
Becoming an Expert
So you’ve chosen your ecosystem, it’s now time to become an expert in that space. It should be your mission to find out everything you can possibly know about that ecosystem to put you ahead of your competition and allow you to stand out from the crowd. What’s missing in that niche, is it an employable skill?
The faster you become an expert, the faster jobs will open themselves up to you. There is a reason we told you to become an expert in an ecosystem you think has great ‘potential’. When you are operating in an underrated ecosystem, it is by definition underappreciated, extrapolating your talents once others flock in. This is due to the fact that most will know nothing about the ecosystem, and you will appear to know everything.
Establishing Yourself
Once you are confident in your knowledge of the ecosystem, it’s time to start establishing yourself before others join the party. The faster you do this, the better, and you should be doing this while you’re learning about the ecosystem to create social proof for yourself. This should be done through social platforms like Twitter, Medium, or Web3 writing platforms like Mirror.
When the ecosystem you have chosen picks up, you will have an established brand and be an obvious choice for individuals, projects, and marketers looking for experts in the niche you have carved out for yourself.
The great thing about crypto is that it’s constantly evolving, which means new opportunities are constantly popping up around you, so there’s always another boat to jump onto!
You don’t have to worry about catching the next generational opportunity, as if you miss one, there is another one tomorrow. That is the current nature of cryptocurrency, so take advantage of it while you can!
I hope we could help bootstrap your Web3 job search!