A Guide to Getting NFT Jobs in the NFT Space

NFTs are non-fungible tokens which are digital assets that indicate proof of ownership as well as a log of previous owners, price of purchase, and sale, among other details. NFTs are revolutionizing the world of art, music, sports memorabilia, and marketing with blockchain technology allowing digital objects to have definite ownership. With the growth of this industry, jobs are becoming more readily available. Find out how to enter a career in NFTs, the different industries, and the qualifications you need.

Read more: What Is an NFT? Your Guide to Non-Fungible Tokens in 2023

What is an NFT job?

Numerous career opportunities exist in the NFT field. Even if you’re not a programmer or designer, you can provide education about NFTs with online courses, publish an ebook, designing and promote an NFT yourself, or buy, sell, and trade NFTs. Here are some industries and commerce that blockchain technology and NFT positions are in. 

1. Marketing NFT jobs

Companies collaborate with NFT studios and artists to create unique NFT projects to promote their company, the artist, or both. More and more companies are using NFTs for their marketing campaigns to bring customers' attention to their brand and ultimately increase profits. 

2. NFT art jobs/music NFT jobs

Since pieces on the blockchain indicate ownership of an item, the nature of NFTs and blockchain architecture is ideal for artists to create and sell pieces. Musicians and artists are starting to promote and sell their work on NFT marketplaces due to the high level of security and unique capacity to indicate exclusive ownership of pieces. 

Read more: What Is NFT Art? (How Does It Work)

3. Collectibles

The nature of blockchain has popularized digital collectible items such as sports cards, game cards, game assets, and collectible NFT series. Anyone in the community of tradeable items on the blockchain or collectible can pursue employment in the NFT community. 

4. Crypto NFT jobs

Cryptocurrency is typically how NFTs are purchased. An NFT background may help you become involved in the NFT minting and registration process. 

Read more: Cryptocurrency Explained: Definitions, Skills, and Opportunities

5. Decentralized finance (DeFi)

Decentralized finance is a branch of finance associated with technological currencies that are not connected with government reserves or banks and thus governed by different rules than the standard currency that’s used every day. Decentralized finance is a result of cryptocurrency, and employees in this industry learn how these decentralized currencies behave.

6. E-commerce

E-commerce is online transactions for goods and services. People with experience in drop shipping, online marketing, or any other online business would have a solid background in working with NFTs. 

7. Enterprise software

Enterprise NFTs are used in industry to provide security and record-keeping during a business's supply chain and manufacturing processes. NFTs can track materials, services, assets, and more. 

8. Fashion

NFTs are used for fashion items worn in various virtual worlds and for customizing avatars. Fashion brands are using this phenomenon to promote their products and collect sales from their customer base for virtual clothing lines. 

9. Gaming

Video game developers create games that allow buying and selling in-game items stored on the blockchain. The gaming industry is one the largest industries that easily integrates blockchain technologies and NFTs into new releases. 

10. Social media

Twitter and Discord are integrating NFTs into their platforms by allowing NFT avatars and profile pictures. Facebook and Instagram have joined the NFT profile pic movement as well.

Degrees for NFT jobs

In the NFT field, several degrees can help you enter the career path. Most of this depends on whether you want to work in the technical or non-technical side of the industry. Whether that be advertising new NFTs, developing blockchain technology, or designing new tokens. Certain degrees may be a better option depending on which of these suits you best. Some popular majors include:

• Computer science

• Computer engineering

• Business administration

• Marketing

• Finance

• Graphic design

What jobs can you do as an NFT expert?

Being an expert in the complex infrastructure of NFTs will allow for some flexibility in career choices. NFT experts should have a wealth of knowledge on blockchain development, smart contracts, and general coding concepts. Here are a few career choices you may have as an NFT expert:

*All US salary data is sourced from Glassdoor as of January 2023

Back-end developer or engineer

Average annual base salary (US): $118,964 [1]

Back-end developers are responsible for managing, storing, and securing data associated with applications and software. In the NFT space, back-end developers will likely be working with smart contracts and the ownership of digital assets. 

Blockchain consultant 

Average annual base salary (US): $85,351 [2]

Blockchain consultants advise companies on strategies and procedures to create successful blockchain technologies in their systems. They also determine what company operations can benefit from blockchain integration and provide risk management. 

Blockchain developer 

Average annual base salary (US): $94,451 [3]

Blockchain developers construct assets and software meant for registration onto blockchain architectures. These professionals handle the planning, development, deployment, and maintenance of front-end and back-end features, as well as the design and aesthetics of the software. 

Read more: What Is a Blockchain Developer (and How Do I Become One)?

Community manager 

Average annual base salary (US): $53,877 [4]

Many cryptos and NFT projects have communities that interact, network, and create ideas for social platforms. Often, these communities will have moderators, administrators, and managers who guide these platforms to be on topic, police users who are not following policies, and ensure that discussions are productive. 

Ethereum developer

Average annual base salary (US): $102,804 [5]

Ethereum developers are blockchain programmers who specialize in creating and deploying projects and assets onto the Ethereum blockchain specifically. These professionals are well-versed in creating features for Ethereum projects and know how the Ethereum framework functions. 

Game designer

Average annual base salary (US): $88,296 [6]

Game designers with experience and knowledge of game design can transfer their skills into creating NFTs as in-game items. NFTs are taking the gaming world by storm by introducing in-game items on the blockchain, giving gamers proof of ownership of these items they can trade or sell on the marketplace.

Read more: What Is a Video Game Designer? Career Overview + FAQ

Project manager

Average annual base salary (US): $88,704 [7]

NFT project managers act as liaisons between the development teams and the customers. They adjust to customers' needs, and create timelines, budget, expenses, and more. Project managers oversee all operations involved with the production and deployment of a project and guide their team throughout the NFT development lifecycle.  

Read more: What Is a Project Manager? A Career Guide

Smart contract developer

Average annual base salary (US): $56,418 [8]

Smart contract developers create smart contracts responsible for the security and record-keeping of blockchain frameworks. These individuals know how to program smart contracts and are familiar with blockchain programming standards before items can be registered. 

How to develop your career in the NFT space

Here are a few ways you can develop your career in the NFT space and take your expertise to the next level:

1. Stay updated on recent business news and trends.

NFT professionals need to research and absorb news and updates from industry professionals. Online industries typically change rapidly and often, and taking note of what works and doesn't work can be advantageous position. 

2. Network with professionals.

Finding networks of individuals in the NFT industry can be a valuable asset for your careerl. Trade shows, conferences, and online platforms can be a great opportunity to connect with NFT professionals to expand your network. Becoming a part of like-minded individuals in the industry, whether online or through friendships or networking events, can be valuable for an industry professional in this field. 

Read more: What Is Networking? How to Grow Your Network

3. Share insightful information, tools, and guidance with others in the field.

Working in the NFT field will likely mean conversing and collaborating on current projects you’re working on, learning about trends, and any tools of the trade you may have picked up. Having a dialogue with peers in your industry is a great way to learn and grow as a professional and can give you valuable practical insight into your company or brand. 

4. Consider earning a certification. 

Pursuing a certification program is a great way to gain foundational industry knowledge and provide experience for pursuing a job in the field. Learning more about the industry also shows employers that you’re dedicated to the industry. Certification courses cover several blockchain architectures, how blockchain works, development and programming standards, and hands-on case studies that you can apply to the industry. 

In-demand skills for NFT jobs

In a fast-changing online community, technical and workplace skills can provide you with success in your endeavors. Here are a few sought-after skills for NFT industry professionals:

• Community management: Many NFT circles and organizations have their communities hosted on Discord or other platforms to collaborate and communicate on projects. Navigating the NFT community and communicating effectively with your team or organization is a meaningful skill for working with NFT projects. 

• Cryptography:  Experience with or an understanding of cryptographic concepts such as hashing, public and private keys, and digital signatures is essential in understanding the blockchain framework where NFTs are. 

• Game development: Game development experience will allow you to give insight into important NFT projects that are centered around storing your in-game items digitally. 

Read more: What is a Game Developer (and How do I Become One?)

• Marketing: Being able to market and advertise an NFT project successfully helps it gain attention and set it apart from others. If your project works with a particular brand or artist, representing them profitably to the public is a highly in-demand skill. 

• Smart contract development: Smart contracts are responsible for the functionality to exchange ownership of NFTs, and these contracts have to meet standards before they are entered into a blockchain. ERC-721 is an example of a programming standard for smart contract projects. 

• Solidity engineering: Solidity is a coding language used to create smart contracts to deploy your NFT projects. Knowing this language will help you understand smart contract architecture and how to secure objects that you create onto the blockchain and log ownership, among other details, along with projects that meet the security protocols for blockchain deployment. 

Read more: Careers in Blockchain Technology: Solidity Developer

• Web development: General web development skills are handy for maintaining marketplace websites, doing advertising, and creating communities for NFT enthusiasts to discuss and network. 

Read more: What Does a Web Developer Do (and How Do I Become One)?

• Web3 design: Web3 combines blockchain technology with digital certificates and smart contracts to provide a more private experience on the internet. 

Take the next step in your career with Coursera

As the metaverse and the NFT field grow, start building the knowledge and skills you need for an NFT career. Consider courses like What is the Metaverse? offered by Meta or Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Primitives offered by Duke University, both on Coursera.