If you feel stagnant in the crypto space, it might be worth looking at the world outside.
Written by: DeRonin
Translated by: Luffy, Foresight News
My career began in cryptocurrency, and I am truly grateful for the results it has brought me.
However, recently, I have come to the conclusion that I need a Plan B. It’s not that I think the crypto market will disappear, but rather that I need a stable income. This way, my growth can rely on data and my own skills, rather than luck or risk-reward.
Of course, I will balance both and believe this can yield results. When the market is as dull as it is now, I will focus more on other areas, and vice versa.
Think about it: if you haven’t achieved significant results for several years, perhaps there’s something wrong? If you lack liquidity, should you first go earn some money in other fields before returning here?
If your inner answer is, "Damn, I really want to do this, let’s start now," then go for it. I’m not preaching or forcing; I’m just sharing my experiences and genuine thoughts.
Why is a transition necessary? When to transition?
There are several signals that can help you determine whether a transition is needed. After all, transitioning is not just about external expansion; it’s also about addressing internal issues. Here are a few points I’ve summarized for myself:
1. Stagnation of results
When you’ve worked hard for months or even years without any results—and you know you’ve given it your all—that’s stagnation. You’ve tried changing strategies, thinking of improvements, and continuously self-learning, but still to no avail.
Results in the cryptocurrency field cannot always rely on skills; there’s also a psychological game involved. Not everyone is suited to participate in high-risk games at a young age: it can bring advantages (rapid growth), but it can also be a cruel trap. At a certain point, you may experience emotional burnout, which not only hinders you from achieving more but can also take away what you already have. The financial market is like this: survival of the fittest.
2. Changes in market environment
In the current market situation, nothing is absolutely certain. Changes in the market environment often make everything more difficult, and not everyone can adapt. Such periods often lead to most people losing their hard-earned assets.
You cannot control the market, but you can absolutely control the time you invest. Currently, certain specific skills yield returns far beyond testnets. Therefore, sometimes temporarily shifting focus and returning when the market improves can be more beneficial.
3. Lack of liquidity/opportunity
To be frank, in the cryptocurrency field, without liquidity, you are nothing. Testnets and free activities do exist, but they are essentially games of chance—you have no idea if your investment will yield returns, nor can you calculate potential returns, which creates an uncertain environment.
I believe that if you are facing financial issues, cryptocurrency will not solve them. Only a clear mind, along with an understanding of why you are doing this and where the risks lie, can lead to results. And this takes time; it cannot be achieved overnight. You need to give yourself space and time to grow.
So, if you are currently struggling to make a living, a transition is definitely needed. Perhaps it’s temporary; you need to accumulate your first capital.
4. Other fields growing faster than cryptocurrency
The world and we should not be limited to one field; there are many hotter areas right now. Ignoring them means missing out on new opportunities. Since other fields can yield results quickly, why not give them a try?
The following section "Top Fields" will discuss these areas in detail. I don’t think you should give up on "Plan A," but you also need a "Plan B." This way, you can have both: a field you excel in and a field that can grow quickly.
5. You are no longer learning/feeling disgusted
Some of my friends have gone through this, and it’s heartbreaking to see them give up. If something weighs heavily on your mind, it’s hard to persist. Under pressure, you are likely to make frequent mistakes due to emotional exhaustion.
If you are no longer interested in researching projects, exploring new protocols, or understanding the underlying logic (and are only in it for the money), then the chances of achieving results are slim because you lack the motivation to complete the journey.
Transitioning can help you stop deceiving yourself, see your true state, reignite your desire for self-learning and progress, and ultimately lead to results.
Skills You Gained in the Cryptocurrency Field
I’m sure you have gained certain specific skills in the cryptocurrency field. Here are the abilities that are crucial for me; they always come in handy and make me better:
1. Research and Critical Analysis
Research is one of the most important skills in our lives; it always helps us. No matter what industry or job you are in, you can easily find the information you need. This ability for in-depth analysis will make you stand out among many competitors and make it easier for you to become a marketer, data analyst, or even an IT expert.
2. Critical Thinking and Decision-Making Skills
Nowadays, most practitioners cannot make independent decisions. However, in the cryptocurrency field, you need to constantly analyze whether to open positions, etc., which will make you flexible and able to adapt to any situation and make the right decisions. This is often the difference between managers and regular employees, and it allows you to identify early growth patterns and profitable opportunities in any field.
3. Technical Proficiency
To be honest, understanding the white papers of most projects is not easy, while documentation in the Web2 space is often simpler and more understandable. Even so, many people can’t even manage that. This alone can help you stand out in most positions that require basic technical skills. Moreover, with artificial intelligence, creating your own products is no longer that difficult.
How to Apply Crypto Thinking to Other Fields
Crypto thinking is a fast and adaptable mindset that can help you achieve results in a short time: rapid testing, learning; maintaining autonomy, self-sufficiency, and proactively setting tasks. Overall, this mindset is not only applicable to a 9-to-5 job but also to business and senior management.
In marketing, it will help you quickly test hypotheses, run experiments, and follow a data-first approach.
In entrepreneurship, it means building a quick MVP (Minimum Viable Product) without hesitation and testing it in a real environment.
In personal development, it means taking action in practice rather than just being a theorist.
This is the key to acting quickly and applying what you’ve learned as you did before. Your goal is always to achieve the maximum results in the shortest time because the window of opportunity will not always be open. Most Web2 fields will not disappear quickly, but through continuous self-learning, you will eventually become a standout in them.
Top Fields Where You Can Actually Transition
"Fields" do not specifically refer to your exact job or responsibilities but reflect the core direction and potential of the product. I have selected the most promising fields for the next five years and briefly introduced them.
1. Software as a Service (SaaS), Potential: 9/10
SaaS refers to software products related to artificial intelligence and their development. In my opinion, this field is currently the most promising, and importantly: even without programming skills, you can create your own applications by simply learning two AI tools, Bubble and Make, which will do all the work based on your needs. There is a wealth of information online about how to create and sell products.
How to get started: Learn these tools, start operating related blogs, or join a company that develops startup products using these tools. Analyze successful case studies at https://clutch.co/ and https://acquire.com/, study their marketing strategies, and then start creating your own products.
2. E-commerce (Shopify), Potential: 8/10
E-commerce involves selling goods online. There is a high demand for people engaged in dropshipping or e-commerce marketing. Dropshipping means you don’t need to hold inventory; suppliers ship directly to customers and share a portion of the profits with you. This is not limited to selling through TikTok but includes various sales opportunities like short video marketing.
How to get started: Find willing dropshipping partners, study successful store case studies, and learn from their promotional strategies.
3. Coaching, Education, and Personal Branding, Potential: 8/10
Education or EdTech is very popular now, especially in niche areas like cryptocurrency. This field always needs talents who can help with sales, build sales funnels, or handle other tasks.
You can gain initial experience by providing services to bloggers or so-called "creators." I also include personal branding in this field because this skill is compensated: knowing how to grow followers, build communities, etc., allows you to help others, and such services can command a good fee.
How to get started: Start building your personal brand, provide services to bloggers, clarify what you can do, and gradually scale up while accumulating knowledge.
4. Business Automation, Potential: 7/10
In the age of artificial intelligence, automation is a highly sought-after service in businesses. It can reduce costs, speed up processes, and decrease manual labor. You can automate any task: accounting, marketing, customer relationship management (CRM), sales, human resources, etc.
Low-code/no-code solutions are also popular; after learning some platforms, you can start selling services, which can naturally develop into an agency providing such services.
How to get started: Learn n8n and Zapier, find solutions for existing businesses, offer free services to gain experience, and then charge for them.
5. Marketing and Creating Your Own Agency, Potential: 8/10
Marketing is not a field but a professional skill, yet it applies across all fields. I prefer to position it as creating niche agencies, such as agencies focused on platforms like TikTok, Reels, Shorts, etc. These agencies are currently very popular, and "editors" have become a hot profession.
Integrate the necessary resources: someone responsible for designing content formats, someone for editing, and someone for uploading, and you can create a business that can collaborate with almost any company. You don’t have to limit yourself to one field; any field is viable.
How to get started: Find your first batch of editors, brainstorm ideas, and create initial case studies, then continuously analyze and expand into a mature agency.
How to Achieve Initial Results and What to Learn?
The first step is crucial. My breakdown is relatively brief because detailing each field would exceed 10,000 words.
Start with analysis and strategy formulation:
Choose a field or idea (what exactly do you want to do)
Assess actual demand, willingness to pay, and payment amounts
Research competitors and their strategies to see who else is doing the same thing
Clarify your target audience, who your ideal customers are
Then, analyze what you need to learn and the specific steps:
Understand the knowledge required to provide the necessary services
Build a team to learn together
Study how competitors sell, establish sales channels, and pricing
Besides technical skills, consider what other marketing services you can offer
Combine all of this with your personal brand
After taking the first step, it’s important to continuously scale up, delegate more tasks to others, and keep researching marketing and new strategies. Collecting feedback and responding is crucial because honest feedback can determine 50% of a product's success, even if you initially provide services for free.
Financial Security: How to Avoid Having Nothing
Transitioning to another field requires a buffer period during which there may be no income. If you have a family, are renting, or have no one to support you, you need to understand that you still have to eat tomorrow, and a career cannot solve this problem immediately. Otherwise, the mental pressure will be too great, and you will only think about survival rather than building strong products and services.
Personally, I adhere to the following three rules:
Financial reserves (buffer funds): You must have savings that can cover 3-6 months of basic needs. If you have no work skills and want to enter a high-risk field, it’s best to save enough for a year. Although usually no one can achieve this, it’s more of a guideline, so be sure to calculate reasonably. Additionally, it’s important to diversify funds across different channels and safe assets (euros, dollars, stablecoins).
Don’t invest all your funds into a new field: The best initial investment is time, as money is hard to recoup immediately. The probability of successfully starting a business on the first try is very low. Before starting your own business, it’s important to deeply understand all processes as an employee, knowing what to do and how to do it. Keep your living reserves and startup funds separate; otherwise, you may lose financial control.
Track your budget: Calculate the actual living expenses you can afford each month, and never take out loans without knowing how to repay them. Regularly review your expenditures for optimization, cutting unnecessary costs while ensuring that your quality of life does not decline significantly—otherwise, the mental pressure will be substantial.
How to Discover Your Interests and Strengths
When you decide to make a change, "finding yourself" is one of the core tasks. The most important thing is to find what you truly love, regardless of whether it is popular; otherwise, you may experience burnout.
Review Past Experiences:
What things do you do better than others?
What tasks do you enjoy even when they are difficult?
When do you feel motivated and enter a "flow state"?
What do people often thank you for?
What brings you the most income?
Interest Diagnosis:
List the topics you have always been interested in;
What content do you enjoy watching on YouTube/podcasts?
What would you be willing to learn even without compensation?
Which field listed in this article do you like the most?
Do you prefer marketing or technical directions?
Strengths
To understand personal strengths, you can take a personality test, which can help you find suitable positions. Ask yourself, "What kind of person do I want to become?" to drive self-awareness.
Networking and Environment: How to Change Your Circle
Before changing your social circle, you need to clarify your purpose and the people you want to connect with. When evaluating, focus on the essence of the person rather than just their skills.
Clarify your values and needs:
What kind of people do you need?
What values do you hope they possess?
What traits would make them your partners?
I have set a few steps for myself to help change my environment, and this has indeed changed my life:
Enhance personal branding and positioning;
Attend social events, conferences, and seminars;
Learn to give first (knowledge, help, ideas);
Establish a communication system (save contacts, reach out proactively, follow up).
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