Web3 brings “endless” opportunities to Indonesia, changes lives in Nigeria, breaks barriers in India, changes skeptics’ minds in the Philippines and makes its way to Uraguay.
Attendees of Binance Blockchain Week shared their stories around Web3 and the growth of opportunities it presents within their local communities.
The recent conference brought together crypto community members from all over the world to share their passions, meet like-minded people, learn from keynote speeches by community leaders and share their perspectives on the state of Web3.
One of the topics people showed interest in was the growing demand for Web3 talent. As the internet evolves from Web2, reports show that the demand for talent within the Web3 space is rapidly increasing, with plenty of opportunities popping up within the industry.
While statistics are important, direct insights from the people witnessing the industry’s transformation are just as crucial.
Bringing “endless” opportunities to Indonesia
“Joko Crypto,“ a masked crypto crusader from Indonesia, shared his insights about what Web3 is currently doing to his country. According to Joko, people are very excited about Web3 and opportunities in the space are “always lingering.”
“In a country like Indonesia, […] the excitement of Web3 job opportunities are always lingering. From being a play-to-earn ‘freelancer’ to becoming a paid admin for Telegram, the opportunities are endless.”
The anonymous crypto evangelist also believes the same thing is happening globally. Meanwhile, Yoseph Soenggoro, a Web3 developer from Indonesia, agrees with the masked crusader. According to Soenggoro, “it’s definitely a $1 trillion opportunity for our generation.”
Yoseph Soenggoro (left) sharing his perspectives. Source: Joanna Alhambra
The developer explains that currently, the most established projects in their local Web3 landscape are centralized exchanges. However, Soenggoro believes that over time, there will be more decentralized finance protocols built in Indonesia, which will bring many “potential jobs for people in Web3.”
Related: Indonesia’s crypto industry in 2021: A kaleidoscope
Changing lives in Nigeria
“Crypto changed my life,” said Chike Okonkwo as he described his personal experience in Nigeria. He started his Web3 journey in 2016, and now, Okonkwo is working as an executive at a blockchain gaming project.
Okonkwo tried to do a couple of things as a student to make money, but crypto has been the most impactful and has given him many opportunities. “I have not just only made money trading cryptocurrencies but also have worked with crypto companies,” he said.
Chike Okonkwo (far fight) with his teammates at Gamic Guild.
Okonkwo explained that blockchain offers “a lot of opportunities for us in Africa and the world globally.” He believes it enables people to build solutions that are able to have a significant impact by helping people solve problems.
“I am introducing more and more people, young people, into this space because it can change their lives economically.”
Ukeme Okuku, who is also from Nigeria, shared his thoughts on Web3 within local communities. According to Okuku, while many Africans are active in design and community management, the “biggest issue” now is awareness.
“Because the crypto and blockchain space is still a niche, there are very few people that know about it.”
Breaking qualification barriers in India
Sharing another perspective, an attendee from India who wanted to stay anonymous also shared his thoughts on what Web3 is doing within the country. According to him, there have historically been barriers for people in India. He noted:
“They needed to study in a good school, go to a good university, and then apply for jobs. Without these good credentials, you couldn’t apply to anything.”
However, he stated that with Web3, it’s very easy for someone without a sparkling academic track record to enter, as “A person only needs to have abilities.”
He explained that within his country, there are many areas in which the people don’t get enough support. However, these restrictions are lessened for Web3 because of the internet. “You have the internet, you have the power,” he said.
Changing skepticsu2019 minds in the Philippines
Jene Dizon, a Web3 developer from the Philippines, believes that at the moment, there are plenty of opportunities for Filipinos in the industry. As someone who has worked in crypto for more than five years, Dizon thinks there’s a huge demand for Web3 talent in the region. He noted:
“There are lots of opportunities in Web3 for Filipinos. Adoption of Web3 is not just for first-world countries but also for developing countries. Though, I believe it may take around two to three years before it gets fully integrated into the mainstream.”
Apart from this, Dizon pointed out the similarities between the beginning of the internet and the current start of Web3 . “When the internet started in our country, there were also a lot of skeptics. But now, everything is online,” he said.
Jene Dizon (left) with Brazilian celebrity Daniel Matsunaga.
“I believe the same will happen to Web3 back home,” said Dizon. He noted that while there are still many skeptics, they are slowly changing their minds and are looking into the technology. At the right time, he believes it will be applied to all industries.
Making its way to Uruguay
Alexis Martinovic, a tech content creator from Uruguay, also attended the conference to learn more and expand his network. Martinovic believes that in his country, Web3 adoption is just starting and that soon, people will be seeing local projects.
“There are no local projects supporting Web3 at the moment. […] But I think it’s soon that we will start seeing them. Of course, everybody in every country is going in that direction.”
Martinovic also highlighted the low barriers to entry. “In order to just jump to Web3, you don’t even need a bank account,” he said. Because of this, even developing regions have a chance to jump in.
