👔 [Analysis] How to break into cryptocurrency - Ari Paul

We are at a sweet spot for job hunting in cryptocurrency right now, according to Ari Paul. While options were limited a year ago due to few cryptocurrency companies or investment firms today there are a wonderful set of options.

Before diving into specific career paths it is important to consider:

• What is your risk tolerance and ambition? Some roles offer a solid salary and a semblance of job security while others may be riskier with a potentially larger upside.
• What are your existing skills? Professional skills and experience should be considered in addition to soft skills like an entrepreneurial attitude.
• Do you want to invest in building your long-term human capital or are you looking to immediately leverage your skills?

One high-level concept that applies to all that follows: you can always transition to another job category in the future, and it’s typically easier to go from big to small, from established to start-up, than the other way around. Depending on your background and desired career path there are a few options. Accountants and Lawyers:

• Join a traditional accounting or law firm with a growing crypto practice. This offers a traditional structure, greater job security, but likely similar economics to other roles in these industries.
• Join a crypto business. Most businesses in the space are in need of both accountants and lawyers.
• Start your own advisory business. While this is a high-risk option some creativity can create economic upside to reward this risk.

Traders and Investors:

• Goldman Sachs has a crypto trading desk and others are likely to follow, though these could be tough jobs to land. Traditional hedge funds that are moving into the space could be another option for successful traders in fields like FX, commodities, or options trading.
• Crypto trading and investment firms. On the trading side, OTC desks, like Circle, DRW, or exchange desks, are probably the best option right now. It is tougher to land a job at a crypto investment firm because these companies typically have far fewer employees for the same level of assets under management.

Developers:

• Many traditional firms are getting involved with cryptocurrency from multiple angles. Expertise like blockchain engineering, integrating crypto into products, and UI development are possible paths.
• Crypto businesses like Coinbase and Xapo are in need of multiple development expertise like blockchain engineering to UI development.
• Another option is to join a cryptocurrency project like Lightyear, which is responsible for the development of Stellar ($XLM). Some projects that may be earlier and not yet have a live network are also an option.

No matter the path it is important to remember that the industry is small and most hiring is still done based on referrals. Building relationships, networking, and developing crypto specific skills are essential for breaking into the industry.

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