Headline: How to get a cryptocurrency trader certification
Date: 8/31/2022
Body: If you need to get a complicated surgery, you might look at the walls of the surgeon’s office and look for certificate or diplomas. These are serious credentials. But in addition to medical professionals, one can get certified in almost any profession or activity. In point of fact, I just heard that one college in Norway offers a summer-time program, certifying people as “elf-spotters.” So, it seems unsurprising to find that there are certification programs for people who trade cryptocurrencies.
Formal University Education
Not for profit “real” educational institutions are not going to leave money on the table, so we should not be too surprised that some the most respected institutions of higher learning also offer a certification as a cryptocurrency trader. Let’s take a peek at a few.
Cornell is a school in upstate New York, and is well-known for their Hotel Management graduate certificate. But, they also offer a certification as a cryptocurrency trader. Their certification in cryptocurrency trading appears to be excellent as well. In the course of 4 sections, students go through their own theoretical ICO, and look at all of the challenges faced in this process. They end the program with a Leadership Symposium.
The Wharton School is a part of the University of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia. Their offering is an entirely online program that seems to depend on case studies. It is a 6-week program demanding 8-10 hours per week, and tuition of $4,500. For this price, you get access to a wide variety of expert presenters on the topics of digital assets, blockchain and cryptocurrency.
Online Education Sites
There are more than a few educational sites on the internet. Coursera and Udemy have cryptocurrency certifications amongst their offerings. Surprisingly, (to me) LinkedIn also has a similar program.
Udemy offers such a cryptocurrency trading credential, and offers Lifetime access and a 30-day money-back guarantee. (They also offer a large variety of other courses as well.) One course, led by Professor Hassan comprises 12.5 hours of video instruction, and one print article. He covers all aspects of selling, buying and trading cryptocurrencies, and even gets into portfolio management within the cryptocurrency space. (Interestingly, this is the course that Investopedia identified as their #1 best buy.)
Coursera is another site offering cryptocurrency trading certification. When I searched for cryptocurrency, I found 34 courses matching to that criterion. These were from good sources too, including: Duke, Princeton and the University of Michigan. All of these courses are free to take and get skills, but if you want them to show on a transcript, you will have to pay.
LinkedIn Learningà LinkedIn Learning also offered a good beginner’s course for $39.99 per month. When you consider you also get access to over 17,000 courses for that price (including eight cryptocurrency courses), that’s a pretty good deal as well. Also nice about this option is that you are adding to your network of social contacts as you take your courses. (This course garnered the award of “Best Value” from Investopedia.)
Other Organizations
Investopedia is one of my most favorite site for financial/Legal issues. They offer 2 courses on Cryptocurrency. The first one is expressly aimed at beginners and is $99. The second one is $199 and is aimed at trading cryptocurrencies. Both courses are video-based and offer lifetime access to their video libraries, and at the end of each course, the student can download and print a certificate.
The Blockchain Council is a world-wide association of 1500 people who are enthusiasts of the blockchain technology. Their mission is to evangelize (their word) the benefits of the blockchain in all manner of cognate areas from Supply Chain Management to financial transactions. They offer 3 courses relating to cryptocurrency, but these are interesting. One of the 3 courses focuses on metaverses, and in the other examples, a set of metaverses is not emphasized.
Risk management is everything
Risk Management is boring — and happens to be the most essential skill necessary to be profitable. Understanding how much to risk on a trade and how to properly balance a portfolio are exponentially more important than entries and exits. Learning this takes time — most new traders are broke before they understand risk.
Most people would be far better off slowly investing a small percentage of their entire portfolio in crypto — and in Bitcoin, in particular. Don’t be fooled by the avatars on twitter — trading crypto is hard.
The Verdict
There are a variety of places to get educated on the topics related to digital assets and currencies. I guess that the key is to pay close attention to the credentials of the person teaching. Carefully weigh these against the amount being charged for the education program, and always keep in mind what you are really taking the courses for.
It seems that cryptocurrency is not leaving us anytime soon; Profit from it, if you safely can. Key to that safety is learning.
REFERENCES
https://www.investopedia.com/best-cryptocurrency-trading-courses-5111984
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/425542
https://cointelegraph.com/news/trading-bitcoin-is-hard-10-things-every-beginner-trader-must-know
Editor’s Note: Please note that the information contained herein is meant only for general education: This should not be construed as Tax Advice. Personal attributes could make a material difference in the advice given, so, before taking action, please consult your tax advisor or CPA.