Smart contracts are one of the most common terms you would come across in the world of blockchain and web3. The search for a reliable smart contract skill path has gained massive levels of momentum in recent times. What is a skill path, and how does it help you learn about smart contracts? Smart contracts are an innovative concept that brings new perspectives on the use of technology.
Beginners can overcome their doubts regarding smart contracts through the simple description of smart contracts as programs. Yes, smart contracts are pieces of code combined together and deployed on a blockchain network. The programs would run only when they find that certain conditions have been successfully addressed.
The unique value advantages of smart contracts have encouraged many businesses to adopt them in their operations. You can also learn smart contract development and create your own dApps or NFTs according to your creativity and preferences. Smart contracts remove intermediaries from traditional transactions, thereby ensuring promising value advantages such as lower costs and faster transaction finality. The following post helps you find out the ideal training resources that can help you learn about smart contracts and build your career as a smart contract expert.
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Why Should You Learn about Smart Contracts?
Before moving further in this discussion, you need to find out the reasons why you should learn the technology behind smart contracts. Why should you invest your time and efforts to become smart contract expert when you can try other career options? You can find the perfect answer to such questions in the list of career benefits for smart contract experts. First of all, smart contract developers can earn an average annual salary of almost $120,000 for entry-level roles. On top of it, smart contract engineers with experience can earn an annual salary ranging beyond $250,000.
The next important reason to find an effective smart contract learning path refers to the necessity of smart contracts as a tool for the future. Leading tech giants such as IBM have pioneered some of the most invaluable use cases of smart contracts. For example, the IBM Blockchain Transparent Supply program powers a blockchain-based service, Pharma Portal, which helps in tracking temperature-controlled pharmaceuticals throughout the supply chain.
Another popular organization, The Home Depot, utilizes smart contracts for quick resolution of vendor disputes. In addition, you can also notice how smart contracts play a crucial role in creating NFTs and DeFi applications. Both the use cases of smart contracts have the potential to transform user experiences while offering powerful outcomes of technological innovation.
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Important Prerequisites for Becoming Smart Contract Developer
The first thing on the mind of an individual while searching for effective ways to become smart contract developer would be the important requirements. Which skills do you need to learn to develop smart contracts? The roadmap for a smart contract expert or developer would emphasize the selection of different tools for completing the task. Here is an overview of the important prerequisites you need to cover to become smart contract developers.
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Smart Contract Programming Language
The first requirement in the smart contract skill path would point to the programming language used for writing smart contracts. As you know, smart contracts are programs, and you would need a programming language to write the programs that you would deploy on blockchain networks.
Which smart contract programming language is the best option for you? The answer points out directly at Solidity, the programming language created by Ethereum for smart contract development. In addition, you could also come across other popular languages for smart contract programming, such as Rust and Vyper.
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Essential Smart Contract Tools
The next crucial highlight in the list of skills required for smart contract professionals would point at essential smart contract tools. You could find effective resources to learn smart contract development by identifying the must-have tools. The first tool you would need in smart contract development would point at Chainlink, a blockchain oracle. In addition, you must also learn about the use of Openzeppelin, the standard library used in Solidity programming.
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Testing and Deployment Frameworks
The roadmap for an aspiring smart contract developer would also focus on the frameworks for testing and deploying smart contracts. Frameworks are an important component in the professional journey of smart contact developers. Some of the notable testing and deploying frameworks you would come across in a smart contract skill path are Brownie, Truffle, Hardhat, Remix, Waffle, and TerraSDK. Each framework has distinct functionalities which validate its applications in specific use cases.
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Wallets
The process for developing smart contracts would also require wallets for storing funds. Smart contract developers must have fluency in using popular crypto wallets such as MetaMask, Ledger, and Gnosis Safe. Developers could use one wallet or a combination of multiple wallets according to their requirements.
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Block Explorer
Developing and deploying your smart contracts is only one of the aspects of creating effective smart contracts. How does a developer determine how their smart contract is working? You can find the answer in some of the popular block explorers, which help in monitoring all the smart contract transactions. The notable block explorers include Etherscan, Ethplorer, and Etherchain.
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Node Service Provider
The search for answers to “How long does it take to learn smart contract?” would also lead you to node service providers. Smart contracts can send transactions only through a blockchain network or a layer 1 node connection. The popular node service providers include Alchemy, Moralis, and Infura. With the help of node service providers, you don’t have to worry about creating and managing your own machine for hosting a blockchain node.
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User Experience
Smart contracts are also similar to other programs which depend on user experiences for success. You would need standard tools such as JavaScript, HTML, and CSS for creating the application interface and layout of features. In addition, developers can use frameworks such as React or Angular to optimize the front end. On top of it, you must also pay attention to libraries such as ethers.js and web3.js to add more functionalities to your smart contracts.
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Security Audit Tools
The final addition among crucial tools required for smart contracts would point to security audit tools. Any developer who wants to learn smart contract fundamentals would come across the necessity for safeguarding their smart contracts. For example, small gaps or vulnerabilities in the smart contract code can become easy targets for hackers. Therefore, it is important to familiarize yourself with security analysis tools like Slither, Mythril, or MythX to ensure better security in their smart contracts.
Why Do You Need a Skill Path for Learning Smart Contract Developer?
The biggest problem in learning smart contracts is evident in the novelty of smart contracts. It is difficult to learn a new concept when you have multiple topics to cover for the same. You can find the resources to learn smart contract development, albeit scattered throughout the internet. Even if you find a dedicated platform for learning about smart contracts, you might come across challenges. For example, one smart contract course might not cover everything you need to learn before creating your smart contracts.
In such cases, a smart contract learning path could help you learn each and every skill required for smart contract development. You can find multiple relevant training courses on smart contracts in a skill path tailored for smart contract training. As a result, you don’t have to scratch your head searching for the ideal training courses to boost your smart contract development expertise.
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Where Can You Find a Smart Contract Skill Path?
The benefits of a skill path to learning the skills for smart contract development can help you cover essential topics. For example, you can have the confidence to pursue the next relevant step, such as learning about smart contract fundamentals before diving into smart contract programming. You can find the best answers to “How long does it take to learn smart contract?” by choosing the skill path for smart contracts on 101 Blockchains. The skill path includes four courses and would require just over 6 hours of your precious time. Let us shed some light on the details of the four courses in the skill path and how they can help you.
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Enterprise Blockchains Fundamentals
The Enterprise Blockchains Fundamentals course is the foremost addition to the skill path by 101 Blockchains for smart contract developers. It is a fundamental-level course you should use to learn smart contract basics before diving into the details of the technology. You can use the course to learn about important concepts and definitions of terms in blockchain and the web3 ecosystem. The Enterprise Blockchains Fundamentals also help you understand the link between smart contracts and blockchain technology.
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Solidity Fundamentals
Once you know about the fundamental concepts of smart contracts, such as their definition and working, you can move to the next step. The smart contract skill path on 101 Blockchains includes the Solidity Fundamentals training course in the second step. It is an exclusive training course to help you build expertise in programming smart contracts.
In addition, you can also specialize in deploying smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. The training course helps you familiarize yourself with the fundamental principles, different components, and features of Solidity. You would also learn about the use of Remix IDE for creating the code for smart contracts alongside the compilation and deployment processes.
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Smart Contracts Development
The most important addition to the skill path for smart contract developers is the Smart Contracts Development training course. You can use the 101 Blockchains smart contract learning path to understand the technology behind creating and deploying smart contracts. One of the best things about the Smart Contracts Development training course is the emphasis on the Truffle framework.
The training course provides detailed insights into important practices for the installation and use of the Truffle framework. At the same time, you can also uncover the functionalities of Truffle commands and the Truffle development workflow. You can find a brief introduction to Solidity and other important tools for smart contract development in the course.
The Smart Contracts Development course is the ideal resource to become smart contract developer as it provides a comprehensive guide to best practices for smart contract deployment and unit testing. On top of it, the training course also includes an interactive project for creating and deploying an ERC-20 token. Therefore, you could develop comprehensive expertise in creating your own smart contracts for real-world use cases.
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DeFi Security Fundamentals
The final addition among the courses in the skill path to become smart contract expert is the DeFi Security Fundamentals training course. You can use the training course to improve your fluency in dealing with security risks for one of the most popular use cases of smart contracts, i.e., DeFi applications. The course offers in-depth insights into the security threats which affect DeFi projects alongside real-life examples of DeFi security incidents.
Another important learning outcome of the course focuses on best practices for addressing DeFi security risks. The modules covered in the DeFi Security Fundamentals training course focus on security of DeFi applications at different levels. For example, you can learn about DeFi security at the user and wallet level alongside security vulnerabilities of smart contracts. In addition, the training course also dives into the implications of security vulnerabilities in cross-chain bridges.
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Conclusion
The outline of important courses in the smart contract skill path by 101 Blockchains offers a glimpse of what you have to learn to become a smart contract developer. However, the journey to become smart contract expert is not limited to a few training courses in a skill path only. You would have to work on developing your smart contract knowledge and skills through practice in different projects.
Smart contract developers can hone their skills and learn from their mistakes only when they put their skills to use. Therefore, it is important to validate your knowledge in smart contract development by using course completion exams. In addition, you should keep looking for opportunities to work on smart contract development projects to boost your skills. Learn more about smart contract development under the guidance of expert instructors right now.
*Disclaimer: The article should not be taken as, and is not intended to provide any investment advice. Claims made in this article do not constitute investment advice and should not be taken as such. 101 Blockchains shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who relies on this article. Do your own research!