Do You Need a Degree to Work in Crypto?
Cryptocurrency and blockchain are becoming large industries around the world. So large, that you may be looking at getting a job at one of these firms, even though you may have never worked in the industry before. But you may be wondering, do you need a degree to work in crypto?
The short answer is no, but the long answer is much more complicated as you may need a type of degree to work in some areas. Keep reading to learn more.
Do You Need a College Degree to Work in Crypto?
Currently, there aren’t that many college degrees specific to cryptocurrency, so no business will require you to have one on your resume. That being said, there are some positions in the crypto business that require a degree for you to apply.
For example, if you want to code cryptocurrency programs, a business may require you to have a degree in computer science or software development. In the same way, if you want to be a manager, they may require you to have a degree in business management. Notice, however, that none of these degrees are cryptocurrency-specific, and that’s because these degrees aren’t widely available yet.
Don’t get too excited(or afraid), however, as in the future there may be more cryptocurrency-specific degrees or concentrations, we just know that as of the writing of article, in general, most businesses don’t require them.
Degrees That May Help You Get a Job in Crypto
If you don’t have a college degree at all, it may be a good idea to look into one before applying for jobs in the crypto industry. Just because there aren’t crypto-specific degrees doesn’t mean that a college degree of some sort won’t help you to land your dream job.
Below, we have made a list of the most helpful college degrees for someone looking for a job in cryptocurrency:
· Computer Engineering
· User Design
· Business or Business Management
· Mathematics
· Finance
· Business Administration
As you can see, most of these jobs relate to technology, but they aren’t cryptocurrency-specific. Most of the jobs within the cryptocurrency industry will be looking for these types of degrees or skills.
Universities that Offer a Crypto Program
Cryptocurrency has officially been a hot topic since 2009, and as such, many universities have implemented cryptocurrency options in their programs. We’ve made a list of all of them so you can take a look. In some of these universities, crypto is offered just as a few classes or a concentration, but not its own degree. A few of the universities on the list do offer crypto degrees, though, if that’s truly what you’re looking for!
· National University of Singapore
· Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
· University of California Berkeley
· University of Zurich
· MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
· Hong Kong Polytechnic University
· Stanford University
As you can see, there are a lot of expensive universities on the list. If you have money to attend one of these programs, great, if not remember that one of the general degrees we mentioned above can be earned at a less prestigious university and still used to apply to jobs in crypto!
Related: Blockchain Education at US Universities
Positions in Crypto that Don’t Require a Degree
Because cryptocurrency and blockchain are currently a little bit on the counter-culture side of society, there are many positions that don’t require a degree. In fact, many businesses prefer to look for talent or skills demonstration rather than a degree.
That being said, don’t apply for jobs like a backend developer if you truly have no experience in coding. But besides some of the high-skill and technical positions in crypto, we’ve found that many of the following positions don’t require any sort of degree!
· Community Managers
· Support Specialists
· Blog Writers
· Content Creators
While none of these jobs require a degree, it's important to remember that the business you are applying for may require a certain depth of knowledge about crypto. So, although you don’t need to spend time and money on a degree, you may still need to take a class or two to ensure you are up to speed on all the developments in the crypto industry.
How to Learn More About Crypto
Whether you are looking for a job in cryptocurrency or not, it is always a good idea to learn more about something that is becoming a big part of our society. Obviously, you can take a course at a university, but these tend to be expensive. We recommend just spending some of your own time reading and listening to things like Podcasts and YouTube videos about crypto.
You can follow a cryptocurrency blog like this one, which posts several times a week. It is also a good idea to subscribe to some crypto news sites like CoinDesk to get frequent updates about the status of cryptocurrency projects around the world.
For videos and podcasts, we’ve made a list of the best cryptocurrency podcasts for you to check out, and following a company with a large presence on YouTube will often have several videos about cryptocurrency for you to learn from.
Just keep in mind that this self-study, while it is cheap and easy, may not be enough to land you the crypto job of your dreams, but it is always worth a shot!
Related: The Top 8 Cryptocurrency Podcasts in 2024
Overall, you don’t need any sort of special degree to get a job in cryptocurrency, but you may need a general degree for whatever field you plan to apply to. Regardless, take a look at some job postings you are interested in, and take the time to get the qualifications they are looking for—after that, you should have no problem landing your dream job in the cryptocurrency industry!
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