![](https://hackernoon.com/hn-images/1*enHydWvkLJiiSDeZBf_drA.jpeg)

**ConsenSys Academy is focused on educating the next wave of Ethereum developers.**

I’m considering applying, although there’s a $1k price tag on the course. But I mean… there isn’t a price tag on being able to develop on the biggest open-source project in distributed systems — Ethereum 🔥

> You have till June 4th to apply: [https://consensys.net/academy/2018developer/](https://consensys.net/academy/2018developer/)

Below is my cover letter submission. Thought I’d repost it here as it reveals a bit about me and why I’m in the space.

I’m a software engineer who’s passionate about building cool shit. I’ve gone from mobile game development, to building web applications, and now working with [blockchain](https://hackernoon.com/tagged/blockchain) [technology](https://hackernoon.com/tagged/technology). I’m fairly young, so I wasn’t around during the early days of the internet. I wasn’t a developer yet when Apple opened the iPhone to developers with the App Store. And I don’t know where I was in 2009, but I wasn’t buying Bitcoin. Although I wasn’t around for any of those opportunities, I think being a Solidity developer is my big break.

By day, I’m a software engineer at the coolest French startup in New York — [Aircall](http://aircall.io/) (we’re hiring btw, just ask!). The product is a voice platform for business, built on a fairly complex Ruby on Rails stack. By night (okay — when I’m not out clubbing, playing pool, or exploring the city) I like to code decentralized applications and read about the progress other projects are making; two of the most interesting ones being [Spankchain](https://spankchain.com/) and [0x Protocol](https://0xproject.com/). I’d like to think that being early to the game (a decentralized Internet) will only be beneficial to my career.

Whenever I’m asked to describe myself, I like to choose three words. Ambitious. Hacker. Chill. I’m a driven person who sets high goals only to shatter them and set even higher ones. I hack life by living a healthy and balanced lifestyle. But at the end of the day, I’m a laid back person who enjoys wine on rooftops as much I enjoy staying in and binging Mad Men (for the third time). So how would I benefit from this developer program? I’d grind those 8 weeks, come out a more knowledgable blockchain engineer, and use it as a trajectory to set higher goals and build cooler shit.

Well there you go. I guess it could’ve been more formal but hey — I’m not your average dev 😎

If you’re in NYC — let’s grab a beer! Always up for some blockchain conversations (but not about your investments 🙏). I’m on [twitter](https://twitter.com/imthatcarlos).

Ethereum

Apple

ConsenSys

Twitter

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Build JavaScript blockchain apps easily with Lisk

My cover letter submission for the ConsenSys developer program (2018)

Too Long; Didn't Read

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@carlosbeltran

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