Blockchain Development from Scratch in 3 Days

How Did All Started

I’m a senior law student at Istanbul University. I have been producing music for 6 years. I have been interested in technology since childhood. In this blog post, I will share my experiences with you on becoming a Near Certified Developer. I hope this article will help people who want to become blockchain developers.

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The Idea

Although I have been interested in technology since I was little, I started learning programming while studying law at university. When I first learned about Smart Contracts I was very impressed with the concept.

I imagined how smart contracts could change the applications and systems we use in our daily lives. I also thought it could have a huge impact on the law. I thought that I could combine my current legal knowledge with blockchain. That’s how I decided that I wanted to be a blockchain developer.

When I did my research, I found out that it would be much more useful to learn web development first. If, like me, you have never dealt with software development before and you want to be a blockchain developer, I recommend you to learn front-end web development first. Once you learn it, you can enter the blockchain world much easier.

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Patika

I started learning front-end web development with Patika . I learned HTML , CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript and React at their website. You should check it out.

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Patika & Near Protocol Web3 Bootcamp

Before this bootcamp I started with Near Certified Developer Course at Near University Afterwards, I saw that Patika is opening a bootcamp. I was familiar with Patika’s learning system, according to that I continued my education with Patika & Near Protocol Web3 Bootcamp.

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Why In 3 Days?

At the time I started Near Bootcamp, I was working on a website project with my friend. I was occupied with it and it was hard for me to keep up with the bootcamp at the same time. The course duration was 2 months and at the end of these 2 months, a gift would be given to the first 100 people who could deliver a successful project. I wanted to be one of the first 100.

Near Bootcamp was self-paced therefore I thought I should focus finishing this website project within one month, after that I can keep-up with the Near bootcamp.

It took me much longer than I expected to finish my website project. When I finished my website project, there were 3 days left until the bootcamp project delivery. I would try to fit the whole 2 months into 3 days or give up. I chose to take my chance.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean blockchain development is something simple to learn in 3 days. I forced myself to learn in 3 days and I was successful. What I want to tell you is that if you have enough desire, it will not be very difficult for you to switch from web2 to web3 world. If you have the necessary resources and a community to consult, this process will go faster for you.

Here we find the answer to the “Why Near Protocol ? “ question.

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Why learning blockchain development with Near Protocol?

There are many advantages to starting learning with the Near Protocol. In Near, it is possible to write smart contracts in AssemblyScript language, which is very similar to JavaScript. This is a huge plus when migrating from web2. It allows you to adapt quickly. Also, Near cares a lot about its developers and developer acquisition. Along with the many opportunities they offer to developers in their ecosystem, there are also many resources for developers who want to learn. You can apply to NCD Course from Near University for free. You can find answers to all your questions on the Near.Docs site. In addition to the instructional videos they share on YouTube, there are always trainers on the Near University Discord channel where you can ask your questions. The whole community is extremely helpful and always open to help you improve your projects.

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I’m not going in detail about how near blockchain works, how it is different from other blockchains. If you are curious you can check it out.

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How did it go?

In the 3 days remaining for me to submit the project, I quit all my work and worked on this for a total of 40 hours. It was not enough to just follow Bootcamp, as it is not a concept I have worked on before and I do not have a deep knowledge in JavaScript. If you’re in my position, it needs to be kept in mind before you begin. You will have to do a lot of research yourself. If you think you can give your energy, start. The course alone is not enough to become an NCD.

My advice is to examine and experience the projects that have been made abundantly. In this way, you can take similar steps while designing your own projects and benefit from the information available.

In order to become an NCD at the end of the course, the project expected from you does not need to be a very complex and large project. It is possible to become an NCD by developing a non-Front-End project. My project called Second Hand Music, does not have a Front-End.

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My First Project: Second Hand Music

I will briefly talk about my project so that you can have an idea of what kind of project you should send. In the project I developed, you can buy, sell or view second-hand music items on the blockchain. The concept is actually simple, but enough to explain that I can use blockchain effectively. They will be expecting this from you too. You can review my project from my github link.

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Final

I was able to complete the training in 3 days and be one of the first 100 people to send the project (I can even be the 100th person because I could only send it at the last minute). After sharing my project with Near, they said that it would be reviewed within 1 month. At the end of 10 days, I learned that I was entitled to become a Near Certified Developer. If you are in the position I am in, if you are undecided about whether to start or not, I suggest you try it directly without thinking too much. Having different occupations and being interested in different jobs does not prevent this as long as you want it.

Once you’ve become NCD, Near doesn’t leave you alone. If you want to learn about the opportunities and support provided for NCDs in detail, you can explore them on the Earn tab at the Near University page.

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