Jan’s Story: How I got a job in the Cryptocurrency Industry

25-07-22

In 2016, I became interested in cryptocurrencies and started a small crypto portfolio. I never imagined getting a job in the cryptocurrency industry . I had no idea what I was doing and mainly bought coins on a whim. In addition, I recall following a self-professed “crypto expert” on Facebook. Note to self, don’t do that again.

At the time, buying cryptocurrencies wasn’t easy as most exchanges didn’t accept fiat currency. Consequently, most of my portfolio was across several exchanges. Today, it’s much easier as more options are available for crypto enthusiasts.

I bought various amounts of about a dozen different coins for a few pennies. To be honest, most of those coins have never gained in value. For instance: –

Electroneum
Dentacoin
Loopring
Verge
Car Vertical.

I bought 3,000 Dogecoin (DOGE) for $20 and made a little profit from the bull market in 2020.

I have a small amount of: –

Ethereum
Litecoin
Cardano
XRP

Over the years, I added more coins. I have 1,500,000 Shiba Inu (SHIB), which cost me about $10 at the time, so if that meme coin price ever explodes, I could still become a crypto millionaire. Still, I’m not holding my breath.

I haven’t made any significant gains from my portfolio, but I haven’t lost money either. I lost $5 on Pearl, which went bust, so I think my choices weren’t too bad overall. Still, they weren’t brilliant either.

Contents

Where my cryptocurrency career began

In 2018, I worked as a part-time PA and started learning how to trade Forex. I immersed myself in study, watching hours of video training daily, taking courses and reading dozens of trading books. I did well in my demo account, making a profit most days. My daily results got me the nickname “Forex Queen” in a Forex Facebook group and I figured I understood my emotions well and wouldn’t fail like 95% of traders.

When I started trading Forex live, I soon found out that it’s not so easy. Even though I had all the tools, my emotions caught up with me, and I eventually lost about 40% of my account before realising I had to do something to change the situation.

After receiving an unexpected refund from my bank, I invested in certificated training in Applied Neuroscience. Ah ha, I finally understood why I was losing, making crazy decisions and failing to improve. I qualified in February 2020 and began making progress with my trading.

Unfortunately, my Forex trading ended in May 2020, when the sudden and tragic death of my fiancé left me penniless and without an income. I’ve been self-employed in various guises since 1995, but all my clients disappeared during the first Covid-19 lockdown. Most of them went out of business. David was the primary income earner. I had no idea how I would survive financially.

What do you need to get a job?

I’ve been a writer all of my life. For many years, David nagged me to make writing my business, but I didn’t believe it was possible to make an income from writing. A writing job in the cryptocurrency industry? No way I’d ever see that coming.

At school, my headmistress and English teacher, Miss Butler, who I often describe as a cross between Margaret Thatcher and Medusa, used to make me read my essays in school assembly. People told me my writing created pictures and made them feel “something“. Great, but what was I supposed to do with that? I’d never been paid to write and certainly not pitched my writing skills to clients. I had no idea where to begin and I was in shock and terrified about my future.

I moved to a small rental house in October 2020 with no job or income and started applying for “normal” jobs. By December, I’d applied for forty jobs without success. I started asking myself, “what do I need to get a job?” as most submitted applications never received a response. However, as an ex-sales person, I knew if I kept “knocking on enough doors“, I would eventually get a job.

On 16th December, I was offered a position as a coordinator for a women’s refuge. It was a reasonable salary, and I knew I could do the job but asked for twenty-four hours to consider.

For some reason, I felt uncomfortable. I needed a job because my expenditure exceeded my benefits by £500 a month. I wouldn’t survive financially for much longer. Still, I listened to my intuition and the voice in my head that kept repeating, “Jan, you are supposed to be a writer.”

I’ve also been freelance for over twenty years, and I know I don’t have an employee mindset. I’m outspoken and enjoy planning my daily routine myself. So, I turned the job down, even though it seemed a crazy and reckless decision. That day, I started searching for freelance writing roles.

My first writing job

I got lucky. On 21st December, a trading and investing company hired me as a content writer. As I’d traded Forex for several years, I had in-depth knowledge of the subject and convinced them I was the writer for the role. The pay was peanuts, £0.03 per word, but I was grateful to have my foot on the first step of my writing journey.

At first, for several months, I wrote 4-5 articles a week about Forex. Then, one day, my client asked me to write an article, “How does Bitcoin mining work?” I knew nothing about mining or anything technical about cryptocurrencies. I would never have searched for jobs in cryptocurrency as I believed it was far too complicated to understand. Now here I am writing about Bitcoin mining.

As I researched for the project, I struggled to understand simple terms like “proof of work” (PoW) and all the terminology related to Bitcoin, altcoins and blockchain technology. How do you “mine” a Bitcoin? I had to explain the “Hash difficulty” and “halving” and stuff like that. It was like learning Swahili. Between you and me, I didn’t enjoy the subject initially, and I hoped my client would stick to giving me Forex articles to write.

Writing that first article was challenging, but I must have been good at it as the client asked me to write another, “How to stake Ethereum”. Oh, Heck. My client gave excellent feedback and also taught me how to improve SEO for my content.

Very soon, my daily work consisted of writing SEO content about cryptocurrencies. It wasn’t easy as there is so much incorrect information about cryptocurrencies online. Some crypto project websites lack detail or are full of complex gobbledegook. Still, it became easier to research and write about cryptocurrencies over time.

Planning how to start a career in cryptocurrency

A year later, I started writing for a cryptocurrency affiliate company. Over seven months, I wrote posts about a hundred or more crypto tokens, cryptocurrency exchanges, and NFT projects. Ah, that sideswiped me. What on earth was an NFT (non-fungible token)? Once again, I plunged into the abyss of conflicting information on the Internet. Interestingly, once I learned about NFTs, it became my favourite subject for writing.

When the cryptocurrency market plummeted in May 2022, the crypto affiliate client had to let go of the entire team, and I was on the hunt for a new challenge. Thankfully, the client recommended me to CB Recruitment, and I started working here on 1st June as a freelance SEO writer. I consider myself very lucky and privileged to work for a company I believe will become the leading cryptocurrency recruitment specialist.

Women in cryptocurrency

Not only am I one of the few women in the cryptocurrency industry, but I am also not a young woman. How many women in their sixties are involved with crypto, do you think? Am I the only one? I’ve always been young-minded and physically strong and fit. I started doing primal movement last year, which I loved. I also took up MMA in August, getting to my yellow belt. Sadly, that came to a sudden end after a freak accident in the class led to a broken hip, a hip replacement and a long recovery.

All my friends are younger than me, as I find most people my age have given up and started knitting. That will never be me. I plan to start tap dancing classes when my hip recovers full mobility and I expect I’ll be the oldest there. I guess I’m a bit of a freak and a nerd.

Why aren’t there more women in cryptocurrency?

Generally, demographics suggest that less than 20% of women trade cryptocurrency compared to almost 30% of males. Are women less predisposed to taking risks? Definitely, and in fairness, trading cryptocurrency is like white water rafting with a trail of great white sharks snapping behind you. It’s probably one of the most challenging financial markets to master.

I’d like to see more women in cryptocurrency. I have a natural aptitude and desire for learning new subjects and always will. Still, I believe anyone can learn about cryptocurrency projects, blockchain, DeFi, Web3, NFTs, and the Metaverse if they’re interested in the topic. The technology behind some projects is mind-boggling and incredible, with the scope and scalability to make mainstream systems look ridiculously archaic.

Conclusion: Jan’s story: How I got a job in the cryptocurrency industry

There are a lot of uneducated public opinions about cryptocurrencies and NFTs. The assumption right now is that cryptocurrencies are finished, and the bubble has burst. Insert “I told you so,” and that’s the gist of conversation on many media platforms. Baffling because nobody assumes the stock market is over when it crashes.

I believe in the future of cryptocurrencies and decentralisation. Our monetary system is collapsing, inflation is crazy, and many people are struggling to pay the bills. If what we do as a society clearly isn’t working, it’s not irrational to consider alternatives for the future. Many publicly owned companies are embracing blockchain technology, and I am super happy to have a job in the cryptocurrency industry doing what I love.

FAQs

How did you develop as a crypto writer?

I aim always to increase my value as a writer, so I can differentiate myself from “someone who just writes“. I studied certificated courses in SEO, content marketing and strategy, email marketing, case study writing, copywriting, neuromarketing, consumer neuroscience, and applied neuroscience.

How do I get started as a cryptocurrency writer?

Firstly, develop your writing skills. You cannot be afraid to present yourself to clients because someone will give you a chance and help you become a better writer. Invest in editing software and ALWAYS read your work out loud. I use text-to-speech software.

Secondly, learn about the cryptocurrency industry. Visit Coin Bureau, the leading cryptocurrency education site and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Become familiar with cryptocurrency terminology and what it means. Above all, if you want to get a job in the cryptocurrency industry, find out about the potential careers available.

Build a portfolio

Clients will want to see your work before they hire you. Put together as much crypto content as possible and post it on a public platform you can share with prospective clients. Focus on quality before quantity so you can present your best work.

Is writing about cryptocurrency easy?

That depends on your capabilities, but remember, when writing an article about cryptocurrency coins or crypto recruiting, a lot of research is required before you begin writing. You have to sift through a lot of information to uncover the correct facts.

How to start a career in cryptocurrency?

There are many careers in cryptocurrency, including entry-level positions. Crypto companies need the same staff as all companies, such as marketing, sales teams, administration staff etc., and many of the roles are remote. There is a shortage of top talent, and companies pay significant salaries to the best candidates.

Contact the CB Recruitment team for a discussion on how to develop your skills and get a job in the cryptocurrency industry.

About Author

Jan Barley

Jan is a SEO copywriter, brand advisor, content strategist & case study specialist writing for crypto, recruitment, and SaaS companies. Jan lives in the Cotswold's UK with two rescue dogs. Since 2020, Jan has written hundreds of SEO articles for various crypto companies including CB Recruitment & Coin Bureau.