Crypto changed my life. I’m 27 and was born and raised in Utrecht, the Netherlands. It’s a great city, you should visit it sometime. But you’re here for a story about crypto, so let us dive into this wonderful story of a young dude in crypto land. I’ll also give you some tips on finding a job in crypto.
My early twenties were amazing albeit very unproductive. Partying every other night, hanging out with friends and meeting new people at many different events. My family and teachers wanted me to pursue college, but that wasn’t for me. I definitely tried though: Financial studies, Cultural Heritage and Communication.
To support my love for parties I had to find a somewhat stable job. Working 24 hours a week doing all sorts of temporary jobs for a job agency didn’t cut it, so I started looking for a full time position in sales. In the days pre-corona it was easy to find a sales job. I quit college for the last time swearing I would never ever go back, it’s just not my cup of tea.
One day the charger of my new smartphone decided to give up on me. You have to understand: As a millenial, I really had to find a charger as soon as possible out of fear of missing another wild party. I Googled the nearest shopping center to see if there was an electronics store and to my luck a new pawn shop opened for business just a few days before I arrived. I never went to a pawn shop but hoped my experience would be like those TV shows from the United States.
So I took my used – but in perfect condition including games – Playstation Portable to see if I could trade it for an aftermarket charger and some extra money. Us dutch people love haggling so why not, right? The owner explained he opened for business just a few days ago and before I could ask him for a job, he offered me one. I love gadgets, people and getting to work would only be a three-minute walk. So I took him on his offer and went back the next morning after which I was offered a full time contract.
Honestly, I’ve had great fun in the first few months. My employer and colleagues were fun and there was a great deal of mutual respect. Also, the clients were from all walks of life. Definitely my kind of workplace.
After 9 months of working there I decided I wanted to be more than a local salesman so I started to pursue financial freedom. But I didn’t have the funds to start my own business and what other job could I find? In this world, no serious person would hire a smuck like me without a college degree. I decided to keep my job for a few months and buy crypto with small chunks of my paycheck. Near the height of the bull run in 2017 I decided to buy crypto like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Ripple (XRP) and shortly after the ICO, a cool little project called Chainlink (LINK).
Then, I quit my job so I could take a few months off and find something new, because I wanted to quit doing sales for a while and start working from home (it has great benefits). I was still sick of making ends meet and I found myself a new passion for crypto so it made sense to apply for crypto jobs. At the time, there were no crypto jobs websites with a clean design and updated joblist. Lucky for me I stumbled upon cryptojobslist and saw a few ads – no previous experience needed. I applied for a community management position at AmAzixand got the job! After a month me and another freelancer were promoted to team leader positions. The salarywas great, but being rewarded for pursuing my passion felt even better. Also, my colleagues were awesome and I was working for the industry leader in community management. For a while, my life was great.
Seemingly out of nowhere, we were heading into a bear market just as I was making the best pay I ever could have wished for. I even temporarily moved to Barcelona, Spain, so I could meet up with a colleague, other friends and party in the sun during weekends. I had the means to do it and was young and dumb so why not, I thought.
I then went back to the Netherlands and moved back in with my girlfriend after my short ‘vacation’. Then I left this space during the bear market to pursue other interests. I never forgot about my investments though and figured I just had to wait a few months to a year in order to become more financially stable.
Some would call me lucky, but I always knew one day the following would happen: Chainlink became one of the biggest cryptocurrency projects in the world. For me it’s only logical, since decentralized oracles and smart contracts are a true revolution. This enabled me and my girlfriend to move to Belgium so she could pursue her dream of becoming a veterinarian.
And now I’m back to leave a definitive mark in cryptoland!
Top 3 tips for someone looking for a job in crypto
If you’re looking for a job in crypto right now, you will be pleased to find that employment opportunities in the cryptospace are rising. Even if you don’t have previous experience working in this space, theres a big chance you’ll land that dreamjob. Just take a look at the jobsection on the website you’re browsing right now. Here are a few tips that helped me out during my job hunt.
Be honest about your shortcomings regarding cryptocurrency knowledge, but apply with confidence. Employers in crypto all have something in common: crypto (duh!). Tell them in short what you already know about this space and that you are hungry for more. It shows that you’re committed and love doing some work.
If you have experience in fields unrelated to blockchain, mention it whenever you apply for a job in crypto. Even though the world of crypto and blockchain hasn’t been your previous cup of tea: Your previous experience could land you that job. Sure, being a software developer makes it easier sometimes, but it’s non-mandatory. You just need to be comfortable working from home, which a lot of us have grown accustomed to during the pandemic.
There are many positions including but not limited to: marketing, accounting, customer support, business development, research and many other positions. And if you’re an expert in a certain field you can definitely take a shot at becoming an advisor for many different projects.
Start volunteering in crypto right now to beat the competition. The world of blockchain is digital so industry leaders are easy to reach. Just about every project has Telegram groups – official and unofficial groups. Take your time joining these groups and interact with the community. After becoming familiar with crypto slang you can try becoming a volunteer moderator in one of these groups.
You can also start your own blog or social media account where you share interesting facts about cryptocurrency or blockchain in general. Future employers love it if you have a (small) fanbase already. Certainly makes it easier to find a job.
So, what’s next?
I’m starting a dutch crypto jobs and blockchain education website. I’ll help newcomers in crypto navigate safely through the wonderful world of crypto, help them understand the tech and show them my favorite cryptocurrency picks. Another project of mine is revolutionising marketing via chatbots. If you have a website or social media accounts, you WILL be using this service within a few years, mark my words. It’s like crypto: those who get in early and invest in the right technologies and strategies come out on top.
So if you need to boost your sales and still save man hours in business development and customer support, visit our contact page or hit me up on LinkedIn.