Learning @ Chaincode Labs
Bitcoin and Lightning Protocol Development Education

APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2024 START YOUR CAREER IN BITCOIN FOSS ARE NOW CLOSED

About

Chaincode Labs is a Bitcoin research and development center based in Midtown Manhattan, New York. We are passionate about the development progress of the Bitcoin network and adjacent technologies. A critical part of our work is creating a space for those seeking a solid foundation with which to contribute to the Bitcoin and Lightning Network ecosystem.

Since 2016, our residency program has helped to train and develop the next generation of Bitcoin and Lightning protocol and application engineers. In 2020, we expanded our educational outreach to include online seminars. These groups utilize residency pre-work material and provide a space for collaboration between developers, designers, and other contributors across the world.

Online Programs

Transformative education that allows you to study the best content on the planet from the comfort of your own home while arming you with the tools to make the leap to full-time contributor to Bitcoin and Lightning.

Residencies

In-person programs designed to accelerate the life-changing learning of open-source contributors.

Start your career in bitcoin foss

If you aspire to have professional freedom, work on something that will impact the lives of countless people across the world, write code that will span generations, and collaborate with some of the most gifted devs to solve some of the hardest technical problems, then this program is for you.

Contributing to FOSS can feel lonely and intimidating. This three-month program is designed to provide the professional feedback necessary to get you off of FOSS 0.

Chaincode curates each cohort, arranges guest speakers, and provides ongoing support throughout the program. You will be expected to prep for about 10 hours per week and attend a live 90 minute video call. This program will be taught and mentored by contributors that have stood in your shoes. Throughout the week, there will be async chat discussions and support. If you are willing to do the work, we'll give you what you need to get to where you want to go.

Kick Start - 1 Month

A code heavy month of bitcoin and lightning

  • Week 0: RPC Scavenger Hunt
  • Week 1: Build a wallet
  • Week 2: Wallet management
  • Week 3: P2P & Mining
  • Week 4: Lightning

The Rest - 2 Months

Match with a project and get off of 0

  • Meet project maintainers
  • Practice review techniques used by current contributors
  • Apply your learnings with 10-day hackathon
  • Choose a FOSS project and provide value
  • Get coaching on the next step

Change your life

Start your career in bitcoin FOSS

If you are serious about a career in Bitcoin and Lightning FOSS, we strongly encourage you to apply. While a baseline level of code proficiency is required, we welcome all backgrounds and technical experiences. Participants will be expected to work in C++, Golang, or Rust regardless of prior experience. (If you don't know any of these languages, but are eager to learn, YOU SHOULD STILL APPLY. We'll give you the resources to level up!)

  • As with all of our educational initiatives, there is NO COST associated with this program.
  • Complete the application by DECEMBER 31, 2023.
  • If you are a good fit, we'll ask you to complete an exercise. (Note: If you have previously completed a Chaincode Seminar, you are in!)
  • The program begins the week of January 15th and runs until April 15th, 2024.

APPLICATONS TO THIS PROGRAM ARE NOW CLOSED

We encourage you to sign up for the wait list and we'll contact you for the next cohort

Next Cohort Wait List

The Chaincode Online Seminars

(Cohorts currently on hold, please use
self-paced curriculum until we return)

Once a week for 90 minutes, meet with fellow developers, challenge yourself, and receive guidance from current contributors. Weekly prep will take anywhere from 4-6 hours.

Groups will have anywhere from 10-25 participants with rotating discussion groups of 3-5. Participants share a dedicated channel on the Chaincode Learning Slack workspace and those who complete the program are invited to our seminar alum community.

Chaincode curates each cohort, arranges guest speakers, and provides ongoing support throughout the seminar. We do not provide moderators for small group discussions, but assign deputies to ensure an enriching experience. We expect everyone to attend every week. Participants are allotted one absence during the program. If you are absent a second time, we ask you withdraw from the group. We are happy to welcome you back in the future.

Bitcoin Protocol Development

A six week program. Prior to start, participants should read Mastering Bitcoin.

Week 1: Welcome to Bitcoin Protocol Development
Week 2: Segwit
Week 3: Mining & Network Block Propagation
Week 4: P2P
Week 5: Script & Wallets
Week 6: Bitcoin Philosophy Workshop

Lightning Network

A six week program (the sixth week is asynchronous).

Week 1: LN History, Payment Channels, and HTLCs
Week 2: How the Layers of Lightning Fit Together
Week 3: Lightning Routing
Week 4: Limitations
Week 5: The Future of Lightning
Week 6: Asynchronous Coding Practical

Others seem to like it

"It isn't often that one gets to chat with others in the space. This can often lead to information silo and echo chambers but The Chaincode LN seminar fixed this problem for me. Chatting with LN lovers every week made me second guess some of my assumptions and forced me to think more critically about some of the LN limitations. Being part of a set-curriculum seminar forced me to look into branches of Lightning I would otherwise not have. I would highly recommend this seminar to anyone passionate about Lightning, ready to be challenged and eager to meet and have debates with other Lightning lovers."
Elle

LN Seminar Alum
"Before the Chaincode seminar I was not very confident about my Bitcoin development knowledge. Fast forward a few months later, I've now made many friends with whom I share the love for tinkering with the Bitcoin protocol and I now have a dream role at Global Mesh Labs where I get to work on Bitcoin full-time. The team at Chaincode is super passionate and inspiring. I would recommend the seminar to anybody who's serious about deepening their protocol development knowledge and providing meaningful contributions to the Bitcoin ecosystem."
Fode

BPD Seminar Alum
"The seminar was a learning opportunity I'm glad I didn't miss! I enjoyed every single minute of it, I started barely knowing how the Bitcoin protocol works, but after a couple of weeks of studying I not only learned a lot but also met very clever and inspiring people. I can't thank enough the Chaincode team and the people in my group for making it possible."
Nelson

BPD Seminar Alum
"I was looking for an alternative to the traditional engineering space and wanted to start contributing to Bitcoin. My experience in the study group solidified this decision for me—the focused curriculum armed me with the conceptual knowledge needed to jump into the conversation. The continued support from the Chaincode Labs team has been invaluable in my journey."
Jarol

BPD Seminar Alum
"Continuing education is an important part of my professional development as a Bitcoin Core contributor. The BPD seminar with the Chaincode tutors and other participants provided a great means for that."
Hennadii

BPD Seminar Alum
"The accessibility of the material and of fellow participants allowed me to delve deeper into the details of the Lightning protocol, both theorectically and practically. I was exposed to a new community of ethusiastic people from diverse backgrounds who I'll communicate with even after the course ends, consult on issues related to the network and cooperate with the goal of helping blockchain adoption and safety. I thank the Chaincode team for the opportunity and for excellent organization of the seminar."
Ayelet

LN Seminar Alum

Resources

Self Paced Seminars

Our seminar materials are available for anyone to use with readings and discussion questions on various Bitcoin and Lightning topics

Bitcoin Protocol Development Curriculum

A comprehensive resource for Bitcoin protocol developers

Lightning Protocol Development Curriculum

A comprehensive resource for Lightning protocol developers