🤖 Web3 & Metaverse: A look at the internet's latest obsession
Today we take a look at probably the hottest topics in tech right now Web3 and the Metaverse. Is it a passing fade or is it a future trend you can't afford to miss? Well, I'll let you reach that conclusion on your own at the end of reading this.
Web3 is touted as being the next generation of the internet, it is a decentralised web built on top of the blockchain where users have control and ownership, instead of centralised organisations and authorities. In Web2.0, big corporations like Facebook and Google own and control your data, they even sell it and profit from it. In web3 you have control, you govern how your data is used and can even be rewarded 🤑 for creating content!
It's an exciting new world powered by crypto-currency tokens, governed by DAOs, anchored in the Metaverse and based on Distributed Ledger Technology. Don't know what any of those are? Don't worry, I'll explain it all as we go, let's dive in.
Here are our favourite articles for the week:
To, kick us off we start by examining what web3 is. We take a deep dive into this new frontier of the web, as well as look at some of its key aspects such as DAOs, NFTs, Defi and so much more:
Michael Nyamande
Next, we take a look at Metaverse, poking behind the curtains to try and unearth what it is. Bloomberg estimates that the Metaverse is potentially an 800 billion dollar industry, perhaps explaining why Facebook( now Meta) rebranded and is now squarely focusing on this emerging field. Now, I don't know about you but if Facebook is willing to bet on the Metaverse, it's perhaps worth looking into it too, studying opportunities and potential areas of interest.
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In-depth Discussion: Breaking into Web3
Now, as you've already realised Web3 is quite an interesting space to be in. It has massive potential and as a relatively new space, is very beginner-friendly and won't have the usual "10 years experience" barrier for you to get a job. There is a strong online web3 community and the internet is awash with great resources for learning and understanding different aspects of web3.
Web3 also has a variety of different roles with some technical and other non(less)-technical. Examples of non-technical roles include Product Manager, Developer Advocate, Technical Writer, etc. For the technical roles, we have the obvious split between front-end and back-end roles, with front-end roles being more or less similar to their web2.0 counterparts. However, to land a job, one still needs a solid understanding of web3 concepts and their inner workings.
For Backend roles, such as Blockchain developer, you should choose a blockchain to focus on and learn how to develop Dapps on it. Starting by learning the Ethereum blockchain is advisable, it uses a programming language named Solidity, which is Object Oriented and similar to languages like Java and Javascript which you are probably already familiar with. For Frontend roles, you will need to learn new libraries such as web3.js or ethers.js to interact with web3 functionality. You can check out this FREE course by FreeCodeCamp to get you started.
Beau Carnes
In these roles, you must build up a portfolio of sample projects. Fun projects you can work on include creating a portfolio tracker, minting NFTs, issuing a token, etc.
Another important aspect of breaking into web3 is being part of the community. Join discussions and interact with others on web3 topics. It's a great way to learn interesting projects, as well as network with future co-workers and employers in the space. Web3 is currently an emerging space, making it easier for you and your skills to get noticed, so find communities, usually around Twitter and discord to get involved with.
Lastly, there are a lot of great sites for finding web3 jobs such as web3.career and crypto.jobs.
Meme of the week
Our favourite thread this week 🧵
Well, we really can't complete the web3 discussion without talking about cryptocurrency. Crypto after all is the gas that fuels the whole web3 ecosystem, so check out this thread, where I explain the basics of Crypto, how to make money with Crypto, as well as how to avoid Crypto scams.
Crypto has become the new buzzword in finance 🔥
— Michael Nyamande (@mikeyny_zw) October 19, 2021
Sadly in Zim Crypto is banned & as such, not much is shared about it. This lack of education has led to an increase in crypto-related scams targeting the average person.
In this thread, I try to unpack crypto for everyone 🧵🪡 pic.twitter.com/MSVFNzoNWY
EOF 🤖
That's it folks, that's the complete breakdown of web3, I hope you enjoyed it. Now what do you think, is web3 the future or it is all hype. Personally, I think it's both, the idea is quite novel and indeed offers a new dimension to the internet we have all come to love. I do think however certain aspects of it are currently overhyped (I am talking to you NFTs) and susceptible to scams( crypto 👀).
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