Since I have been working in the cryptocurrency for over 3 years, I am used to getting the same question thrown at me week upon week to anyone who isn't clued up on the cryptocurrency world -
Should I invest my money into cryptocurrencies?
My reply confuses a few people as I firstly state that you shouldn't invest into anything that you do not understand, whether that is stocks, bonds, or property. Investing means giving your hard earned cash to another entity in the hopes that their system, product or business takes off and you are handsomely rewarded for having faith in them.
Don't get me wrong, I believe in cryptocurrencies and the technology behind it, but I would never advise anyone to throw their life savings into something they haven't the faintest concept of. Instead, I advise them to earn some cryptocurrencies while learning about the ecosystem. One of the amazing aspects about this industry is the ability to earn cryptocurrency in a numerous ways.
Therefore I will be creating a 5 part series on the ways anybody can start earning cryptocurrencies without spending any money or learning how to mine. I truly believe that one of the ways to help mass adoption is it allow the general public into the crypto world without them getting burned in shady ICOs or Ponzi schemes, as new adopters can fall prey to shoddy businesses in any walk of life.
So without further ado, let's get started!
Working for Your coin - Like any walk of life
Just as in any business, startup, or product there are positions that need to be filled to make it successful and cryptocurrencies are no different. There is still a need for developers, marketers, translators, recruiters, the list goes on. Although some positions require a extensive crypto knowledge base, some do not (although it is preferred by employees). In my first position, I started without a strong understanding of cryptocurrencies, but I learnt as time went on. There are numerous platforms where you can find positions that can be full time to part time, as well as partly paid in crypto to 100% remuneration in crypto. Below is the list that I have used recently to find full time employment and also part time freelance contracts.
1. CryptoTask
The newest of the bunch, CryptoTask only launched their beta last week but I am very excited about this platform. CryptoTask is a decentralised freelance market ecosystem which skips 3rd party fees by directly connecting hirees and applicants peer to peer. Their platform uses a commercially scalable consensus mechanism with a reviewer board selection built into the blockchain. According to their Telegram chat, payouts will be in a Stablecoin instead of a native token. I've created a profile and look forward to finding clients on it and I see massive potential of becoming the Fiver / Upwork of the crypto world. You can visit their beta platform, sign up, create a profile and start applying for riles by clicking here.
2. Crypto.jobs
Crypto.jobs is a active job posting platform for crypto companies. I've counted 20 jobs posted in the last week and that's over the holiday period. What I like about this platform is there is a nice mixture of top crypto companies (as you can see in the image Golem and Cointelegraph) and startups. If you are looking for a remote crypto job, this is a great place to start. You do have to create a profile to apply for some roles though. This is a website i regularly check as it is active on a daily basis. You can click here to start browsing around!
3. Blockew
Similar to crypto.jobs, Blockew is a great website to find the latest crypto job vacancies. The job portal also invites candidates to post their resumes to get discovered by potential employers. Again it is active with numerous crypto companies and offer remote positions as well as job openings from around the world. You can visit the website by clicking here.
4. CryptoJobsList
According to the website they have had over 1000+ jobs listed on their job portal . I counted back and there has been 20 jobs posted on the platform in the last week. This is a great website to check regularly as it's very active. There is also a mixture of remote and office based positions.
5. Crypto-careers
This is another active job portal for crypto positions. I find Crypto-careers to be more focused on established companies rather than startups. If you are looking to work in a crypto company that are well known in the ecosystem, this website might be the one for you. You can browse around the open positions by clicking here.
6. AngelList
AngelList (or can be known as Angel.co) is a popular startup platform where users can find investors, employees and like minded business associates. A simple search for bitcoin, cryptocurrency or blockchain will bring up 100's of companies who are looking for employees. One thing to be aware of though, some companies do not offer a wage but instead a percentage of the company or intern positions. Please make sure that you check the remuneration before applying for any positions on AngelList.
7. CryptocurrencyJobs
Similar to other crypto job portals, CryptocurrencyJobs lists potential openings in the crypto world. This is again one of the most active in regards to job postings, making it a staple when looking for crypto jobs. You can visit their website by clicking here.
8. Crypto Recrutement Websites
There are two main cryptocurrency recruitment websites, Crypto Recruit and Blockchain Headhunter. These work like normal recruitment websites in the fact that they have a comprehensive list of positions and when applying you seem to send your CV to one of the recruiters on the website. I haven't had any joy from this website yet, but I know some people in the crypto industry who have found positions through these two websites. Take note, these websites are for more experienced crypto workers).
9. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is one of the largest job portals on the planet, so it should come to no surprise that you are able to find some crypto jobs on the business networking social media. The one major advantage I like with this platform is the ability to connect and interact with people who are advertising the positions you are applying for.
10. Jobs4Bitcoins subreddit
This is a subreddit where freelancers post their skillset and crypto companies get in contact with the users. It's works better for potential freelancers / part time work rather than full time employment. I have been able to get a few clients through this subreddit. There are few more crypto job subreddits, but this Jobs4Bitcoins is by far the biggest and most active.
11. Contact individual cryptocurrencies
One tactic that i like to use is to get in contact directly with the crypto company. You can use tools such as CoinMarketCap to find homepages, contact emails and team members. This can be a time consuming task, but the reward could be massive if you land upon a vacancy that hasn't been advertised on other job portals.
There are some other websites where you can find crypto jobs such as Remoteok, Ethlance and Blockace, but I decided not to highlight them as they are less active than other websites.
What to consider when taking a crypto position
There are a few things to consider when taking a crypto role compared to other industries. I would advise anyone who is considering taking a position to really think about -
- What is the remuneration? - Make sure you are getting the correct wage for your work. Because of the freelance nature, I think of the position in dollars when dealing with international clients.
- What token / coin am I receiving? Am I able to liquidate it? - I advise people to make sure that if they are getting paid in crypto, that it is a token / coin that is one of the top 3 / 4 on CoinMarketCap. If they are offering you their native token, make sure it's on exchanges and has volume.
- What are the freelance laws in regards to tax? - Make sure that you look into the regulations depending on where you are based.
And there you have it! That's the first part of my earning crypto series! In the coming months i will be adding more ways you can earn crypto without investing your capital or learning to mine. Were there any websites I missed out that you like to use? What has been your personal experiences with freelancing in the crypto world? Leave a comment below and let's start some dialogue!
Also if this helped and if you liked the content, don't forget to follow me / upvote the article. The more upvotes, the more people that see the article. Until next time!