Certifications

A Compendium of Everything You Need for Blockchain Certifications

Overview of the Certification

Blockchain is a relatively new concept that has revolutionized every industry because of its wide applications. It originally started as a distributed ledger with clear record of every transaction. The first blockchain technology was implemented for Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency. Blockchain is a growing list of records, called blocks, that are linked using cryptography.

The idea behind that is using each block to connect to the next block. That is possible because, within each block, there is a cryptographic hash that relates to the previous block, along with a ledger of transactions in a data format called Merkle tree.

Because it has a timestamp, it becomes virtually tamperproof. It is “an open, distributed ledger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way.” For use as a distributed ledger, a blockchain is typically managed by a peer-to-peer network collectively adhering to a protocol for inter-node communication and validating new blocks. Once recorded, the data in any given block cannot be altered retroactively without alteration of all subsequent blocks, which requires consensus of the network majority

Given how recent it is, there are no established governing agencies for blockchain. Its direct application in cryptocurrencies, and the currencies themselves, are not recognized in many countries. However, The Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) has membership from several organizations across the globe. It is a network of all the businesses that have pledged to work on blockchain as an open-source platform to enable the industry-disruptive capabilities it has

GBBC does not have any certification processes. Only companies may be a member of this league. So, for certifications, we turn to other providers. The certification that they offer varies differs from the training provider and the target audience they assume.

Also Read ;

Guide on How to Become a Cryptographer

How To Start Your Own Cryptocurrency – An Absolute Beginner’s Guide

About the Course from Various Providers

Most Blockchain courses provide an overview of Bitcoin, Hyperledger, Ethereum, and Multichain blockchain platforms. They are taught application and use of tools like Ganache, Truffle, Meta Mask, and Geth to build Blockchain applications along with setting up a private blockchain network using Hyperledger Composer and deploying smart contracts on Ethereum.

One such training provider is Blockchain Training Alliance. Its certifications include

  • BTA Certified Blockchain Business Foundations (CBBF)
  • BTA Certified Blockchain Solution Architect (CBSA)
  • BTA Certified Blockchain Developer Ethereum (CBDE)
  • Certified Blockchain Developer Hyperledger Fabric (CBDH)
  • Certified Blockchain Security Professional (CBSP)

It also provides several courses such as

  • Blockchain Overview: Business Foundations On Demand
  • Blockchain Solution Architecture Training On Demand
  • Blockchain Security Training On Demand
  • Blockchain for Healthcare Professionals On Demand
  • Data Science and Blockchain On Demand
  • Blockchain On Demand: Enterprise Bundle
  • IoT and Blockchain Training

In most cases, the training providers themselves will set the syllabus and guidance on how to go about any course. They will determine the levels and the title for each of those courses. Given the newness to it and the lack of standardization, it is hard to describe any individual certification. That being said, there will be some commonalities.

The foundational exam will test individuals on

  1. General Blockchain Knowledge
  2. Why Use Blockchain
  3. How Blockchain Works
  4. Using Blockchain for Business

Beyond that, there are several other options. For now, we’ll focus on Blockchain Training Alliance certifications. After the foundational elements training which costs $250, lasts 90 minutes, has 70 questions and a passing score of 70%, the next certification is blockchain solutions architect.

A person who holds this certification demonstrates their ability to:

  • Architect blockchain solutions
  • Work effectively with blockchain engineers and technical leaders
  • Choose appropriate blockchain systems for various use cases
  • Work effectively with both public and permissioned blockchain systems

According to BTA, this certification validates that a student understands

  • The difference between proof of work, proof of stake, and other proof systems and why they exist
  • Why cryptocurrency is needed on certain types of blockchains
  • The difference between public, private, and permissioned blockchains
  • How blocks are written to the blockchain
  • Where cryptography fits into blockchain and the most commonly used systems
  • Common use cases for public blockchains
  • Common use cases for private & permissioned blockchains
  • What is needed to launch your own blockchain
  • Common problems & considerations in working with public blockchains
  • Awareness of the tech behind common blockchains
  • When is mining needed and when it is not
  • Byzantine Fault Tolerance
  • Consensus among blockchains
  • What is hashing
  • How addresses, public keys, and private keys work
  • What is a smart contract
  • Security in blockchain
  • Brief history of blockchain
  • The programming languages of the most common blockchains
  • Common testing and deployment practices for blockchains and blockchain-based apps

This exam costs 300 USD, lasts 90 minutes, has 70 questions and a minimum passing score of 70%.

The next relevant certification it offers is BTA Certified Blockchain Developer – Hyperledger Fabric.

A person who holds blockchain certification demonstrates their ability to:

  • Plan and prepare production-ready applications for the Hyperledger blockchain
  • Write, test, and deploy secure chain code
  • Understand how to use Hyperledger Composer to rapidly build Hyperledger applications
  • Write chain code using either Go or NodeJS

This exam will prove that a student completely understands how to:

  • Create a Hyperledger model
  • Build proper access controls for blockchain assets via .acl
  • Implement a Hyperledger “.bna” banana
  • Write and compile smart contracts as chain code
  • Deploy smart contracts on channels in the private network

Salary and Job Prospects

Blockchain experts in high demand. Their salary is on par with Artificial Intelligence specialists, peaking at 170000 USD. The average salary for blockchain experts is around 150000 USD. In comparison, the salary of an average software engineer is still around 130000 USD. So, there’s high growth for this industry

Where to Find Online Resources for Blockchain Certification?

There are several training providers such as Udemy, Simpli Learn, apart from the GBBC that offer training for these courses