As the world of cryptocurrency has blossomed we are exposed to an increasing amount of attention towards the subject from the media, both mainstream and alternative. Bitcoin and alt-coin price movements, predictions, and other value related articles have mushroomed since the all-time high Bitcoin experienced in late 2017. There is a ton of focus on the price of Bitcoin and where it will move next. Trade Analysts have flooded social media with their predictions of what may or may not happen in the upcoming hours, days, weeks, months and years. Naturally, the price of Bitcoin warrants attention as it gains acceptance on a wider scale. However, there is an additional investment which can be made aside from the actual purchase of Bitcoin itself which may have an even higher ROI and lower cost. Let me share my experience to better elaborate.

I became interested in Bitcoin shortly before the all-time high and have stayed engaged since. Initially I became fixated on Bitcoin price movements. I would awake to check the price and constantly monitor changes via my smartphone and PC whenever possible. I would follow whatever Trade Analysts I felt were most accurate and read as many of their posts as possible. Sunrises would turn to Sunsets, and as the Moon rose in the night sky my eyes would stay beamed to charts and ways to understand and accurately interpret the future price movements. I bought as much Bitcoin as I could until I could buy no more.

As the well of fiat dried and I could no longer purchase Bitcoin I felt a sense of dread, what was I supposed to do now? I was not a day trader, I had no more purchases on the horizon and that led to a feeling of a letdown of sorts. I continued monitoring the price of Bitcoin although the motivation was dwindling. I still had the itch to invest within the Bitcoin world other than in the form of purchasing the currency itself.

During a conversation with a friend who also purchases Bitcoin I posed a question; “Now that we are out of money to buy bitcoin what are we going to do?” My friend, who I highly respect, replied, “Nothing, I am out of money, so I am going to take it easy now and keep watching the prices “. That answer didn’t sit well with me, I felt like there was more we could do if we put our minds towards it. Our conversation ended, and I went on with my day.

Eventually I asked myself, “Ok I’m out of money to buy more Bitcoin, but I still have a desire to keep investing in some other way, so why not invest in myself?”. I’d been spending hours watching price charts rise and fall and listening to various TA analysts suggest what ‘might’ or ‘might not’ happen. I’d been paying attention to things which I really have very little if any control over. So perhaps instead of focusing on something over which I have no control, I instead focused on the opposite; myself. By doing this, I would in theory have a higher return than just sitting down all day with my eyes glued to charts. Wasted time is more concerning than wasted money and sitting down all day watching charts was becoming more and more of a waste of time. I had to do something.

I had a background in IT and some experience with coding. So, it seemed logical to venture into the coding aspect of Bitcoin. I devised a plan to get to work, first taking the ‘Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency’ and ‘Python for Everybody’ classes on Coursera, then studying more Python tutorials on GitHub and eventually being fortunate enough to attend the Programming Blockchain class taught by Bitcoin Master Jimmy Song.

Before I knew it, I was ears deep in code and while my mind at times felt like exploding due to information overload, the feeling of gratification from being challenged and learning was immense. As I write this I am a budding bitcoin developer, a tiny guppy in the Bitcoin sea, but an aspiring and ever learning one nonetheless.

This is the true key of investment within the world of cryptocurrency. Sure, purchasing Bitcoin or whatever coin you prefer is an investment which you can (hopefully) watch grow and blossom over time. But stopping there would be selling yourself short, for the true investment within this space is the investment in yourself.

In today’s age all you need is sufficient motivation, a decently thought out plan and you can achieve a ton. All it takes is an internet connection and computer to tap into the vast amount of wisdom online, both of which are widely accessible today. Even a trip to the local library can give you access to books on various topics applicable to the Bitcoin ecosystem and your skills and plan within it. You don’t need to be rich to invest in yourself, quite the contrary.

I chose to invest in my wisdom and skills in coding as that made sense due to my background. For another person it might be writing which is your skill, and another marketing, or as Jimmy Song mentioned in his class, perhaps even graphic design. There is a vast amount of various skills and knowledge which can become of value within this space. Once you define your skill/strengths you can create a plan to develop, enhance and get your skills noticed and compensated for eventually.

One positive move will lead to another and before you know it things may very well blossom, perhaps in the form of a new job, perhaps you will form your own company and branch out. You can eventually free yourself from the drag of a 9–5 and even travel the world and work as you please or maybe spend more time with family and loved ones. These are just possibilities I am throwing out, there are plenty more depending on each person’s goals and motivations, but you get the gist.

To summarize, investing in yourself within the Bitcoin ecosystem is a win win scenario; You win by investing in yourself and the Bitcoin ecosystem wins as it has another contributor to help shape the future. So don’t sell yourself short by investing via Bitcoin purchase only , instead invest both in Bitcoin and within yourself as well , as it will likely yield a return many times the original amount of time and resources you put in. And that is something yourself, your family and the entire Bitcoin ecosystem can both stand to gain and benefit from in the long run.

Set high goals, devise a plan and go for it, you’ve got nothing to lose and so much to gain.

** I want to give a very sincere thank you to both Jimmy Song ,Johnathan Corgan and Shannon Applecine for their tireless devotion towards training aspiring Bitcoin developers, your time and efforts are greatly appreciated.

Useful Links:

Programming Blockchain Class:

FYI there is a referral program for Jimmy Song’s Programming Blockchain class where you may get a discount if you provide my name in your application. For up to (2) students, if you are interested and accepted I will match the discount so you get double the discount: http://programmingblockchain.com/

Jimmy Song and Elizabeth Stark have put together scholarships for female developers interested in the next Programming Blockchain class in NYC on 5.17–5.18 : https://tinyurl.com/y8knk56h

Here is a link to a very well written article summarizing the Programming Blockchain class experience written by fellow Alumni @audsinthecity https://tinyurl.com/yaxwqfjt

Additional Sites/Resources: