Although this technology is around us for a decade, it has become a topic of discussion in the last couple of years. It has the power to revolutionize the digital world. Emerging from fintech (Finance technology) institutions, it is spreading in different domains like advertising, utility, healthcare, etc., and different countries worldwide. People have started recognizing Blockchain’s potential, and many of them have started adopting Blockchain-based apps to process transactions and payment acceptance in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. ABI Research forecasts Blockchain revenue to soar higher by 2023 and reach US$10.6 billion. Due to increased adoption and awareness about Blockchain, the demand for individuals with Blockchain skills is likely to increase in the upcoming years. So, are you curious about Blockchain along with related technologies? If yes, then this article is for you! Here, you will find the resources to learn all about Blockchain and get certified as well.
What is Blockchain?
Blockchain is a digital, immutable, and shared ledger that records transactions and tracks assets in a distributed network. Think of these transactional records as the ‘block’ and interconnected network of databases as the ‘chain’. And think of this storage as the ‘digital ledger’. Blockchain is a kind of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). In the world of Blockchain, an asset could be tangible or intangible. Tangibles are things like a car, house, a piece of land, etc., while intangible things could be copyrights, patents, intellectual property, etc. You can trade and track anything that has value over a Blockchain network while reducing costs and risks. Let’s take the example of Google Docs. You can create and ‘distribute’ it with people instead of transferring or copying it. Anyone with permission can access this document, view it, and modify real-time changes in a decentralized environment simultaneously.
How does it work?
Each transaction gets recorded as a data block: The transactions display the asset movement, and the block carries information of an asset.Each block connects with the next one in a chain: data blocks form a data chain as the asset moves places. The blocks also confirm the sequence and time of transactions accurately while linking with one another to prevent alteration or insertion of a new block between existing blocks.Transactions block together, forming an irreversible data chain or ‘Blockchain’. Here, every additional block provides better strength to the previous block’s verification and for the whole Blockchain itself.
It makes the chain immutable and declines the possibility of malicious activities from entering into the ledger. Thus, it builds a secure network with greater transparency that members could trust.
Advantages of Blockchain
Business operations involve so many repetitive tasks, record keeping, and 3rd-party validations. Not to mention, record-keeping is vulnerable to cyberattacks and frauds—additionally, data verification impacts due to limited transparency. To add fuel to the fire, data volumes increase with the arrival of digital technologies like IoT. Don’t worry; Blockchain has the power to handle all of these problems and provide benefits like:
Greater security
Transactions and data remain safe with Blockchain as they are immutable and recorded permanently. Verification over data accuracy is a must and required from every network member. No one can delete any record or transaction. Hence, data is safe and secure.
Better Transparency
As every member is aware of the transactions’ full information, it fuels transparency, unlike other types of transactions. A decentralized ledger allows no one to control the information. Every member in the network can understand what’s going on in the network and timely and accurate data, building trust.
Increased efficiency
As the distributed ledger gets shared with each member, record keeping and reconciliations that waste time is eliminated. Transaction speed is further increased with a set of rules known as the smart contract, which could be stored over the Blockchain and then executed automatically. This is all about Blockchain and its exclusive benefits, and this technology is creating new possibilities for businesses and individuals alike, reducing costs and increasing efficiency. This is why Blockchain witnesses wider adoption in various industry verticals these days. That said, it makes sense for people to learn Blockchain and gain the skills to gain exciting career opportunities. So, let’s look at some of the resources to learn Blockchain and get certified for it.
Blockchain A-Z
Harness the true power of Blockchain technology by taking up a course on Udemy. The course helps you master the technology with a deeper understanding of its concepts and real-life examples. In this course, the instructors explain why Blockchain is important, its underlying theories, and how to create a Blockchain. 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 you to know some high-school mathematics. However, it would help if you also had a basic understanding of Python to undertake the practical part included in the course and their successful competition. 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.
Introduction to Blockchain
Feed your curiosity with a deep understanding of Blockchain by taking up the course from Coursera – ‘The Introduction to Blockchain Technologies’ offered by INSEAD. In this specialization course, they will discuss the mighty Internet’s limitations for businesses and economic activity. Next, they will elucidate how Blockchain can be a solution to this. After the course completion, you will be confident about your knowledge of this technology, how it works, and the revolutions it can bring about. You would learn core concepts, including mining, public-key cryptography, proof-of-work, hashing, double-spend problems, etc. Their instructors make you understand the 7 design principles involved in Blockchain technology and the challenges performed by the people who develop it. You will meet key players in this ecosystem and find out ways you can contribute to the revolution of Blockchain. 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!
Blockchain Certification
Designed to align with the industry standards, Blockchain Certification Training by Edureka is one of the best you can try your hands on. Top experts in the Blockchain domain have curated this course to reap maximum benefits out of it. It will introduce you to key Blockchain concepts, platforms, cryptocurrencies, and more that cover Bitcoin, Ethereum, MultiChain, Hyperledger, etc. This fully immersive training is instructor-led and helps you become an expert in the Ethereum ecosystem. The training includes the origin of Blockchain and its working, mining, basic solidity, advanced solidity, and how to develop a DApp with Truffle. You will also learn how to create a private Blockchain and deploy it and the different career prospects the technology can offer. It includes hands-on demonstrations for a better understanding of the concepts. This training is great for anyone with technical knowledge, including software engineers, product managers, project managers, support professionals, and solution architects. Experience in development with any Object-oriented language is needed, and basic Linux, networking, Git, and JavaScript is beneficial. Nevertheless, they will provide you with complimentary, self-paced courses for Linux and Node.js fundamentals, and JavaScript. This course is of 36 hours and includes a live project on a selected use case involving the implementation of Blockchain concepts. You will be given assignments after each class completes to assess your knowledge. Get lifetime access to the course on a Learning Management System with presentations, installation guides, quizzes, and recordings. You can also participate in their community forum to facilitate more learning. At the end of the course, when you have completed the course along with the project, you will be awarded a certificate – “Blockchain Developer”.
Blockchain Specialization
Learn how Blockchain is revolutionizing the decentralized app programming ecosystem with Coursera and walk on the path of innovation. This course’s name is “Blockchain Specialization” and the University offers it at Buffalo and the State University of New York. It will teach you about Smart Contracts, Blockchain’s core idea, and its computational model. You will learn how Blockchain enables automation, scalability, transparency, and autonomy. They will help you gain a working knowledge of this technology, and how to program and design smart contracts along with decentralized applications. With this course, you will be able to think of new, innovative Blockchain applications and create models. The course will help you learn skills like cryptography, cryptocurrency, Ethereum, Solidity, Bitcoin, MetaMask client, Remix IDE, and more. The course is for designers and programmers involved in the development and implementation of Blockchain applications. You can also take up this course if you are interested in understanding Blockchain and discovering its potential. The learners of this course will be able to apply the skills and concepts covered to deploy Blockchain instances and perform peer-to-peer transactions, programming and testing smart contracts via Solidity language. You could also code, design, and analyze Blockchain-based solutions. The specialization course requires you to complete a hands-on project, upon whose successful completion, you will earn a certificate that you can easily share with anyone. This intermediate-level course takes around four months to complete and supports multiple languages.
Mastering Blockchain
Are you interested in Blockchain? Are you looking for a book recommendation? Here’s something that can answer both of these questions. This book is updated with 4 new chapters covering consensus algorithms, tokenization, enterprise Blockchains, and Ethereum. You will learn important concepts like consensus protocols, cryptography, and decentralization. Get a better overview of Solidity, cryptocurrencies, Web3, developing smart contracts, and solving scalability, privacy, and security issues. You will discover distributed ledger architectures of different platforms, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Hyperledger Fabric, Corda, Quorum, and Hyperledger Sawtooth. You will learn to develop applications using Truffle, Solidity, Remix, Drizzle, and Ganache. This book is helpful for technologists, students, business executives, or a Blockchain enthusiast. If you have a basic knowledge of a programming language, it’s a plus for getting along with this book. This book costs $44.99 for the paperback edition.
edX
If you are finding various courses in the field of Blockchain, visit edX. They have lots of courses available on this technology and related topics. It includes real courses from top universities globally, including MIT, Harvard, and Berkeley, along with Linux Foundation. edX offers these courses on Blockchain:
Blockchain Fundamentals: This course is offered by Berkeley University and has 2 courses with professional certificationBlockchain for Business: It is offered by Linux Foundation and includes 2 certification coursesFinTech: It is offered by The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and includes 3 courses with certificationBlockchain Technology: Berkeley University offers this course.Blockchain & FinTech: This is offered by HKU and includes the basics, limitations, and Blockchain applications.Introduction to Hyperledger Blockchain Technologies: This is a Linux Foundation course.Blockchain Fundamentals: Berkeley University offers 2 courses with certificationDeveloping Blockchain-based Identity Applications: Linux Foundation offers 2 courses on this topic with certification.Blockchain: This course is offered by Linux Foundation and covers the uses and applications of Blockchain.Introduction to Hyperledger Sovereign Identity Blockchain Solutions by the Linux FoundationBitcoin and cryptocurrencies by Berkeley universityFinTech Ethics & Risks by The University of Hong Kong (HKU)Introduction to FinTech by HKU
CodeAcademy
CodeAcademy offers a Blockchain certification course that takes about 2 hours to complete and requires no pre-requisites to learn it. This course will make you familiar with the properties and structure of Blockchain along with each block constituting it. It will introduce you to the features of this technology that secures each Blockchain participant. They will help you visualize various Blockchain aspects apart from creating and managing the blocks with interactive simulations. Although you don’t necessarily require a prior skill, it will be helpful if you have some Python knowledge. It will help you build a Blockchain library of your own in Python, including a Block class and Blockchain class. You could also add functionalities to blocks, verify the entire chain, and create hashes. From Blockchain introduction to a deeper understanding of its concepts, CodeAcademy has you covered. Besides, you can also test your skills through quizzes and memorize the syntax. Once you have completed the course, earn a certificate and showcase it to the world.
Blockchain Council
Become a Certified Blockchain Expert with the instructor-led training by Blockchain Council. This certification training aims to familiarize you with the functioning and working of a Blockchain-based solution. Apart from covering the key principles and their composition, the course allows you to overview the usage of Blockchain in healthcare, automobile, financial, supply chain, cybersecurity, and other industries. The syllabus includes Blockchain ecosystem, mining, privacy and security, solutions that include measures and steps, and use cases. You will get lifetime access to the overall course resources, involving lecture videos, capstone projects, and practice sets. When you get certified, you would understand the technology and integrate Blockchain solutions in enterprise-level businesses. This course is beneficial, especially if you are unable to join a classroom training. They offer online training with advanced techniques and ensure you get the immersive learning opportunity. You can even communicate with your designated instructor and have meaningful conversations at your own comfort and pace. This online instructor-led training is for 6 hours in 2 days. There would be an online certification examination that you have to clear to get certified.
IBM
IBM offers numerous courses and training on Blockchain to help you master the technology and get certified as well. Amongst them, one course is the Blockchain Foundation Developer course. Over 15,000 people have already joined the course and received a badge for it. It gives developers the knowledge they can use on a Blockchain ecosystem. The course covers the structures, tools, and components needed to develop a Blockchain and complete projects. This is a moderate-level course of 6 hours. Another course you can try is Blockchain on Z – ESE0G that helps you understand the technology, how it can help improve supply chain, banking, and other networks involving transactions. You can create innovations and find exciting possibilities to improve transactional processes, asset transfer, and reduce risks, time spend, and costs. The course is of 24 hours and is of moderate level. Other certification courses that IBM offers are:
Blockchain overviewBlockchain for BusinessIBM Certified Solution Advisor – Blockchain Platform V1 & V2Blockchain for developersBlockchain for Healthcare professionalsData science and BlockchainIoT and Blockchain TrainingAnd many more
101 Blockchains Academy
If you want to get started with the basics and then move towards mid and advanced levels, 101 Blockchains Academy can be a great way to start. They offer a wide range of free and paid Blockchain courses (and certifications) to interested candidates. The free course covers the enterprise Blockchains fundamentals and gives a basic understanding of technology. It is a good start for beginners to boost their careers and get started with Blockchain. The paid or member courses are divided into different categories such as Blockchain Certification Programs, Professional Blockchain Courses, 101 Blockchain Masterclasses, etc. These courses include:
Blockchain for Real Estate MasterclassBlockchain Like a Boss – How to Explain Blockchain Ecosystem to Your BossBlockchain and Data Privacy MasterclassCentral Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) MasterclassNFT FundamentalsGetting Started with Bitcoin TechnologyIoT Fundamentals
Interested candidates can become members at $299 to access Masterclasses and Professionals Courses.
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. Plus, you may never know when the demand for this technology increases. But, if you already have the skills and expertise required to thrive in the Blockchain ecosystem, you could embrace new and exciting career opportunities. Thus, start learning Blockchain today and get certified to remain ahead in the race.
