When Candidates Say “I’ll Learn Web3 on the Job” That sounds confident, but it can also sound like “I haven’t tried yet.” Best hires are the ones who’ve already made mistakes, built small forks, deployed devnet or testnet apps, explained token flows to a whiteboard. Bring proof.
Genuine question Neil, I open sourced my working flash loan arbitrage bot to prove my ability since I don’t have the fancy degree, and I’ve got over 100 GitHub repos of failed projects because that’s how I actually learned this stuff. I genuinely thought every single one of them was going to work too. You’re saying the best hires are people who’ve already made mistakes, and you’re telling me there’s people getting interviews who say they’ll learn web3 on the job? I’ve been sitting here thinking I’m underqualified because I don’t have a degree, but you’re telling me people that don’t even have a basic understanding of blockchain or web3 are landing interviews. So what am I missing? Is it just about who you know?
This. Proof > fluff. I once hired someone who talked a big game, but their github was empty. Big mistake.
There’s definitely a balance in being open about the things that didn’t work, without coming across like someone who’s constantly failing. Most of us who build have a trail of experiments behind us…some wins, some losses, and a few moments where you just laugh and think, “well… that didn’t go as planned.” But that’s where the real experience comes from. Not perfection, but pattern recognition. And honestly, all those attempts, the good and the messy, are exactly what help you show up stronger when it’s time to build something new with someone else.
this is facts. "ill learn on the job" in web3 usually means "i havent actually tried building anything yet." the people who get hired are the ones who already broke stuff on testnet and figured it out. you can tell whos real by what theyve shipped not what they promise to learn. even a broken side project shows more than talking about potential.
Very true, but on the flip side when I was applying for web3 jobs (with a PhD in Computer Science and multiple published papers in blockchain specific journals) employers rarely even give the time to respond ( other than automated rejection letter) when I applied. The industry is looking for the established person who worked at coinbase or kraken already versus giving individuals a shot. Most of my repos i keep private because crypto projects themselves are very easy to copy and use for an alternate project already
Oh, so true. The best way to learn web3 is by trying. The more, the better. No matter how clever you think you are. You’re not. I asked once to of the real OGs in the space “do you know if these Tokenomics will work?”. His response was “we’ll know once we try them”.
I would recommend to build something and then talk about it if you dont have any web3 experience. Its all ready available now on the internet. I normally Poc many web3 assignments for job interviews. So having the excuse of I'll learn it on the job doesnt make sense now in 2025
One quick way to gauge someone’s longevity in the crypto space is to ask whether they’ve ever been scammed or taken losses — Mt. Gox, FTX, and other classic scars usually say it all.
Learn on the job is a risk that employer is taking, why should employer take that risk?
Experience can give you tools, but results only come when those tools are applied in the right context, with persistence and iteration.