"How can I get paid to work in crypto if I'm not a developer?" I see this question pop-up a lot on social media. I'm going to explain how I did it, but being that I currently represent a project full-time right now, I'm not going to mention the name of the specific project I work for, so please bear with me.
I learned a valuable lesson once as a marketer in a former life. When you are just starting out in a new field and you have no prior history or credentials in it, rather than apply for a job like every one else, the best thing you can do is volunteer your time. That is, provide as much value you possibly can without asking for ANYTHING in return. In other words, at the immediate outset, instead of trading your time for money as you would at a paid job, you want to trade your time for experience and to network with people.
I don't know a single person who would rather have 100 completed job applications with an average amount of experience in the job he or she was applying to than 100 well-established contacts in a field he or she was trying to get a job in with minimal experience. In general, WHO YOU KNOW is often more important than YOUR RESUME.
I started following the cryptocurrency space about 2 years ago. Like most, I fell down the proverbial rabbit hole and spent days consumed with a topic that I increasingly believed would have a major impact on my life and those around me. My thirst for knowledge was so rabid, I neglected other priorities in my life. After investing a sizable chunk of my nest egg, I started yearning to become active in the space aside from posting comments on social media and as a hands-off investor. I wanted to earn a regular income within the space. I wasn't interested in investing in computer hardware up-front, so mining was out of the question.
There was a crypto project that came on the scene and quickly gained a large following. I was intrigued by the project and started following it closely. Before long, I was offering advice, troubleshooting issues, providing moral support, and debating critics on a daily basis, and some of the project leaders started to take notice.
About 1-2 months later, one of the project leaders reached out to me and asked me if I'd be interested in volunteering as a mod/admin of the group. I quickly jumped at the opportunity to set myself apart from the pack as an authority in the space, even though the job was unpaid. During this time, I was introduced to the other project leaders and interacted with them on a regular basis.
A few months later I was contacted by someone who had left the project I was working on and had joined another project. He told me that his company was hiring and asked if I'd be interested in a job. He told me he would refer me to the CEO. And just like that, within a matter of months I went from relative obscurity to being recommended for a mid five figure a year job in an exciting up-and-coming field.
I often come across people who message me out of the blue and ask if they can have a job. The truth is that, even if they had a ton of experience that they could point to, I don't know them. I've never worked with them, I don't know if their intentions are good, and I don't know if I can trust them with sensitive information. How can I justify hiring someone out of the blue versus someone else I already know who has demonstrated to me that a), they're passionate about the project they want to work for b), they're mentally stable and aren't going to throw the company under the bus at some point, either maliciously or accidentally and c), they can take direction, won't become lazy, and are easy to work with?
We are so used to the idea that to become employed, we need to apply for an open position when instead, we should be searching for that one thing that gives our lives meaning and upon uncovering it, be relentless in our pursuit to learn more, to interact in this community, to bring value in every way possible to it, and to show others that we are willing to participate and contribute to it in a way that enriches and moves it forward in any way we can.
Crypto is such a new space that these opportunities are literally a dime a dozen right now. Projects are sprouting up left and right and they need people on board who they can trust to act professionally and responsibly. So be careful how you conduct yourself on social media. People ARE reading what you're putting out there. People who are looking to give a solid opportunity to the right person. It might as well be you.
Really nice read about establishing yourself in the job market, enjoyed it!
Thank you. I hope it helps a lot of people looking to make a living doing what they love :)