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WOMEN IN BLOCKCHAIN | EDUCATION IS ESSENTIAL

by Morne OlivierMay 29th, 2019

Too Long; Didn't Read

This article and the many more to come on “Women in Blockchain” will form part of a Series that I will use as information to write my first book. All the women taking part in this series have one common ground; to further Blockchain Technology through Education. This is not Financial advice by myself or any of the participants in this article. This will be a series of on-going articles for as long as we can build on the idea to have 10 articles to start from different questions to two Woman with different backgrounds.

People Mentioned

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WOMEN

29 May 2019

#Block1

I started out my idea on how to bring Blockchain Education closer to the “normal” person with a vision of an article, combining several well-respected Women in the Blockchain world to assist. The reaction was overwhelming, so I decided to turn my article into a series and maybe even a book.

Disclaimer: This is not Financial advice by myself or any of the participants in this article.

Full Disclaimer Here

Why Education?

I am a husband and a father to two boys 11 and 13. Let’s say the Cryptocurrency and Blockchain introduction to my family didn’t always go down too well because of a lot of misconception. Then there are my friends who know I’m involved in “Cryptocurrency”; asks me some questions but I can see they don’t really understand what my interest is or how relevant it would be to them. I think everyone always thinks you trying to sell them something.
What is my ulterior motive? Why do I do this, write about Blockchain? Well, there are a couple of answers.

In one way my path to writing has happened organically, something I would never have considered doing. Writing is a medium which I discovered I really love doing; it is so creative, interesting and challenging.

What started out as a hobby has grown into a full-blown interest so that I have made it my goal to do it for a living.

My newly discovered passion came at the right time. Blockchain is a Technological advancement for the world, these kinds of advancements only come around every so often, if you think the NET’s entrepreneurial stages started in 1993. Web 2 was realized when the Internet became a social hub of activity in 2005. Today 2019 we have Web 3 & 4 in development.

Writing as a medium has evolved from day 1 as a form of Communication and Education. From the Printing Revolution in 1450 through Newspaper & Magazines in the 17/1800’s to the evolution of Social Media content during the1900’s to the Internet today. Writing is an endless art form that will always evolve.

How could I not take on an opportunity like this? I started studying Digital Finance, Cryptocurrencies, Blockchains. I made sure I tried and tested everything worthwhile after my research. I fell in love with the ecosystems these young developers where building and in admiration started taking part in their projects, becoming part of their ecosystems.

This brings me to EDUCATION, the key to the adoption of any new implementation. Why upset the apple cart? If the system is running smoothly why change it?
That’s the thing, we are not trying to change it, the wheel can’t be changed to be more round, but it can be changed to assist the vehicle in running smoother, faster & more economically.
So what does that have to do with you?
Blockchain is being developed to improve your lifestyle. It essentially is an immutable ledger a new more powerful way to run data on the internet as you know it.

It will improve payment systems and save costs, (your bank transactions, shopping experience, proof of data, borderless payment solutions…)
Advance Business applications.
Become an intrinsic part of the World Economy.
Personally, I feel give financial power back to those who want and need it.

I suppose you would not really need to know or understand all of this, just to know about it and that it works for the better, but what about your children. They will be growing up in this new Technology and for them, the opportunities for work could be life-changing.
So why am I writing this series on Education in Blockchain?
I want to bring you closer to the Blockchain community, specifically leading woman in this new Technology. Help bridge the gap and assist you (especially if you are parents), with a guide as to the possibilities that lie within this new industry so that we can make that information available to your children.

This will be a series of on-going articles for as long as we can build on the idea. The articles to start will have 10 questions to two Woman from different Countries, with different professions within the Blockchain space. I will add a summary at the end.
I’m hoping for a very interesting experience and a load full of information to our readers out there.

First up then!

Sam (Sam Armour) Shrager | Digital Marketing Officer

linkedin.com/in/samarmour

Sam works for NKB Group Financial Services Investment banking for the digital world.

Q & A

Q #1 Give us a summary of your background and how you got into Blockchain & Digital Currency / Cryptocurrency?

A #1 I’d been working with a start-up who had moved into the blockchain and crypto space as a result of re-working a global content app to a model supporting crypto payment options. One of the investors was also founding a blockchain investment bank and recruited me to run digital marketing and learn more about the space alongside the team. I started to work with the Advisory team with ICO projects and advising them around PR, marketing and as the ICO market has dwindled, I’ve focused more on content creation, profile and community building for the main NKB brand.

Q #2 Tell us about your current position, responsibilities and some day to day activities that you look forward to?

A #2 I love checking in on the news flow every day and seeing what angle we can comment on, via the usual channels as well as on the great community (WhatsApp / Telegram) channels out there. It’s very exciting seeing the developments in the space and getting out there to wave the flag for the NKB team and our services.

Q #3 If you had to be critical about yourself, which part of your career would you like to improve on?

A #3 I wish I’d had the opportunity to use my German language more in roles and worked abroad for longer.

Q #4 What advice do you have for children/youth (10–18 years) today especially young woman about the Blockchain world? How do we nurture interest in this new Technology?

A #4 There are a few things that women should be aware of in the blockchain space to thrive. If you are not of a technical background, do not get discouraged thinking that in this space you can only become successful if you are a developer. There are a lot of roles evolving in the ecosystem that can suit a variety of backgrounds and skillsets well.

Broader advocacy initiatives around the sector will also help. University efforts are particularly important — There are some amazing efforts coming out of Oxford Blockchain Group and hope other universities can catch up. In addition, I think secondary schools in the UK are really addressing this area — for instance, I was recently approached by my daughter’s IT teacher to give a talk and information about blockchain to her A’Level students who were studying a module on this. Even for kids as young as 12 and 13, the schools are addressing blockchain and cryptocurrency in their IT lessons, which is extremely encouraging.

Q #5 What kind of skill set would you be looking at in job applicants?

A #5 Ability to learn fast, adapt and pivot to new opportunities and openings and an understanding of the importance of networking and digital.

Q #6 Blockchain to me is a forward-thinking force of snowballing Technology, but where I’m from a lot of people still see Bitcoin as a scam.
How do we bridge the gap between Technology and people that are skeptical about it?

A #6 This space is still very immature, which means that there is a risk of participants who do not necessarily operate ethically. As the market matures, I think it will become more and more important that individuals from traditional capital market backgrounds, with the right governance experience, come and join the market to raise standards around investing in blockchain and crypto projects.

Q #7 Can you please provide the details of an educational facility that is in your area or country if anyone reading this article decides to find out more about Blockchain.

http://www.oxfordblockchain.net

https://blockchain.univ.ox.ac.uk

Q #8 What is your current opinion on the Digital Assets, (Cryptocurrency) market and share with us your opinion on where you think this Technology will take us?

A #8 The wild fluctuations in 2018 — that was a classic bubble scenario. On the positive side, it brought a lot of interest and broader awareness into this space. On the negative side, the excesses of the bull market inevitably meant perhaps overly negative sentiment that we found ourselves in at the end of last year. This is nothing new though, and over history, this has played out many times with various assets.

The gradual building of the infrastructure continues, and so does the arrival of institutions into this space which is very encouraging.

I think there will be mass adoption of the technology but I do think, however, that most likely it will take much longer than we think. We are probably talking over three-five years, rather than one-two. But in ten years’ time, I’m sure that most of us will have various assets on the chain — from property to art and more.

Q #9 What new exciting projects are you currently working on or planning?

A #9 We’re running our inaugural Blockchain Investor Forum early next month, which will bring together investor and innovative blockchain companies, where a small number of hand-picked projects will present to a panel of investors, viewed by a larger audience from the industry. This is very exciting and we hope to roll this out to a series of such events across the year.

Q #10 What is your favorite Blockchain project and why?

A #10 Nebula Genomics, who are building a better world within healthcare by allowing individuals to take control of their health data by collecting and owning it, and being able to securely share it for a reward, which allows the acceleration of medical research and contribution to science, all while getting unique insights into our health.

“Thank you, Sam, that is amazing! Your Investor Forum sounds like a solid approach for Education within a safe environment. We will follow your post closely to find out how they go. I also find it very encouraging that the U.K. schools are so open about sharing Blockchain Information with the children, certainly, something South African schools can take note of!”

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For our next participant, I have asked

Maryna Petrychenko | Growth Advisor

linkedin.com/in/maryna-petrychenko-619476ba

Maryna works for Pharmeum, an innovator in the Blockchain Medical Industry.

Q #1 Give us a summary of your background and how you got into Blockchain & Digital Currency / Cryptocurrency?

A #1 My background is coming from around 2 years in digital marketing and business development in the Blockchain / Crypto World.
My career like a Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Business Development Officer was including a different kind of Startups: ICOs, Exchanges, Cold Wallet Solutions, OTC deals facilitators, White Label solutions for Exchanges, Blockchain Gaming companies, VC firm …

I also have a Digital Currencies Certification from the University of Nicosia and “STO Crash Course” certificate.

Q #2 Tell us about your current position, responsibilities and some day to day activities that you look forward to?

A #2 Currently I am consulting companies in terms of marketing and business development. Among my clients, a crypto media startup “Proof Of News” ( http://proof-of-news.com ), AI and blockchain healthcare startup Pharmeum https://pharmeum.io/ and VC firm Atomind ( https://www.atomind.com/ ). I also connect projects which are looking for IEO with different exchanges.

Q #3 If you had to be critical about yourself, which part of your career would you like to improve on?

A #3 I’d like to improve my public speaking skills and I already started to work on it by speaking at some crypto events.

Q #4 What advice do you have for children/youth (10–18 years ) today especially young woman about the Blockchain world? How do we nurture interest in this new Technology?

A #4 I would advise not to be afraid that this industry “is too complicated” and you are “not smart enough”. Being in the blockchain world doesn’t mean, that you have to be a coder/programmer/ super technical person. The Basics of this technology is easy to understand to everyone if you spend a bit of time and some effort on it. Like in any industry, in Blockchain there are plenty of non-technical jobs like PR, Marketing, Accounting, Law, Customer Support, etc. If you have a passion for it — just go for it!

Q #5 What kind of skill set would you be looking at in job applicants?

A #5 Depends on the job position of course. The most important in my opinion is that the person is passionate about the blockchain industry and the idea behind it. For such kind of person, it will never be just “9 to 6” job. With the passionate mindset, working in this industry becoming your lifestyle, your passion and you ready to work 24/7 for it, because you understand that you are building the future!

A #6 The reason for that is lack of education and disinformation from the media. Of course, there are bad players out there, but if the person is educated enough to understand how things in this industry work — he/she will never get scammed. Like in any investment activity — you have to research first where are you investing and don’t expect miracle daily ROI — nobody can promise you that.

Q #7 Can you please provide the details of an educational facility that is in your area or country if anyone reading this article decides to find out more about Blockchain.

A #7 I would suggest taking the Introduction to Digital Currencies from the University of Nicosia (I have it myself). You can take it online and it’s for free. The course is very informative and provides a good detailed description of each aspect of crypto and blockchain technology.

Q #8 What is your current opinion on the Digital Assets, (Cryptocurrency) market and share with us your opinion on where you think this Technology will take us?

A #8 Tricky question. Cryptocurrencies currently are still not ready to fully replace fiat due to many external and internal factors. Nevertheless, you can already pay everywhere with your crypto using, for example, Wirex or Revolut — you simply transfer your funds to their Visa / Mastercard cards and use it as a normal card. We can see, though that mass adoption is coming and more people start to use and understand crypto. Even companies like Facebook, eBay, Microsoft, etc are into it — and that means something.

Q #9 What new exciting projects are you currently working on or planning?

A #9 I am working on my book for kids and teenagers about blockchain and crypto to help the education of this new technology. Hope it will be useful for someone :)

Education topic is very essential for mass adoption, so I might be focusing on sharing my knowledge with others in the nearest future to make the world the better place faster :)

Q #10 What is your favorite Blockchain project and why?

A #10 There are plenty of amazing and really useful blockchain projects out there, so it’s really hard to tell. I like projects like Brave browser, where you get paid to see ads, or Steemit, where you get paid for generating the content… after all why people constantly generating content and watching ads for free, while big companies are making money from it, collecting and trading people’s data?! The data should belong to people and the content generation should be rewarded.

“Thank you Maryna, you are so right the content generation should be rewarded for their skill set! I will be looking forward to your book, I am sure we will be able to share it here in the future. Education is Key! Knowledge is Power!”

Well there you have it, my first Series #Block1 on Woman in Blockchain. Thank you, Sam and Maryna, for participating, it was really fantastic to get first-hand information from leading Blockchain Professionals like yourself.

I look forward to our follow up in a weeks time.

Regards

Morne