Do not become a Web3 developer.
You know that I dislike Web3. I have valid reasons for the same that I have talked about previously. But it boils my blood when Web3 marketers influence the developer ecosystem, and especially freshers to take up jobs that may harm their careers.
Having been an engineer all my life, I have a soft corner for engineers and developers. So, through this newsletter issue, I want to share my take on why you should not become a Web3 developer.
Web3 is not developer friendly.
The DX (Developer Experience) of Web3 is horrible. Period.
Let's try and understand why. When do developers use a new framework? When the framework saves time and effort. JavaScript frameworks like React and Vue became popular because they were easy to work with when compared to the previous frameworks.
Web3 does not offer any development advantage over Web2. The program is locked, and you can't change the code or the data.
The best developer in the world writes buggy code. That's how the software industry works. You write code, find bugs, fix them, and continuously improve and deploy. None of that is possible in Web3.
How can a step in the backward direction be the future?
Web3 is not beginner friendly.
The other grudge I have against Web3 is that it is not beginner-friendly at all. It costs money to deploy apps.
Before you comment that there are free options available, let me tell you that interactions on Web3 cost money. A like, or comment costs money. Just because you give it a fancy term and call it a 'gas fee' does not make it any useful.
So a newbie developer can't test their apps properly because it costs a tonne. And in case they mess up, there's nothing that can be done because the program is locked.
April 24th 2022
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Web3 development is a job and not a career.
Before you, Web3 enthusiasts, come at me with "You don't know Web3, you haven't tried it yet.", let me tell you that I have.
When the hype started, I was genuinely curious. So I got one of my friends, went on YouTube, and learned Web3 live. The two videos, 6 hours in total, are still available on my channel. By the end of it, I had learned more than 90% of the Web3 developers.
Do you want to build a career in a field where anyone can spend 6 hours and be in the top 90%? It is an easily replaceable skill, like sales or customer support. There is no depth.
One more thing. Do you witness any reputed software engineers, who know their craft, promoting Web3? Name one for me.
They all understand that it's a fad created by marketers to make money. It's a bubble that has, in fact, already started to burst.
What if you are already in it?
Just in case you have already taken a Web3 job, keep learning Web2 on the side. Learn React and other skills of depth that guarantee security when things go downhill. And try to get out of the scam as quickly as you can.
Share this newsletter issue with your Web3 enthusiast friends. And ask them to try and counter my points.
I know what I am talking about. Let's see if they do.
tanaypratap's letters
I write about mentorship, education, tech, career, and startups.
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