How I became a Solidity Developer in 12 Months?

In December of 2021 I 'Lukas' wrote my first smart contract. I just followed a 10 minute YouTube tutorial. From there I advanced quickly, because I already knew how to code. Three weeks after deploying my first smart contract to the blockchain I built a decentralized social media protocol. Like Twitter - but running on smart contracts.

If smart contracts are new to you, make sure to read our introduction on what smart contracts are!

Over the past year I built many other such dApps. And 3 months ago I started freelancing. I am now earning my income as a web3 freelance developer. And despite crypto being in a bear market and the global economy on the brink of recession, I have people on LinkedIn reaching out to me almost daily asking me if I can develop their web3 project.

The web3 space is still in an early stage and I can sense the opportunity. Over the coming months I want to go from web3 freelancer to running a web3 software development agency. And it is fascinating to remember how my journey into web3 started just a year ago when I developed my first smart contract.

If you want to give your career a boost and open up new possibilities for yourself then today could be the day you jump into web3. In this blog post I will give you instructions. All you have to do is follow them and I am sure it will pay off!

How to develop your first smart contract?

Now what do you need to get started? Certainly an internet connection, a laptop or computer and time. Aside from that, already being able to program is a big advantage.

I have heard of people who got started with developing smart contracts without any prior programming experience. I certainly think it is possible if you are really eager to go down that route. But there are easier ways to start learning programming before jumping right into smart contracts. If you cannot yet program, I would advise first learning the basics of programming (like variables and functions) with a simple language like Python or JavaScript and bookmark this blog post for later (JavaScript is strongly preferable because you will need it a lot, more on this later).

Now, having this out the way, how do you actually start?

My recommendation is doing exactly what I did. Because I did it and apparently it worked. So to get started go to YouTube and search for a “Solidity Remix Tutorial”. Just don’t get drowned in a full on 4 hour course on how to develop smart contracts. Something quick and practical is the best way to get started. Here is the exact video that got me started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2MpTx-FtkQ.

By following this tutorial you will learn how to write a basic smart contract and deploy it to the blockchain using Remix. Remix is an IDE, so a programming editor. It’s great for getting started because it works in the browser and you don’t have to download anything. Later on, once you want to get serious about smart contract development, I recommend installing Visual Studio Code. But for now stick to Remix to get started quickly.

Anyways, after completing this 10 minute tutorial, you have all it takes to become a smart contract pro on your own. If you already know how to program, learning “Solidity”, the most popular programming language for smart contracts, will be quick. There are other smart contract programming languages that you can learn as well, just keep in mind that Solidity is the most popular one and your choice if you want to write smart contracts for Ethereum.

Why JavaScript is key?

Now while you have already learned how to become a Solidity developer, you only know a part of what it takes to be a web3 developer. And honestly, it is not even the biggest part of what you will have to do once you are creating web3 projects. The biggest part for me, in every project so far, has been JavaScript. JavaScript is useful in all parts of a decentralized app (dApp). In the frontend, on the backend server and for the smart contracts. Let’s go over them.

Frontends in Web3 are usually written in React. It’s a programming language that lets you design a user interface in components. Then you just let the data trickle through your components. This is a very clean way of writing a user interface. Much better than using HTML and jQuery to manipulate the HTML elements. This approach gets messy very quickly. So do yourself a favor and learn React. Another advantage to React is that you can use the same code for websites, android apps and iPhone apps. Meaning less work for you.

Now, another place where you need JavaScript is the backend server. I didn’t expect I would write centralized backend servers when I started in web3. However, the fact is, that for the time being it makes sense to have centralized servers rather than decentralize everything. Only the most critical parts of your dApp should run on smart contracts. For everything else, like caching, hiding API keys, … use a node.js server. Node.js is like JavaScript but for the backend. Express.js is usually used to build an API on your node.js server. Your React frontend can then connect to that API.

If in addition you use MongoDB as a database, then you are using the full MERN stack. MERN stands for MongoDB, Express.js, React and Node.js. This is a very commonly used stack and it remains highly relevant in web3. Do not underestimate these established frameworks!

Moving on, lastly you will use JavaScript during smart contract development. Once you get serious about smart contract development, you will want to switch from Remix (the online smart contract programming tool from the video) to VSCode, the standard editor used in smart contract development.

Once you make that switch, you will want to use Hardhat as a framework for developing smart contracts. Hardhat comes with everything you need to test and deploy your smart contracts. And the code to test and deploy is written in… Drumroll… JavaScript.

So to summarize, JavaScript remains king in web3. You will use it in all parts of the dApp architecture. I hope you like it because you will write many more lines of JavaScript than Solidity.

Build your Web3 Portfolio

Once you know the basics of Solidity, NodeJS and React you can build almost any dApp. Knowing these languages is a true superpower that will open up many career or even entrepreneurial possibilities within the web3 space for you.

For practice, build a small simple project you find interesting. Maybe an NFT, maybe a smart contract for voting. The possibilities are endless. Make sure to start small and once completed move on to a little larger project. Repeat this a few times and you will quickly become a pro.

This way you are already building your portfolio, which is one big aspect of how to become a Solidity developer. This will later help you massively to convince people of your abilities. Build a few of the standard web3 projects, like an NFT, a token, staking, an NFT marketplace, a DAO. If people see that you built something before, they know you have the expertise to do it again. Make sure to host the projects publicly (Vercel is my favorite option) and leave them operational. Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to show anyone your past work because you lost the code or because the backend node.js server is down.

Also publish all code to GitHub! Many employers will ask for your GitHub during the application process. Having a bunch of well-written code on your GitHub profile will help you stick out as one of the shining talents amid the competition. Make sure to push commits frequently to GitHub to make the activity on your profile visible.

Applying For Web3 Jobs

Now, if you have done all of this, you are ready to find work. We recently wrote about how you can find Solidity roles. So make sure to check this out first. Here we will leave some additional information.

You can either apply for solidity jobs, or better start on Upwork. It is easier getting started on Upwork since people hiring there only take on a small risk, while employers have to commit hundreds of thousands of dollars. That makes them much more careful about hiring. However on Upwork you will get gigs much more easily.

The big hurdle on Upwork is getting that first gig. Just accept that you will have to do some hard, unsexy work for little money. Make sure to ask for a testimonial when done. With that five star review on your profile it will be easier finding the next gig. In your applications always mention all the web3 projects you have built in the past. Add links to the GitHub repositories as well as to the hosted live projects.

In my experience, many people on Upwork, if satisfied with your work, will want you to continue building more and more for them. This will get you enough work to make an income.

How much should you charge?

Now if you are looking for a steady income, you should prioritize work that is paid by the hour. Because this way you know that if you work for 5 hours at $20 per hour ($25 before Upwork fees), you will make exactly $100.

On the other hand, keep in mind that many clients don’t want to pay by the hour because they want to know how much it will cost in total and want to avoid paying more for slow work.

If the task is not too large and relatively straightforward, you can charge for completion of the project. I find this to be the case when there is frontend work or backend work without too much API integration. Always be careful with API integrations. Some APIs can be integrated quickly with three lines of code, others will take you days working through many bugs and bad documentation. For such integrations it is better to charge per hour.

When someone wants you to quote a price for a project that is paid for completion, follow these steps:

1. Take the total work apart into distinct pieces (e.g. React frontend, node.js server, smart contracts, API integration). If the project is very large, split each piece up into even smaller pieces (e.g. Homepage of the React frontend, Settings page, …)
2. Estimate how much time it will take you to complete each piece. This can be tricky. You will get better at this if you actually use a time stopper app to track how long you need and compare it with your estimates.
3. Sum up the estimated hours for each part. This will be your total estimate for the entire work.
4. Multiply your estimate with the hourly pay you want. In the beginning it will probably be low. But as you become more experienced, you can charge higher and higher prices. $10-15 per hour is a good entry if you are very inexperienced, $20-25 if you are somewhat experienced, and then as you become an expert you can charge $30, $40, $50, $60 per hour.
5. Now add 25% for Upwork fees and keep in mind you will have to pay taxes. That will be your total quote.

In the beginning you should keep your quotes low to get business. But later on you can ask for more and more. What you can charge depends entirely on how much demand and supply there is for/of your skills. If you have rare skills that solve a critical problem for customers with lots of money, you are building on a golden floor.

To see how golden exactly, just take a look at our Web3 Developer Salary overview!

Finding Clients on LinkedIn

Now Upwork got a bit of a rep as a budget platform. And while there are some high value opportunities on Upwork offering you $40+ per hour or 5 digit sums for completion, I believe you can find more business on LinkedIn.

Set yourself up a good LinkedIn profile, connect to many people in the web3 space and publish organic content. That’s what I am doing currently and it certainly attracts clients. Jump on a zoom call with them and let them outline their project to you, give them a quote based on the steps above and maybe you will have a new client. Once you are good at attracting clients, you can even outsource some of the work to programmers on Upwork. Once you do that you have a full on web3 software development agency. That’s what I am currently doing and I am confident it will work out simply because there is so much demand in this space, despite the crypto bear market.

Finally, another way to get jobs is through web3 job boards like remote3.co, where you will find full time positions with 6 figure yearly salaries at market leading companies.

Conclusion

If you read this far and you followed this guide step by step you already know how to become a solidity developer. All it takes is commitment and working on your skills daily. You won’t regret taking the plunge.

If you found this post valuable make sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you won’t miss out on our next big article!