My Journey in DeFi Engineering: From Curiosity to Career
A personal retrospective on my journey through DeFi engineering - the projects that shaped me, lessons learned, and insights for aspiring DeFi developers.
A personal reflection on my path through DeFi engineering, the projects and experiences that shaped my understanding, and what I've learned along the way.
The Spark: First Encounter with DeFi
What to write about:
- Your first experience with DeFi protocols
- What initially excited you about programmable money
- Early experiments with lending, trading, or yield farming
- The moment you realized you wanted to build in this space
- How DeFi compared to traditional fintech in your mind
Share the origin story of your interest in DeFi and what drew you to want to build these systems.
Early Experiments and Learning
What to write about:
- Your first smart contract deployments
- Early projects like cryptoisreal and marketcap.guide
- What you learned from building these side projects
- Mistakes you made and lessons learned
- How you approached learning Solidity and Web3 development
- The resources and communities that helped you most
Walk through your early learning phase and the projects that taught you the fundamentals.
Breaking into the Industry
What to write about:
- How you landed your first DeFi engineering role
- What companies and roles you considered
- The interview process and what skills were valued
- How you demonstrated competence without extensive DeFi experience
- Your decision to join Opyn and what attracted you there
- First impressions of working in DeFi professionally
Share the journey of transitioning from side projects to professional DeFi work.
Technical Growth and Challenges
What to write about:
- The steepest learning curves you faced
- Concepts that took longest to master (oracles, MEV, etc.)
- Your evolution as a smart contract developer
- How you developed your security mindset
- Working with complex financial mathematics
- Your approach to staying current with rapidly evolving technology
Describe your technical development and the challenges that pushed you to grow.
Project Highlights and Milestones
What to write about:
- Key projects you're most proud of
- Technical achievements that challenged you
- Moments when everything "clicked" conceptually
- Successful launches or product milestones
- Recognition or impact you've had in the space
- Collaborations with other developers or protocols
Highlight the projects and moments that defined your growth as a DeFi engineer.
The DeFi Community and Culture
What to write about:
- Your experience with the DeFi developer community
- Conferences, hackathons, or events that impacted you
- Mentors or peers who influenced your development
- How you've contributed back to the community
- The open-source ethos and collaborative nature of DeFi
- Relationships you've built along the way
Reflect on the community aspects of working in DeFi.
Challenges and Setbacks
What to write about:
- Major bugs or issues you've encountered
- Projects that didn't go as planned
- Market downturns and their impact on your work
- Technical debt or architectural decisions you regret
- How you've handled stress and pressure
- What you learned from failures
Be honest about the challenges and how they shaped your perspective.
Evolution of Your Perspective
What to write about:
- How your understanding of DeFi has evolved
- Changes in your priorities or interests over time
- Shifts in your technical approach or philosophy
- What you think differently about now vs when you started
- Your current thesis on where DeFi is heading
- How your role as an engineer has evolved
Reflect on how your perspective and approach have changed over time.
Work-Life Balance in DeFi
What to write about:
- The intensity of working in a fast-moving space
- How you manage the stress of handling user funds
- Keeping up with constant innovation and change
- Your approach to continuous learning
- Maintaining perspective during market volatility
- How you recharge and avoid burnout
Discuss the personal aspects of working in such a demanding field.
Lessons for Aspiring DeFi Engineers
What to write about:
- The most important skills to develop
- How to build credibility in the space
- Common mistakes to avoid
- The best ways to learn and stay current
- How to find opportunities and build networks
- Your advice on when to make the career leap
Provide actionable advice for others wanting to follow a similar path.
Current Focus and Future Outlook
What to write about:
- What you're working on now and why it excites you
- Areas of DeFi you're most bullish on
- Technical challenges you're eager to tackle
- Your goals for the next phase of your career
- How you want to contribute to the ecosystem
- Your vision for where DeFi engineering is heading
Share your current focus and thoughts on the future.
Reflections and Gratitude
What to write about:
- People who helped you along the way
- Opportunities you're grateful for
- What you've learned about yourself through this journey
- The impact DeFi has had on your life and career
- Your hopes for the future of the space
- Advice for your younger self starting this journey
Close with personal reflections on the journey and its impact.
This should be a thoughtful, personal piece that gives readers insight into what it's really like to build a career in DeFi engineering. Be authentic about both the highs and lows, and provide value for others considering a similar path.