Learning and Networking Resources

It’s important that women’s participation in cryptocurrency business and blockchain tech happens quickly. Early adopters who develop blockchains and invest in cryptocurrencies before they go mainstream get the lion’s share of their wealth and influence.

Unless women get involved soon, two important opportunities might get missed: the chance to make their mark on modern finance and the moment to share the wealth that new, successful technologies bring.

Whether you are a woman—at any stage in your career—trying to break into cryptocurrency, or perhaps you are writing a grant to obtain support for women in crypto-related pursuits, this directory contains a comprehensive set of resources.

Table of Contents

  • Get Inspired – Meet Blockchain’s Women Pioneers
  • Get Educated – Make Digital Blockchain Part of Your Future
  • Blockchain Resources for Tech
  • Resources for Cryptocurrency Investors and Blockchain Entrepreneurs

     


     

    Look out! Since the first half of 2022, the number, quality, and visibility of growth opportunities have exploded. Just take a look at the Global Women in Blockchain home page to see how the variety of resources has flourished.

    Keep reading this guide. It contains the information, events, and support that can help launch your future in blockchain and cryptocurrencies.

    Celebrating Milestones and Meeting Challenges

    The articles, blog posts, and videos listed in this section paint a detailed picture of women’s status in blockchain careers and cryptocurrency businesses.

    Progress So Far

    First, the good news: here are positive current events and status reports, which describe the progress of women overcoming entrenched gender bias and moving blockchain tech forward:

    Meeting the Challenges

    There are still plenty of obstacles to balanced gender diversity in the fields of blockchain tech, cryptocurrency, and fintech. The following content describes some of the lingering biases and current events:


     

    Getting Started in Cryptocurrency Development

    In theory, anyone can enter the field of blockchain programming or cryptocurrency business development. But, theory isn’t life. Making a serious contribution to the field requires ferocious determination, a killer network, and dynamite knowledge and skills.

    The good news is, you can start breaking into blockchain- and digital currency-related fields by taking action and using resources that are available— right here, right now.

    GET INSPIRED
    Meet Blockchain’s Women Pioneers

    The following profiles confirm that women in the blockchain tech, cryptocurrency, and fintech space have important contributions to make.

    These articles, videos, and infographics put human faces on a broad range of professional accomplishments. Each piece of content provides a clear picture of what these women think is important and what each person contributes to their professional community.

     

     


     

    GET EDUCATED
    Make Digital Currency Part of Your Future

    Getting an unvarnished view of the professional environment in digital currency is an important first step. Inspiration provides the necessary fuel to move forward.

    But, successful participation in the field depends on a deep understanding of the technologies and a talent for innovation. What new business uses might you develop and grow with blockchain technologies?

    You can accelerate your professional development by finding and practicing with affordable, accessible resources that you can start using now.

    Blockchain Resources for Tech

    It’s an exciting time to be a student of blockchain programming. Online and face-to-face cryptocurrency courses are finding their way into high schools, colleges, and business schools.

    College students are crypto mining in dorm rooms. After-hours students have access to the latest programming technology.

    High School Students
    Interest in blockchain and cryptocurrency programming has reached into high schools across the country. Learning opportunities include:

    • Attend a boot camp. New boot camps are emerging every day. Be sure to check out the faculty’s credentials ahead of time. Consider choosing one where the faculty has a career path close to what you’re envisioning; you could potentially ask one of them to be your mentor. Some examples of boot camps include:
      • The B9Lab Academy offers Ethereum- and Hyperledger-related instruction.
      • The Blockchain Academy offers classes in blockchain architecture, security, regulatory environment, and many other topics.
      • The Sabio coding boot camp offers instruction by carefully chosen teachers from Stack Overflow, Fox, Gamefly, TMZ, and UCLA.
      • CodeWizardsHQ offers learning opportunities that range from Python and web development coursework through Django and even real-world internships.
    • Get an internship. High school students have a lot of internship options in the tech space. Common sources include a local university laboratory or a more official research program.
    • Attend a hackathon. “Learn programming, build cool things.” That’s the motto of Minor League Hacking, the official league for high school student hackers in blockchain. Students compete in blockchain-related events. High school students are sometimes accepted to compete at Major League Hacking events, which are designed for college students.
    • Start or join an after-school coding club. Girls Who Code started as a coding club for 20 middle school girls in New York City. Now, it’s a national nonprofit organization that works to close the gender gap in technology, Founding an after-school club also offers you valuable leadership experience that you can tout anywhere from your college application through your resume.
    • Attend a pre-college summer program. These provide a taste of a future in programming and often include some elements of career counseling, so you can start to map out your future.
        • Sponsored by Microsoft, DigiGirlz High Tech Camp works with young women in the U.S. and overseas to dispel stereotypes and give them a preview of a future in tech.
        • The GE Girls program encourages young women with a technical frame of mind to pursue a math or engineering career.

      College Students

      There are several ways for college students to build their blockchain and fintech expertise. Joining groups will help you get oriented in blockchain development and practice technical skills.

      • Attend public lectures. Sponsored by women’s professional computing groups, these talks are generally open to the public. For example, the Women’s Blockchain & Cryptocurrency for Beginners is sponsored by the Gyals Network, a group that sponsors accelerator labs and other events for women in fintech.
      • Get an internship. College students who want to get real-life experience and skills in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space can start at these well-known sites:
        • Blocktribe – Blocktribe provides mainly blockchain developer opportunities for students looking for internships.
        • Glassdoor – Search for blockchain-related and other internship opportunities at a major job and recruiting site.
        • Simply Hired – This major job and recruiting site offers both cryptocurrency investment and trading opportunities, as well as internships in blockchain development.
      • Attend a hackathon. College students can show that they have the right stuff at these programming competitions. Start by checking with your computer science department to see if you have any existing affiliations through your school. Look into finding local Major League Hacking events; they sponsor a series of annual, local events. Each event offers a full day of workshops, activities, freebies, and more.
      • Join extracurricular special interest groups, or start your own. These include blockchain research groups, such as student-led initiatives established at Duke University and UC Berkeley. These universities in the U.S. and overseas have developed new research initiatives. You can always start your own! Members of BEN (Blockchain Education Network) take another approach—creating research groups from the ground up.

      Technical Beginners or Continuing Education

      No matter your age or level of professional experience, continuing education can be an effective way to learn and keep up with the latest blockchain skills and knowledge. Here’s a wide assortment of solo and group learning opportunities.

      Videos

      Designed for solo learning, these free videos vary in length and topics, but they all provide beginners with useful introductions to different aspects of the blockchain universe.

      • What is a blockchain? – This video presents a very intuitive way to start your understanding of blockchain technology and provides some important use cases.
      • Blockchain: massively simplified – The evolution of blockchain technology from the internet era and the characteristic features of normal databases to that of a blockchain distributed Ledger.
      • Blockchain- A short introduction – The explanation starts with the need for money and the evolution of blockchain technology from the bitcoin cryptocurrency. The explanation continues with a demonstration of how blockchain technology can reduce the transactional costs and provide digital identity to currency or any real-world object.
      • Blockchain – Demystified – Explains the origin of the internet and blockchain technology.
      • How does Blockchain work- Simply explained – Compares blockchain technology with a digital notary. Bitcoin as an application of blockchain technology and how it solved the double spend problem.
      • What is Blockchain? – This video explains the positive and negative implications of blockchain technology and its impact on the real world.
      • Why blockchain matters more than you think – This video from Coldfusion TV explains the working of the cryptographic features of the blockchain technology The video concludes by explaining the smart contract concept in a very simple fashion by considering a real-world scenario.

      Online Course Materials

      There are a wide variety of online programs that can guide you through specific curricula that deal with blockchain technology. These range from solo learning opportunities all the way through get-togethers with other learners to create your own blockchain “school.”

      • Khan Academy: BitcoinKhan Academy is a passionate provider of all kinds of free online education. This course includes nine extensive videos that talk about bitcoin, the Bitcoin blockchain, bitcoin transactions, proof of work consensus rules, and other basics.
      • Bitcoin, Altcoins & Blockchain – Originally designed for Stanford University students, this highly regarded course includes lecture notes for students who want to sweat the details of blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrency topics include bitcoin and Ethereum, smart contracts, distributed ledger technologies, and consensus systems.
      • Ethereum 101 – This course provides all the juicy details that underlie the Ethereum blockchain technology. It begins with an introduction to blockchain technology with a focus on Ethereum. The course then describes the underlying Ethereum blockchain and distributed ledger technologies and how Ethereum works.
      • Introduction to Digital Currencies – This is the first free cryptocurrency massive open online course (MOOC). The 12-part course, which is presented by the University of Nicosia, covers bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies from economic, legal, financial, and social perspectives.
      • Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies – Presented by Princeton University via Coursera, this course includes 11 weeks of online material. Topics include how bitcoin works, and what makes bitcoin secure. Free course content includes 12 lecture videos and 11 lecture slides.

      Development Bootcamps

      Here’s a sampling of the many online and in-person boot camps available to current or future blockchain developers.

      • Blockchain and Crypto – Provided on the Switchup online platform, this mini-directory of for-fee coding boot camps lists face-to-face learning opportunities in the U.S., Canada, and overseas.
      • 1st Online Coding School with Blockchain – Offered by HackReactor, this online course focuses on coding blockchain applications.

      Books and White Papers

      If you want to get down to the history and technical details of blockchain technology, it pays to read the information in these books and white papers.


      If you want to build a future in cryptocurrency business and entrepreneurship, there are plenty of learning resources for you, too.

      Resources for Cryptocurrency Investors and Blockchain Entrepreneurs

      Interest in cryptocurrency investment and entrepreneurship has reached courses, programs, and activities across the U.S. and overseas. If you want to learn about cryptocurrencies—the business use cases of blockchain tech—here’s where to start.

      Business education and training for high school students are offered through cryptocurrency-related:

        • Internships – Check out A Cryptocurrency Research Summer Program, a directory of internships for business-minded students interested in cryptocurrencies.
        • Extracurricular clubs – There are many examples of U.S. high schools sponsoring after-school clubs for entrepreneurs. If you want to start one from scratch and start your own club, you can get ideas for clubs and startup process information online.
        • Pre-college summer programs – This is the most comprehensive list that we could find.

      Business-centered boot camps, which include:

      • Internships – Cryptocurrency-related internships are a hot item. You’ll find many opportunities online. At DRW Internships, for example, the focus is on business-side data analytics for college and post-graduate students. Another cryptocurrency Internship guide provides more than 130 internship opportunities for business and technical students.
      • Startup pitch competitions – Whether the event is a fast-pitch event or a standard business startup competition, there are plenty of opportunities to design new cryptocurrency use cases and business models.
      • Investment and business development clubs – Students won’t have to look far for a chance to develop cryptocurrency investment and entrepreneurial skills. Often, all it takes is to review a school’s directory of student groups. Some schools offer general-interest groups for entrepreneurs. Others include cryptocurrency-related clubs.

      Continuing Education Resources for Cryptocurrency Business Pros

      Do you prefer the DIY approach to cryptocurrency education? If so, you have a wide variety of free, continuing educational materials to choose from—and many more for-fee courses, too. Although some of these topics mention blockchain technology, business knowledge and skills are the emphasis.

      Investment and Entrepreneurship Videos
      These videos are a great place to start building successful cryptocurrency-based businesses.

      There are of course, many more examples of cryptocurrency trading and investment content, but many tend to emphasize getting rich quick or duplicate each other’s content.

      Investment and Entrepreneurship Bootcamps

      These camps help you develop the business smarts you need to invest, trade, and create successful cryptocurrency-based ventures.

      Cryptocurrency Investment and Finance: Books and White Papers

      Roam through these books and white papers to get a bit of financial and technology history and learn the connections between blockchain tech and today’s financial reality.

      First, the books:

      • The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Order – This book provides a clear overview of cryptocurrencies and money generally. It connects cryptocurrencies with the concepts of finance and economics and describes how blockchain technologies are disrupting capitalism as we know it.
      • ValueWeb: How Fintech Firms are Using Bitcoin Blockchain and Mobile Technologies to Create the Internet of Value – This book explores how fintech companies are building the value web by using a wide variety of technologies from the blockchain to mobile devices. The latest edition further discusses what this trend will mean for individuals, governments, and large financial institutions.
      • The Business Blockchain – This book provides information about the business and profit potential of the blockchain, which of course, goes beyond cryptocurrencies. It can help business-minded individuals understand the value and importance of different aspects of blockchain technology.
      • Bye Bye Banks? How Retail Banks are Being Displaced – This treatise explores how technology startups are disrupting the banking and financial services industries. It also provides important strategies that leaders of traditional banks can use as they move into the disruptive digital future.
      • Blockchain: Blueprint for a New Economy – Improve your understanding of the disruption that distributed ledger technologies have already started. The book also explores the potential applications of this new technology with examples that are impressive and easy to digest.

      These white papers provide blockchain basics for finance and business professionals and link blockchain tech with global business and finance trends.

      • Blockchain: Technology Beyond BitcoinThis is a great introductory white paper for anyone looking for a basic blockchain primer to relay to management. It reviews how Bitcoin technology works, how it functions in public discourse, and how it’s used as a payment system on underground and illicit websites.
      • A brave new world? DLT (distributed ledger technology) is the main technological development that attracts many to blockchain. This paper takes a brief look at this new technology and the implications it’s likely to have on the financial markets in Europe.
      • Banking in a world of programmable assetsFocuses on the widening potential of blockchain technology, as well as what underpins this technology. The paper also talks about the creation of DCLs (distributed consensus ledgers), and the implications of blockchain on financial assets.
      • Distributed Ledger Technology: Beyond BlockchainThis blockchain whitepaper clearly covers the technology, governance and regulation, security and privacy, disruptive potential, and the global perspectives of DLT.
      • Digital Assets on Public BlockchainsThis paper provides you with the basics of asset ledgers that are based on blockchain tech and how asset ledgers are used for the IoT (Internet of Things) in the financial services industry.


      There’s more to success in blockchain development than coding wizardry. Creating a robust professional network and keeping it strong is essential, too.


       

      GET TOGETHER
      Participate in the Blockchain Community

      If you’re a woman active in the cryptocurrency/blockchain field, you’re a pioneer. And, life as a pioneer is much better when you run with a posse of smart, determined peers.

      There are more opportunities than ever for women in the blockchain/cryptocurrency universe to meet and form communities. Online or in-person, at networking events or hackathons, women are finding knowledge, opportunities, and a sense of solidarity in the community.

      Conferences

      There’s nothing like a conference to expand one’s skills, enthusiasm, and network. Here are examples of the fast-growing list of domestic and overseas meetings:

      Many of these conferences are regional events, where participants are likely to hear about new technologies, standards, use cases, and ideas.

      Meetups and Networking Events

      If you prefer to engage with live human beings as well as commune online, these meetups, hackathons, networking sessions, and professional group chapter meetings will give you plenty of opportunities to meet—and compete—face to face.

      Social Media Communities

      If social media are your guides into the blockchain realm, start with these blog posts, Twitter feeds, and online magazines to keep you informed and connected:

        • Austin Blockchain Collective – advocates for and showcases blockchain and crypto companies, projects, and innovation.
        • Bitcoin News – weekly headlines and events gathered from Blockchain Blog.
        • Blockchain Magazine – online magazine that gathers the latest blockchain education, research, and news.
        • ICO COGUIDE Blog – weekly news, interviews and educational product reviews about ICOs.
        • International Legal Technology Association Blog – This blog notifies the blockchain community about live events, volunteer opportunities, and blockchain-related events served up weekly.
        • Jamie Moy’s Forbes Blog – well-known business writer focuses on women in blockchain, their work, and innovations.
        • SHE256 Blog – women’s group whose mission is to empower and motivate women to enter the blockchain space before its full disruptive force takes effect.
        • The Very Blog – created by VeryPossible, a blockchain, IoT, and machine learning development house, the blog reviews the latest topics and blockchain technology.

       


       

      GET INVOLVED
      Advocate for Blockchain Technology

      It’s easy to forget that blockchain technology and its cryptocurrency applications are less than 10 years old. There’s a lot of educating, advocating, and explaining to do before cryptocurrency and blockchain tech can maximize their effects on finance and other sectors of our modern economy.

      Organizing up-and-coming students and professionals already working in the field is one way to make sure that information about blockchain tech is accurate, noticed, and understood. Members of these groups are already engaged in the advocacy process:

      Join the members of these groups. Promote the policies and innovations that will help blockchain tech, cryptocurrency business–and women’s participation in it—grow.

      Making More Progress—Today

      Although women throughout the world are excited by the potential of blockchain-based tech and business, we risk losing the chance to innovate and move new business and technology ideas forward.

      Unless, of course, we continue to rise up and push to make our mark in the global blockchain business and technology.