Introduction
Blockchain has been around for a decade, but it’s only in the last few years that people have started to recognize its potential and adopt it in domains such as finance, advertising, utility, healthcare, and more.
Experts predict that by 2023, Blockchain could be worth $10.6 billion.
With the increase in adoption and awareness about Blockchain, it’s likely that the demand for individuals with Blockchain skills will also increase in the coming years.
Are you curious about learning Blockchain? Excellent! This article is for you!
We’ve gathered some of the best resources to learn Blockchain so you can boost your career.
1. Blockchain A-Z
Are you looking for a course that gives you a great overview of Blockchain technology? Take a look at the course on Udemy. The instructors will teach you how to harness the power of Blockchain technology with a deeper understanding of its concepts and real-life examples.
The course is designed to help everyone, from beginners to those with advanced knowledge of the subject. The instructors will teach you why Blockchain is important, along with its underlying theories and how to create Blockchains. Next, they will teach you about cryptocurrencies and their concepts, along with how transactions occur. You will be exposed to the knowledge of creating cryptocurrencies of your own.
Additionally, they will teach the theory of Smart Contracts and how to create them. The course requires some knowledge of high-school mathematics. You can take up this course even if you are a beginner or have a certain level of understanding of the subject. They will teach you every single code and check their logical flow. When you complete a project with them, it will form the basis of your expertise, and you will be ready to implement the gained knowledge on real-world applications.
Price for this course = 15,99$
2. Introduction to Blockchain
Blockchains are transforming the way we think about how to structure online transactions, and they’re revolutionizing the way we think about money.
Want to learn more? Check out Coursera’s Blockchain specialization course offered by INSEAD. It’s a great spot to start learning the fundamentals of blockchain technology and see how it’s changing our world — from the way we make purchases to the way we use money.
In this course, you’ll learn:
- Core concepts, including mining, public-key cryptography, proof-of-work, hashing, double-spend problems, etc.
- 7 design principles involved in blockchain technology
- The challenges faced by people who develop blockchain technology
Coursera also claims that 20% of learners started their new careers and 14% availed tangible benefits in their careers after completing the course. This course is 100% online with flexible deadlines so that you can start and complete it at your own pace.
It takes around 29 hours for the course completion, includes a shareable certificate, and supports English and major global languages.
Now, the exciting part — the course is completely free!
3. Solidity Official Documentation
You’re interested in learning more about blockchain development? Well, you’ve come to the right place! While there are a lot of different languages out there to choose from, Solidity is probably one of the best places to start. It’s designed specifically for the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), so it’s the perfect way to get your feet wet with this new technology.
Solidity is completely free and self-paced, so you can learn at your own pace. It’s also very well documented and has a large developer community, so you’ll have plenty of support along the way.
Key points:
- Intended for established developers who are interested in learning another programming language.
- Large developer community.
- Free, self-paced and well documented.
4. edX — Berkeley: Professional Certificate in Blockchain
The University of California, Berkeley’s course in Blockchain Fundamentals, offered via edX is a great way to get started in understanding these technologies. The course is an academic survey of core topics in cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin, and blockchain technology. It covers the fundamentals of cryptography, mining and consensus algorithms, and various other applications of blockchain technology, providing you with a hands-on experience in developing your own simple blockchain.
In addition to learning about blockchain technology and how it works, the course also provides you with a good understanding of how cryptocurrencies work at a technical level. You will learn the mechanics behind how transactions are validated, signed, stored and published on blockchains. You will also learn how transactions are grouped into blocks by miners, who produce new blocks through a process called mining. The course will also cover the different types of consensus algorithms used by different cryptocurrencies, as well as their security implications.
The course is self-paced and can be taken anytime from anywhere provided you have an internet connection. The average time required to complete the program is 3 months, given that the candidate invests 3 to 5 hours per week in studying.
Key points:
- This is a self-paced, online, non-credited academic course offered via edX in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley. The course is taught by three instructors: Nadir Akhtar, Rustie Lin, and Mengyi Gloria Wang, all professors at Berkeley.
- The average time required to complete the program is 3 months, given that the candidate invests 3 to 5 hours per week in studying.
- There are no strict prerequisites but some knowledge of coding and cryptography will help.
- Pricing is set at $178.
5. Udemy — Blockchain and Bitcoin Fundamentals
For those who want to take the first steps in understanding blockchain technology, Udemy has a great offer.
Blockchain and Bitcoin Fundamentals is a course taught by George Levy, an award-winning instructor focused on teaching blockchain, Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. The course is available on Udemy and it consists of short video lessons that you can watch at your own pace.
According to the course description, students will learn about the history of Bitcoin and its underlying blockchain technology. They will also be able to understand Bitcoin wallets, explain the types of wallets, and see how transactions are verified.
Udemy’s course costs $13.99 per month starting price — and if you’re not satisfied with it after your first month’s worth of lessons, the company offers a 30-day money-back guarantee!
Key points:
- Video-focused, self-paced learning.
- This is a beginner-friendly course and no prior coding experience is required.
- Pricing starts at $13.99.
6. Pluralsight — Blockchain Fundamentals
Whether you’re interested in learning more about blockchain technology, exploring a career in the field, or just want to check out what the hype is all about, Pluralsight’s Blockchain Fundamentals course is the best place to start.
Pluralsight is an online education company focused on helping individuals gain the skills needed to compete in today’s 21st-century job market, and their team of experts has recently released this new beginner-friendly course on blockchain technology that can be completed in less than three hours.
The course author Jan-Erik Sandberg is a requested speaker and international author, specializing in IT and computer systems. He brings his expertise to this course by focusing on Ethereum blockchain development, smart contract creation, Dapp development, and private blockchain creation.
This course is great for anyone with an interest in the world of blockchains and cryptocurrencies who has a basic understanding of IT practices — no coding experience necessary!
Key points:
- This is a beginner-friendly course that can be completed in less than three hours. No coding experience is required, but general knowledge of IT and computer systems will give candidates some advantage.
- The course content is focused on exploring the Ethereum blockchain, smart contract development, Dapp development, and creating private blockchains.
- Pricing starts at $29 per month.
7. Udacity — Blockchain Developer Nanodegree Program
The Blockchain Developer Nanodegree program is meant for those who already have programming experience and want to learn how to code with blockchain technology.
Because this course is so in-depth, it will take you four months of hard work and perseverance to complete. But the effort will be worth it — you’ll come out of the program with a thorough understanding of blockchain architecture and how to code smart contracts on Ethereum and other blockchains.
You’ll begin by learning about blockchain fundamentals and building your own blockchain data structure, then move on to Ethereum smart contracts. In the third section, you’ll understand the architecture of a blockchain network, including topics such as consensus mechanisms, cryptography, and wallets. Finally, you’ll build an autonomous, oracle-based DApp that allows users to interact with data off-chain.
This isn’t an easy course. It’s meant for students who have a good grasp of object-oriented programming and JavaScript. But if you’re ready for the challenge and have been dying to learn more about blockchain development, this nanodegree will be a great choice for you!
Key points:
- Not for beginners.
- The estimated time to complete this program is 4 months.
- A prerequisite is the knowledge of object-oriented programming. In particular, the candidates should know how to code with OOP languages, work with asynchronous JavaScript code, develop the front end and back end of a web application with JavaScript and create and consume data using a remote API.
- The course is broken down into four smaller parts: blockchain fundamentals, Ethereum smart contracts, blockchain architecture, Dapp with autonomous smart contracts and oracles, and a final project.
- Pricing is $399 per month or $1356 for 4-month access
8. Microsoft — Blockchain Development Learning Path
Microsoft has compiled a step-by-step training path for learning blockchain development on Azure. The course is not extremely detailed but it will give guidance to both newcomers and experienced coders in how blockchains work and when should they be used.
This is a beginner-friendly course, but some coding knowledge is recommended. It’s completely free, text-based training offered by Microsoft. The course is broken down into six main parts: introduction to blockchain on Azure, learning how to use Solitidy, writing Ethereum smart contracts, creating tokens using OpenZeppelin, creating a user interface with decentralized apps and connecting and deploying to Ethereum networks.
Key points:
- This is a beginner-friendly course, but some coding knowledge is recommended.
- Completely free, text-based training offered by Microsoft.
- The course is broken down into six main parts: introduction to blockchain on Azure, learning how to use Solitidy, writing Ethereum smart contracts, creating tokens using OpenZeppelin, creating a user interface with decentralized apps and connecting and deploying to Ethereum networks.
9. Moralis academy
It’s true. Moralis Academy is unlike any other blockchain education platform out there — and that’s a good thing.
Unlike other education platforms, Moralis Academy offers courses on topics such as advanced DeFi transactions, enterprise blockchain courses, and more. Their courses are taught by experts who can help you if you run into trouble when studying. Upon requesting their professional package, you can receive a custom study plan tailored to your needs.
Moralis Academy doesn’t stop at educating students — they go above and beyond to ensure that their content is actionable, valuable, and detailed in nature. This means that students come away from their program with the knowledge to implement what they have learned in the real world immediately.
Key points:
- Supported by Moralis.io
- You will be able to get blockchain certification
- Pricing plans starts from 22$
10. Web3 University
Web3 University (W3U) is a one-stop learning platform for developers with courses and tutorials for building smart contracts and end-to-end dApps on both Ethereum and non-Ethereum blockchains.
As the leading go-to resource for the Web3 community, W3U will bring together some of the best minds in the industry to provide a single platform where developers can continue to grow their knowledge, collaborate with other developers and keep up with new developments.
W3U has partnered with Polygon (previously Matic), Flow, Arbitrum (Offchain Labs), Chainshot, OpenSea, Buildspace and leading developer advocates like Nader Dabit, Patrick Collins, Albert Hu, Austin Griffith and others to build out this initial set of courses.
Key points:
- Lot’s of content
- Suitable for begginers
- Supports by data providers
- Completely free
Conclusion
Blockchain is emerging as a technology that can transform multiple industries. Apart from the financial sector, it can be advantageous in healthcare, automobile, supply chain, and other sectors. This is why Blockchain is witnessing adoption in many places. It could be the next big thing in the technology space.
Youtube, Medium.com, Stack Overflow…
Just go out there and start digging. Use all the potential of the Internet! The resources are endless and you will learn a lot just by reading Stack Overflow, watching YouTube videos and browsing through Medium.com. Blockchain development might seem overwhelming at first, but so does everything when you first try it. Keep a steady learning schedule and you will master this in-demand skill in no time!
In the next article we will collect for you the best youtube channels, best blogs and topics to explore, follow our channel and do not miss updates!
P.S.
Learn blockchain technology together!
Nowadays there are more resources than ever for learning blockchain technology. If you know of any good ones, please leave them in the comments! Let’s help the community grow faster and become better.
P.P.S.
We at the WatchData team also want to contribute to the overall development of the industry. If you are interested, read our blog, there are detailed guides on how you can use our WatchData API.
WatchData website -> https://www.watchdata.io/
WatchData Blog -> https://medium.com/@watchdata
