As the industry-standard decentralized oracle network connecting smart contracts to off-chain data and computation, Chainlink supports the evolution of web3 by hosting smart contract developer bootcamps around the world. Chainlink Bootcamp is an ongoing series of free, in-person educational events that attract both new and experienced software engineers looking to learn more about smart contract applications and hone their skills.
Last week, Chainlink wrapped up its first coding bootcamp at the historic and prestigious Imperial College London, where around 500 attendees, including university professors, students, and members of the general public, learned how to build and deploy smart contracts together.
“Britain is home to the world’s best universities and Imperial College London leads the way in educating its students about the most cutting-edge innovations in the blockchain industry,” said Chainlink Community Manager Tatiana Polivoda, who organized the event with Professor William Knottenbelt, Director of the Imperial College Centre for Cryptocurrency Research and Engineering.
“Professor William Knottenbelt played a crucial role in making the smart contract developer bootcamp happen,” Polivoda told Chainlink Today. “Thanks to him, the doors were open to Imperial College students and to all blockchain enthusiasts and aspiring smart contract developers.”
The event, which took place over three evenings between October 26 and November 9, was led by Chainlink community advocates Amaechi Okolobi and Tyrese Tetteh, both experienced smart contract developers and computer science students at London’s esteemed Brunel University.
“This bootcamp was taught by the community, for the community,” Polivoda explained. “I personally find it very powerful.”
She said similar events are soon to follow.
“This bootcamp was our first at a university in London, but the word is spreading very fast – we already have requests for this bootcamp from other UK universities.”
Chainlink Bootcamp caters to all levels of experience. The event attracted traditional web2 developers who were interested in learning more about blockchain and smart contracts, as well as established smart contract developers who wanted to learn how to integrate Chainlink in their projects.
Complete newbies benefitted as well. “We had some people who didn’t know anything at all about blockchain, and then they deployed their first smart contracts two hours later,” Polivoda said.
The immersive educational experience covered everything from a high-level overview of blockchain technology to forking the mainnet and deploying smart contracts in various environments.
“One moment we were talking about decentralization and why it matters, and another moment we were watching a blockchain video game to count how many Chainlink VRF transactions were made,” Polivoda said, adding that the final evening finished over celebratory pints of local beer.
She offered words of encouragement for beginners who might be nervous to sign up for future Chainlink bootcamps.
“‘Blockchain’ or ‘smart contract developer’ might sound intimidating to some, but the moment you overcome that fear of the unknown, you’ll set yourself up for a very bright future,” she said. “Chainlink Bootcamp will get you started in your web3 journey by giving you both theoretical and practical understanding of how blockchain projects are built.”
To learn more about future smart contract developer bootcamps, visit the Chainlink events page and follow Chainlink on Twitter.