This April, possibly due to the "golden three and silver four" effect, I often see front-end colleagues discussing job hunting, worrying about which companies are better, and feeling lost about job stability and prospects.
As someone who thinks they can "see through everything," I believe that as long as they don't break free from their original mindset, whatever choice they make will lead to the same result. However, no matter how I explain the limitations, they remain indifferent, which really worries me!
So, I wrote "The Last Advice to Frontend Engineers" with a weary heart and decided to stop interfering and trying to save those who are about to jump into the fire. I let go of the desire to help and respect others' destinies.
Although I firmly believe that the original path of front-end development is no longer viable, I had no idea how to smoothly transition to another seemingly feasible path at that time.
It wasn't until mid-May when I was tinkering with a home data center and thinking about decentralization-related issues that a term popped into my mind - Web3 - which pointed me in the direction of a smoother transition.
Introduction to Web3#
Before May 14th, I had only heard about "Web3" in passing and only had a basic understanding of it.
But when I installed MetaMask that day and experienced a few dApps and got a preliminary understanding of the ecosystem, I felt that Web3 had great growth potential and prospects -
There are so few dApps for individual users, and the user experience is so poor. The infrastructure is also not mature yet, so of course, there is a lot of room for growth! 😂😂😂
When it comes to "Web3," another closely related term that comes to mind is "DAO," which stands for "Decentralized Autonomous Organization" - a form of organization that seems to fit my ideal.
Naturally, I immediately applied and joined a DAO initiated by Chinese people that matched my ideals.
Towards the end of the month, the organizer of that DAO forwarded the "Web3 Frontend Bootcamp" organized by OpenBuild in the group. Not only can you learn the knowledge and skills needed to transition to Web3 full-stack development, but it's also free, with various rewards. I couldn't find a reason not to sign up!
Learning in the Bootcamp#
The bootcamp starts on June 4th and is completely online. Except for the Q&A sessions, everything is asynchronous, allowing for a lot of freedom in teaching and learning, and you can arrange your own time.
The overall positioning and design of the bootcamp lean towards "helping experienced Web2 front-end developers transition to Web3 front-end development." It includes 6 basic lessons and 3 advanced lessons:
- Basic lessons - mastering the basic elements of developing a dApp based on EVM and using NFT market and DEX, which are common project types, as practical exercises.
- Advanced lessons - promoting products related to stakeholders' interests and helping developers who want to enter the industry adapt to its current changes.
Each lesson has corresponding homework, which needs to be submitted as a PR in the accompanying GitHub repository for review. Rewards are given for submissions before July 16th, with a maximum of 43 USDT.
If you encounter any problems during the learning and homework process, there is a dedicated group for the bootcamp where you can discuss and exchange ideas in real-time, providing mutual support and supervision.
Not only are there rewards for completing homework, but there are also rewards for writing good study notes and making other contributions to the bootcamp. However, these rewards are also limited to before July 16th - as an active participant, I naturally received them all~ 😎😎😎
Even though there are no more rewards now, if you want to transition to Web3, the bootcamp's curriculum is still worth a look. It's best to follow along with the homework. As one of the reviewers, I will do my best to provide feedback.
For more of my experiences during the bootcamp, please refer to my study notes "How Did a Smart Contract Newbie Build Their First dApp - NFT Market?" and "OpenBuild Web3 Frontend Bootcamp Review."
Gains from the Bootcamp#
This month-long bootcamp experience has had a significant impact on me and can be considered a milestone in my life because the benefits from various perspectives seem quite good -
The most basic and important thing is that I achieved the initial goal of signing up for the bootcamp - transitioning to Web3 full-stack development. Although I have just stepped through the threshold, I can already independently develop complete dApps, laying the foundation for participating in hackathons.
Due to actively engaging in discussions in the group and occasionally providing suggestions to the organizers, I was recruited as a "teaching assistant" to help review homework.
Since then, I have diligently reviewed and merged hundreds of PRs, indirectly teaching some people Git skills and the considerations for open-source collaboration.
Given my outstanding performance, along with the rewards for doing homework and writing study notes, I ultimately received over 500 USDT when the bootcamp ended, which should be the highest amount.
During the bootcamp, my active participation had some influence, and I connected with others and gradually became familiar with them, including the founder of OpenBuild.
With this bootcamp as a starting point, I provided OpenBuild with some systematic improvement suggestions and lightly envisioned its future development direction. Perhaps because they saw my willingness to collaborate, I was invited to join the PMC.
After multiple communications, I believe that a deep cooperative relationship can be established with OpenBuild - formally independent but closely connected in reality.
Conclusion#
As a web front-end engineer who has been in the industry for over a decade, I am firmly pessimistic about the prospects of traditional web front-end development in the internet industry. By chance, I discovered Web3, an industry that allows for the smoothest transition.
Since then, I have decisively decided to transition to Web3 full-stack development. In addition to my original web front-end knowledge and skills, I also need to learn and master smart contract development and accumulate relevant project experience.
By actively participating in the "Web3 Frontend Bootcamp" organized by OpenBuild, I not only achieved the basic goal of "transitioning," but also gained many additional benefits. The positive feedback is abundant!
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