Blockchain developer to blockchain architect
A blockchain developer already meets 66% of what the blockchain architect role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
48/ 100
1 How much of what a blockchain architect is expected to do is already part of a blockchain developer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the blockchain architect role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A blockchain architect role treats 30 of its required skills as things a blockchain developer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- blockchain application areas
- blockchain applications
- blockchain applications security principles
- blockchain architecture
- blockchain components
- blockchain consensus mechanisms
What stands in the way is 16 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 38 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A blockchain architect role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a blockchain developer background worth leading with.
- already held blockchain application areas information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held blockchain applications information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held blockchain applications security principles information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held blockchain architecture information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held blockchain components information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held blockchain design patterns information and communication technologies (icts)
All 38 carried skills, including the 30 the blockchain architect role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn blockchain signature schemes required
- still to learn data security principles required
- still to learn blockchain concept application required
- still to learn digital systems required
- still to learn systems development life-cycle required
- still to learn analyse ICT system required
- still to learn implement cryptographic constructs required
- still to learn analyse blockchain use cases required
- still to learn develop blockchain technology required
- optional, not held develop software prototype optional
- still to learn define software architecture required
- still to learn design information system required
- still to learn define roadmap for blockchain in applications required
- optional, not held design cloud architecture optional
- still to learn business processes required
- still to learn design thinking required
- still to learn create business process models required
- still to learn define technical requirements required
- optional, not held statistics optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a blockchain architect role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 analyse ICT system practise this
- 02 blockchain signature schemes study this
- 03 data security principles study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 38 skills that carry over
- already held blockchain application areas knowledge
- already held blockchain applications knowledge
- already held blockchain applications security principles knowledge
- already held blockchain architecture knowledge
- already held blockchain components knowledge
- already held blockchain consensus mechanisms knowledge
- already held blockchain design patterns knowledge
- already held blockchain history knowledge
- already held blockchain mining principles knowledge
- already held blockchain openness knowledge
- already held blockchain platforms knowledge
- already held blockchain terminology knowledge
- already held blockchain-based business models knowledge
- already held blockchain-based services regulation knowledge
- already held decentralised identifiers knowledge
- already held design process for blockchain-based systems skill
- already held develop blockchain innovative architectures skill
- already held digital identity management knowledge
- already held distributed ledger technologies consensus protocols knowledge
- already held distributed ledger technologies vulnerabilities knowledge
- already held distributed ledger technology knowledge
- already held evaluate blockchain architectures skill
- already held explain blockchain implications skill
- already held explain distributed ledger technologies principles skill
- already held identify blockchain innovation opportunities skill
- already held interpret technical requirements skill
- already held outline blockchain-based identity management skill
- already held recognise blockchain application areas skill
- already held recognise blockchain risks skill
- already held smart contract knowledge
- already held ICT encryption knowledge
- already held cloud technologies knowledge
- already held cryptocurrency knowledge
- already held data analytics knowledge
- already held debug software skill
- already held decentralized application frameworks knowledge
- already held service-oriented modelling knowledge
- already held software components libraries knowledge
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held design cloud architecture optional
- optional, not held develop software prototype optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
22 held skills the blockchain architect role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Angular knowledge
- not needed by the target role C++ knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT debugging tools knowledge
- not needed by the target role Java (computer programming) knowledge
- not needed by the target role JavaScript knowledge
- not needed by the target role Scala knowledge
- not needed by the target role Solidity knowledge
- not needed by the target role TypeScript knowledge
- not needed by the target role Vyper knowledge
- not needed by the target role adapt to changes in technological development plans skill
- not needed by the target role analyse decentralised applications skill
- not needed by the target role blockchain knowledge
- not needed by the target role computer programming knowledge
- not needed by the target role design user interface skill
- not needed by the target role game theory knowledge
- not needed by the target role implement front-end website design skill
- not needed by the target role implement smart contracts skill
- not needed by the target role smart contract programming languages knowledge
- not needed by the target role use markup languages skill
- not needed by the target role use software design patterns skill
- not needed by the target role use software libraries skill
- not needed by the target role utilise computer-aided software engineering tools skill
8 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn blockchain signature schemes required
- still to learn data security principles required
- still to learn blockchain concept application required
- still to learn business processes required
- still to learn design thinking required
- still to learn digital systems required
- still to learn systems development life-cycle required
- optional, not held statistics optional
Common questions about this move
Can a blockchain developer become a blockchain architect?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A blockchain developer already covers 66% of what a blockchain architect is expected to do: 38 skills carry over, 30 of which the blockchain architect role treats as required.
What skills does a blockchain developer need to become a blockchain architect?
16 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information and communication technologies (icts). The single most important is analyse ICT system.
How hard is the move from blockchain developer to blockchain architect?
Its learning distance is 48 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.