How you can become a Web3 Developer. From zero knowledge to Expert.
Published: 2022-02-16 14:57:13

Some have called Web1 the read-only era, Web2 the read and write while Web3 is read-write & own. In this article Web3 is the focus, the term in this context was coined by the Polkadot founder and Ethereum co-founder Gavin Wood in 2014, referring to a “decentralized online ecosystem based on blockchain check our previous article here for more on what Web3 is and it’s benefits are.
Being a Web3 developer no doubt pays a whole lot, imagine earning thousands if not millions of dollars and being sort after like a god, well below is a roadmap to guide you on your journey to becoming a web3 developer.

First thing first.

**1. Know your computer science fundamentals.**
If you are a complete newbie understanding the basics will save you a lot of headaches. To be fair, blockchain development is a daunting task. Before digging deeper into nodes and blocks, first, be sure to learn the fundamentals of computer science. You can start here with The famous CS50 free course issued by Harvard — Fundamentals for Computer Science

**2. Have a Foundation in Web Development**
You also need to have a background in web development, it’s not advisable to jump straight into blockchain and web3.0 development without a strong foundation of the main principle of standard web development. DApps have a standard vanilla JavaScript or JavaScript Framework Front-end though its backends differ from “standard” applications backends, the majority of the technical principles remain the same. that’s why before delving into developing your first DApp, it’s key to learn the basics of Front-end and backend development, If you need help you can start by learning fullstack development.

3. Learn The Fundamentals of Blockchain
Go ahead Learn The Fundamentals Of Blockchain, you need to understand that the Blockchain is no longer just about crypto; it has evolved into a fully distributed cloud computing system capable of running entire backends to power cutting-edge Decentralized Applications (DApps). You can learn on Coursera for Free with Blockchain 101.

**4. Understand how Ethereum Works.**
As a web3.0 developer, you also need to understand how Ethereum works. Ethereum is software that runs on a network of computers and guarantees the replication and processing of tiny programs known as Smart Contracts. The majority of Decentralized applications, now run on top of the Ethereum Blockchain, Smart Contracts had also been implemented by the Ethereum Consortium, then “copied” by other Blockchains. It is critical for a web3.0 and Solidity developer to become an Ethereum specialist by 2022. You can check its Documentation for better understanding.

Ethereum and Smart Contracts are like Bread and butter, you need to understand both so learn what Smart Contracts are too. A Smart Contract is software stored on a blockchain-based platform, that automatically executes an agreement. It is written in Solidity, Rust, or Vyper and it’s the key component of any Decentralized Application, powering its business logic and allowing you to store information on the blockchain, just like you would do in a standard Database. Here is a free Course by the University of Virginia.

**5. Learn How To Interface With The Blockchain**
Decentralized apps consist of two components: Your frontend and smart contracts executed on the blockchain. For your front-end to talk to the blockchain, you’ll need to interface with it. This is where libraries come in and there are two popular choices to interface with blockchains that implement the Ethereum API: Ethers.js and Web3.js

Web3.js- It is a collection of libraries that allow you to connect with a local or remote Ethereum node using HTTP, Websockets, and other communication protocols directly from your JavaScript Based front-end. Here’s the full web3.js crash course by DApp University.

Ethers.js- is a lightweight JavaScript library used as an alternative to Web3.js to connect JavaScript front-end with Smart Contacts. Learn Front-end DApp development with Ethers.js by Nader Dabit.
Pick one, and learn it well. You will definitely need it. It’s one of your most important tools from now on.

**6. Learn How to Build Smart Contracts**
There are many blockchains out there, and nearly every one of them has its own unique way of building smart contracts.
Solidity, on the other hand, is the language of the Ethereum VM, which is integrated into many other blockchains. It isn’t just useful on Ethereum. It will also assist you in developing smart contracts for other chains.
Solidity developers have by far the most job opportunities. Many companies are building or planning to develop on Ethereum. It may be a long time before any blockchain achieves the same degree of adoption as Ethereum. What you especially need to understand is how gas works and how each line of code you write in Solidity affects the price of execution of your smart contract. There is no way around it. Unfortunately, some companies optimize aggressively for gas consumption.
If you want to work in this field, you’ll need to learn to optimize your code. It will be part of your job and a huge part of some interviews because thorough optimization can save millions of dollars each year for a heavily used app or contract.
Check this freecodecamp course on Solidity. You can also learn by basically playing games like Crypto Zombies

**7. Learn How to Test your Smart Contracts**
Before implementing your smart contracts, you should learn how to test them carefully.
What makes the Blockchain so unique is the non-reversibility: once a Smart Contract is added, it can’t be edited or recalled, and its deployment also costs real money (GAS fees). You can test your Smart Contracts using these types of testing:
- Node Testing.
- Functional Testing.
- Performance Testing.
- API Testing.
Learn More about testing your Decentralized Applications and Smart Contracts, in this 1hr free introduction to Blockchain Tests.

**8. Build and Build and keep Building.**
If you want to work in this field like in any Tech field then never stop building. Learning by practicing and solving problems is key, it’s literally the best way your brain has to retain information.
Start building your first DApps to reinforce your understanding of blockchain development. Develop 5 DApps in this free course by freecodecamp.

Make sure the Projects you build has ;

- A frontend
- A smart contract
- Some (Solidity) code optimizations with comments explaining why
- Unit tests for everything
- A local test network setup
- E2E tests that thoroughly test the contract
- Continuous Integration
- Continuous Staging Deployment
- A Deployment to the official testnet.
If you learn better in a class setting and can dedicate some time then look at applying for web3 booth camps with Web3bridge

**9. Start Applying**
With all that new knowledge and a portfolio, you can begin your job search. Don’t be demotivated when it takes some time, especially if you don’t have too much industry experience yet. It might well be that some companies try to get talent with more experience.