I started working in Crypto in July 2018. And I’m still here. The space has evolved quite a bit since, and so have I. So I figured I should write about it and share what I’ve learned so maybe others can benefit from it. Here are my 9 lessons.

TLDR for the impatient (of which there are many in crypto, no offense 😏)

1. Networking is hard work, don’t make it about yourself
2. Have a bit of a plan
3. Take feedback — even when it’s awkward AF
4. Stick to your moral compass
5. Stand your ground
6. When you’ve learned all there is in that position, there are no prospects for any further progress; then change.
7. Ask a lot of questions
8. There are always more things you don’t know — but that doesn’t have to be discouraging.
9. Sharing Knowledge is better than guarding it

How did I get here?

Good question. Nowadays, people from Big Tech quit their jobs to join Web3 startups. Not so much in 2018. Like much in my life, it was a big coincidence; or destiny if you believe in that.

I just happened to look for a job in Tokyo that wasn’t selling tights (Calzedonia) or watching after 2-year-old kids trying to teach them English (Some preschool in Roppongi).

Arguably being in Crypto resembles watching after 2-year-old kids at times…all those moonbois behave very similarly to a 2-year-old, except they are not nearly as cute.

I got offered by a Blockchain Consulting company having no clue about Crypto and went down the rabbit hole from that day onwards.

First Station: Oversea Sales for a Blockchain Consulting company

As an Oversea Sales associate, my role was simple. Get companies interested in the Japanese/Asian market as clients. Easier said than done if you had no clue of the space.

So I threw myself into reading all I could about blockchain. One of the first books I read was “The Blockchain Revolution” by Don Tapscott, which I still recommend to anyone new to the industry. And I didn’t stop there. I also went to every possible Meetup and event where I could learn more about Crypto and connect with people (because Sales).

Lesson 1: Networking is hard work, don’t make it about yourself

In particular, when you’re half-Japanese, female, non-traditional in Japan. It was awkward to start a conversation, and most were afraid that I didn’t speak Japanese. So they would avoid me until they realized my Japanese was just fine.

But even in English-speaking places, it’s still hard work. Talking to all those people and overcoming that weird fear of, what if they don’t want to talk to me? Luckily, I think we all feel awkward, so there’s that.

And then, I figured, trying to sell someone something during a first conversation is a terrible move. Networking gets a lot easier with a mindset of “How can I help the other person?” Sometimes even just cracking a stupid joke helps. It also helps to have green hair. But not everyone can pull that off.

Lesson 2: Have a bit of a plan

I admit, I, at some point, completely lost track of anything self-improvement. And my manager didn’t help with her very laissez-faire attitude. It happens.

Fortunately for me, I met the right person. This has repeatedly happened to me: Meeting great people who pushed me forward in one way or another. Often how only becomes clearer a lot later.

This person, more specifically, got me to read a book that had a very straightforward guide to getting your career after university on track and helped me get myself set up to follow a plan.

It’s not like you need a rigorous routine or have to get up at 4 am every day. It’s more about making little progress consistently. It does add up.

My plan involved: getting the JLPT N1 (The highest level of the Japanese language proficiency test) and deepening my understanding of blockchain. I signed up for a Japanese school and started writing about blockchain to determine if I understood stuff (it’s such a great way to find out.)

Lesson 3: Take feedback — even when it’s awkward AF

Do you love being criticized?

Ya, neither do I. Sometimes it’s unwarranted. But usually, when the other person has your best in mind, it’s coming from a place of care.

Internalizing that has tremendously helped me deal with (constructive negative) feedback.

Start getting feedback whenever possible. I’ve not met any manager that would tell me that I should STFU when I asked him or her (mostly him) how I was doing, what I should focus on, and what I could improve.

Another field where feedback had a noticeable impact was my resume. The first time I had someone else look over it, it was painful. It sucked, and it was a miracle that anyone would even hire me.😆

So, don’t just rely on whatever Mr. Google tells you is best. Ask others, especially in higher positions, for help. They know what they look for in a candidate.

Lesson 4: Stick to your moral compass

Unless your plan involves making a lot of money without regard for such higher grounds.

My moral compass is something I’ve been clinging onto, and let me tell you, in Crypto, it’s not always that easy. There is a lot of money to be made if you abandon it.

As long as I can live the lifestyle I like and have some freedom over how I work, I am not in it for the money.

So when the consulting company I worked with started planning to run what I perceived to be a scam (they are now shut down, so you go figure), I decided to quit.

Second Station: PR for a Japanese IT Company

I met the COO of the company at a meetup, and we got along great. It’s somewhat a pattern of me to meet leadership people at companies and really like them — then eventually, get offered a job.

I got hired and was supposed to be part of a newly created blockchain team. That never happened. Later we (my coworker and I) figured that we’d just been hired to be international-looking faces sitting by the entrance to impress visitors.

The only lesson I took away was this:

Lesson 5: Stand your ground

Before you do, be sure about it. It was clear as day that the CEO didn’t really care about his employees, nor about enabling a “work revolution” as he claimed initially. Despite his PR saying he was this modern, forward-thinking CEO, he was pretty much the alpha male Japanese CEO that one portrays.

So one day, when I asked a legitimate question, and he saw it as a criticism of his person, the entire thing escalated into a discussion where he began yelling at me.

Great. We were used to him yelling. He’d do it every day when in a bad mood at his young, insecure assistants. Seriously now I do find it a bit perverted that he seemed only to hire such girls as assistants — to yell at them as he pleased.

After said discussion, he sent his assistant to talk to me and suggested I should quit next week. He didn’t even have the guts to face me again.

Knowing my rights, I did tell them that I obviously did not want to work in such a toxic environment but that I’d only not turn up anymore next week if they paid me the one-month notice they’d owe me.

This gave me the time to look for another job in peace (as much as you going into an office where the CEO would shit-talk about you on the balcony can be called peace).

Third Station: Crypto-Exchange

Lesson 6: When you’ve learned all there is in that position, there are no prospects for any further progress; then change.

The exchange was the first to give me a chance to work in marketing. I’m very much a self-taught marketer. I’ve never learned it in university and just started writing, encouraged by a few well-meaning individuals.

I did pretty well in that, so when I was asked to give marketing a go, I figured I could give it a try.

However, eventually, I started to feel stuck. I was working along, doing all the operational marketing stuff one has to do, managing giveaways, competitions, social media, blogs, emails, etc.

But somehow, I felt that I needed someone to provide me with more guidance who’d been doing marketing for a while. So instead of “sticking it out,” as some might suggest, I didn’t.

Fourth Station: Blockchain Startup

Lesson 7: Ask a lot of questions

When I joined, I had of course read the whitepaper and knew more or less how things worked. Nevertheless, there are always things one doesn’t understand well. So whenever the chance arises to ask our CTO something directly, I’ll jump on it.

Often it turns out that I am not the only one wondering these things. Especially in blockchain startups, we figure out a lot of things as we go. Stopping for a moment, and asking yourself and others if this is actually the right way to say something, or solve something is very valuable, and has once even led to the recognition that, we’ve been talking about a certain concept wrong the entire time.

Another perk of asking a lot is, that you get to talk to a lot of different people across departments, hear about their views, and careers until now, and get inspired. Asking, and discussing new ideas with others is a fast track to learning. 💡

Lesson 8: There are always more things you don’t know — but that doesn’t have to be discouraging.

Four years ago, I couldn’t have imagined ever discussing atomic swaps or different consensus algorithms with anyone.

But here I am. And it’s been a fun, challenging journey to get here. The space is always full of noise, and hard to navigate. I still feel like I don’t know sh*t about 🦆 many days.

One could find that discouraging. And on bad days I do. But then, I like to think about myself four years ago. I’ve come quite far. And then I get excited by the prospect of all the things I will have learned in the next four years.

Because one thing is for sure. In crypto, it won’t get boring ever.

Lesson 9: Sharing Knowledge is better than guarding it

Of course, if you have some company secrets you probably should not share them. But what I’m talking about is my personal understanding, and knowledge of the industry and the underlying tech.

I know people who have a tendency to not want to share things they’ve learned the hard way. I have found that that is based on a belief that they have to compete with everyone.

A belief I do not have. I compete, but with myself — as corny as it sounds.

So whenever I get the chance to share the things I’ve learned and the mistakes I’ve made, I’ll do it.

Being a study group leader for the unitmaster blockchain literacy program, and mentoring as part of the LMF Network program has been the most rewarding experiences. And so is every time I speak on a panel or give a presentation.

When I was in High School, I was a football coach for one of the youngest girls’ teams in my city. They went on to become pretty successful.

I can’t wait for that to happen with people who I’ve met early into their blockchain journey. 😍