Despite the crypto crash of 2022, you may be surprised to know that blockchain is alive and well – outside of crypto.
In early 2022, cryptocurrencies were booming, following a significant surge in popularity and adoption, especially with the increasing interest in non-fiat digital assets. Bitcoin, the largest and first cryptocurrency, hit an all-time high of over $65,000, sparking an increase in institutional investment and public interest.
Other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum experienced substantial growth, with the emergence of decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms built on the blockchain. The year also saw several high-profile companies and financial institutions invest in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, which at the time lent legitimacy to an industry often beset by security and regulatory concerns.
2022 may have started well, but towards the end of spring, when crypto crashed back to earth with a bang, things went completely wrong. Terra and Luna cryptocurrencies failed, as did the Voyager trading platform.
Other failures included crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital, BlockFi, and Celsius. In November, crypto giant FTX collapsed, and the shock of its failure greatly impacted the volatile crypto market, which lost billions and fell below $1 trillion.
For those working in the crypto space, the job cuts hit hard. About 23,600 employees lost their job in the crypto sector through December 2022, the highest number of layoffs ever in a year. Coinbase laid off about 1,160 employees, Kraken laid off 30% of its workforce, and Bybit made 1,020 layoffs.
Given that environment, it could be easy to assume that a job in blockchain, the technology that enables the existence of cryptocurrency, is not a safe career path. It is true that cryptocurrencies have brought the existence of the blockchain to widespread knowledge, in fact there are many other industries using it as well.
Blockchain technology is widely used in the financial world for payments, money transfers, digital identity and asset management. It has applications in manufacturing and supply chain management, providing better ways to do traceability, transparency, and accountability.
The healthcare industry has evolved and uses blockchain ledger technology for secure medical record sharing and data management, and global governments use it for voting systems, land registry and identity management.
There are plenty of other uses for the technology — in real estate, where it can be used for real estate, property transfers, and mortgage processing — and in retail and gaming. At present, its potential applications are still being researched and developed, and the level of blockchain adoption and implementation varies between different industries.
If this is an area that interests you, there are plenty of open positions to explore. The three jobs below include finance, digital change, and professional services. And find many more blockchain jobs on the VentureBeat Job Board.
Performance Engineer (Blockchain), Ripple, San Francisco
Ripple’s mission is to make payments possible for everyone, anywhere, anytime. It is looking for a Performance Engineer to join a growing team responsible for the performance, scalability and reliability of the XRPL network. You will collaborate with teams across the organization in acquiring performance requirements and load forecasting metrics and participate in the entire software release lifecycle from software design and development to product deployment. You will also develop comprehensive load simulators and all necessary tools required for setup and testing, perform iterative performance testing; find/remove bottleneck; code profiling and extensive tuning at all levels (OS, network, software and database). To apply, you need a bachelor’s degree or higher in software engineering, computer science or equivalent industry experience, and up to four years of work experience in software engineering. Then apply for this position now.
Blockchain and Digital Asset Manager, Deloitte, Portland
Deloitte is expanding its Audit & Assurance Blockchain & Digital Assets practice and is seeking a Blockchain & Digital Assets Manager, who will oversee the day-to-day operations of engagement teams. You will work closely with the team to address accounting and other issues while using Deloitte’s advanced technology. In addition, you will lead teams in providing internal controls specific to blockchain and digital asset services. To apply, you need a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field (or equivalent years of relevant experience), as well as five years of public accounting or equivalent experience, and two years of experience managing and supervising teams. Find all information about the job here.
Blockchain Software Engineer, SAIC, Chantilly
SAIC is seeking a Blockchain Software Engineer to lead key blockchain initiatives, including end-to-end design and implementation of blockchain products and solutions, and to communicate effectively between developers, managers and end users. You create a repository/library of blockchain engineering capabilities, experiment with cloud-native, open-source tools and advise on new tools to determine optimal solutions. To qualify, you need a bachelor’s degree in engineering and nine years of related experience, as well as extensive experience as a computer programmer or application developer, and at least four years of experience working with cloud-based solutions, various open-source based frameworks, analytical tools and recognizing their weaknesses. View the full job description here.
Discover careers in blockchain and much more on the VentureBeat Job Board.
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