Rohan Nero is a US based security researcher. He underwrites crypto protocols, reviews legacy code, and helps create new integrations. His story begins working the overnight shift when he happens upon a Cyfrin Updraft video that, ultimately, changes everything.
“They are faced with the inevitability of us.”
I have the best job ever and I love it. I get paid to research and learn about new concepts and the latest innovations in our industry. Not many people have that opportunity.
More specifically, I work for Uno Re as a core team member. I primarily research protocols, assess the risk associated with them, create and plan out external integrations/new features for users to interact with, and review and update legacy protocol code. In broader terms, we empower communities through equitable code reviews, decentralized resilience, and audited trust.
A couple years ago I was working overnight shifts in a warehouse stocking shelves. I had no college degree, and no background in coding, computer science, or math.
What I did have was the desire to do something more impactful, and a strong interest in blockchain. The technology is exciting and the community is extremely entertaining.
I’d constantly thought about what I wanted to do with my life, but was stuck between choosing something that I would enjoy vs something that would enable me to provide for my family. Writing code seemed like something I could grow to love, yet actually learning how to do it felt so out of reach. Until one fortuitous night, while scrolling Twitter, I happened upon the Cyfrin Updraft smart contract development course. It was clear, straightforward, and I was instantly inspired. I felt confident it was possible to learn coding and make the transition into smart contract development.
The shift was initially overwhelming. Literally nothing in my background transferred–skills, knowledge, processes. But, I was determined and I persevered, even when It felt pointless and I wasn’t fully grasping the concepts.
I completed the now deprecated 16-hour Brownie video (replaced by Foundry Fundamentals on Cyfrin Updraft). Then, the old Hardhat video, (now Advanced Foundry).
Not feeling confident yet, I watched more and more tutorials trying to fully grasp everything. Until another fortuitously timed video of Patrick’s where he mentioned “tutorial hell.” It suddenly made sense.
I just started building.
Then, only when the complexity of a project overtook my knowledge, did I look for guidance to help me learn. The goal was to build and learn by doing. I figured the best way to fully understand different concepts, was to incorporate them into projects, and so I did just that for many concepts such as external price feeds, multi-sigs, signature recovery, Merkle trees, Assembly/opcodes, EIPs, etc.
Building from passion and curiosity, along with the insights and guidance from Cyfrin Updraft videos, led directly to where I am today–a professional web3 security researcher. Almost exactly two years after I began the journey.
Looking back, I feel it would have been possible to achieve the same thing without the Cyfrin Updraft courses but they made it easier and quicker. Patrick’s humor certainly made it more enjoyable!
There is a huge opportunity if you’re interested in web3. The need for knowledgable security researchers and smart contract developers is growing fast.
Not gonna lie though, there are barriers.
If you’re considering it as a career or just for fun, develop a strong grasp of the fundamental ideologies that lie at the core of this industry: the overarching vision, the underlying philosophy, the foundations of how and why blockchain has the potential to change everything. If these align with your beliefs, dive in and have fun! And, of course, follow Patrick Collins and Cyfrin Updraft!
When you’re getting started, Cyfrin Updraft videos will give you a strong foundation. Then, just build what interests you.
If you hit a blocker, there are many resources to help you break through. This could be an Updraft lesson or something you find on YouTube, on medium, in protocol documentation.
Once you feel confident enough in your skills, test your knowledge. Join public smart contract audit competitions like Cyfrin CodeHawks and Code4arena, or Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges like Curta, Ethernaut, and SpeedRunEthereum.
Of course, the number one skill every web3 native must master, whether smart contract developer, security auditor, or intern: Twitter/X. If you’re looking for something, the extended blockchain community there can always point you in the right direction, you just have to look in the right places.
Web3 is a really unique industry. Often with an unfair reputation. It’s important to understand that underneath the countless jokes and noise, there is a large community of people working honestly to build a better future for everyone.
We need your help too.
“time to learn zk is now, together, not for the advancement of a virtual machine, but for the advancement of our digital foundations at large.” Jtriley
If you’d like to continue following my journey, or have any questions along yours, you can find me @RohanNero.
