Hey, Hackers! I’m Andy, also known as Crypto Badger (@iamcryptobadger).
First of all, a huge thank you to the HackerNoon community and staff for nominating me for a 2021 Noonies award! I’ve been nominated in the following category; please do check out these award pages and vote:
- Contributor of the Year - Investment: https://noonies.tech/award/2021-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-investment
As someone in the crypto investing industry, I believe that the most exciting technology of the present is anything blockchain-related because of the impact it will have on the world in the coming years - DeFi, NFTs, metaverse, etc. - and at the moment, we’re seeing only the tip of the iceberg. Learn more about my thoughts and opinions on investing in crypto and NFTs and my journey in the tech industry via the interview below.
1. What do you do, and why do you do it? (tell us your story)
I create content (articles and videos) about various aspects of crypto and NFTs - technical analysis, market commentaries, tutorials for beginners, etc. I want to help people understand blockchain technology and its different uses and help them with investing in it.
Crypto is still in its very early days, and it can be quite intimidating for newcomers. Even amongst the people who started investing in crypto, there are still many (if not the vast majority) who only feel comfortable with buying crypto on a centralized exchange but don’t know how to set up their own software or hardware wallet, how to transfer their crypto, use Uniswap, use different networks, bridge assets, stake the tokens, purchase NFTs, etc.
Blockchain technology is developing very fast, but I think it will still take a few more years before it will become more user friendly, especially for less technical people (for example, my parents;) My background is in teaching technical aspects of photography and video at a university level so explaining technical concepts to the audience at various levels comes naturally for me.
2. Tell us more about the things you create / write / manage / build!
The most important thing for me is the high quality of my content, but at the same time, I also want to make sure that I post it regularly. I write articles about crypto and investing every 10 days or so and post them on Hackernoon, and after a week or two, I re-post them on Medium to reach a different audience. I also post 2-3 videos every week on my YouTube channel. One is my regular market commentary video, which I post every Monday - it contains some technical analysis of Bitcoin, Ether, and ADA and my thoughts about recent market movements and speculations on what is likely to happen next. I then usually focus on 2-3 low-cap altcoins.
On Tuesdays, I post videos focused on NFTs. They have a similar format to my Monday videos but are aimed at a different audience as people who are into NFTs are not always into crypto and vice-versa. And then, on Fridays, I post various crypto tutorials - how to set up your MetaMask, how to use Pancake Swap, or a guide to IGOs. On top of that, I post on Twitter, usually a few times a day.
3. How did you end up on your current career path? Do you like it?
I first became interested in Bitcoin in 2013 but haven’t really done much about it, other than researching it a bit. Then in 2017, I invested in Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP. I learned a little bit about crypto, but it was mainly as a long-term hodl portfolio. Then at the beginning of this year, I started putting all my spare time into crypto. This space is evolving so quickly that it’s really hard to stay on top of things, but I find it incredibly interesting and can happily spend hours looking into new projects, etc.
4. What tech are you most excited or passionate about right now and why?
It’s simple - blockchain. In every possible sense. From making speculative bets on various projects to the actual utility such as DeFi, NFTs (especially as proof of ownership and authenticity, not just in the sense of jpegs that can be quickly flipped for profit), crypto gaming, linking all of the above into a metaverse, etc. I’m excited to see how the status quo is changing in many sectors, and it’s just the beginning. I think the next 5-10 years are going to be extremely exciting, and as technology is maturing, the opportunities are going to be incredible.
5. What tech are you most worried about right now and why?
I think my biggest worry is the constant and omnipresent data harvesting. And it’s a tricky situation because as the technology is developing, as we’re becoming more and more connected, and the idea of a metaverse is becoming more and more real, I think the issue of data sharing and management will only become bigger and more difficult to manage.
6. If we gave you 10 million dollars to invest in something today, what would you invest in and why?
I always diversify my investments. 50% would be Bitcoin because I see it as a safe store of value (long-term). While I expect it to still go up 2-3x in this market cycle, I know that if I’m wrong, I will still be making a profit by holding it long-term. 30% would be split equally between Ether - also at least 2x potential for gains and also a pretty safe long-term bet, and ADA, which has been consolidating for a while, but as the Cardano ecosystem matures, I expect ADA to reach around 10 USD next year. And until then, I can stake it and earn around 5% APY interest.
The remaining 20% I would split between low-cap altcoins and NFTs. I would focus in particular on gaming/metaverse/NFT related alts, such as Altura, Polkacity, Star Atlas, Super Farm, etc., as I believe that this type of project has the biggest potential for growth.
NFTs are currently in a bear market, so there are some great buying opportunities. I would especially look at ones that generate passive income, such as Kaiju Kingz, SpaceApes, or BearX.
The strategy above would give me security (relative, of course, crypto is a bit crazy;) of large-cap long-term holds, the opportunity of small-cap alts and NFTs, plus some decent passive income.
7. What are you currently learning?
Everything blockchain-related - I spend hours every day reading whitepapers, researching new projects, chatting to people on Discord, watching countless YouTube videos, etc. I’m also trying to learn Solidity at some very basic level. I don’t have any previous experience in programming, so it’s going very slow, but I don’t mind. I don’t aim to be a software developer but rather to have some basic understanding when looking at how various smart contracts are written.
8. What’s the best advice you’ve ever given someone?
Buy crypto! ;-) Seriously though… yes, it’s a bit of risky advice, and of course, it depends on the moment, the type of crypto, and personal circumstances but overall, I think at least getting interested in crypto and embracing the fact that it’s going to change the future is very important. We are still in the very early days of the implementation of blockchain technology so there are still plenty of life-changing opportunities - either by investing in crypto or NFTs or looking for a job in that field. Whatever it is, as long as it’s blockchain-related, it’s likely to have a future.
9. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Hard work and smart work can only take you to a certain point if you’re not aligned with your true self, your purpose, your why. It may sound a bit woo-woo, but I certainly was true in my case. I was working off my backside while working in a 9-5 job and trying to run my own photography business.
But eventually, after reading ‘Find Your Why’ by Simon Sinek and working with a life coach to actually find my why, I figured out what’s important for me and how it was impossible to realize my purpose by doing the work I was doing. That’s when I gradually decided to focus more on crypto, and eventually, it all clicked into place. The work I do comes easier (more naturally); I make more money and have more satisfaction from what I do.
About HackerNoon’s 2021 Noonie Awards
The annual Noonie Awards celebrate the best and brightest of the tech industry, bringing together all who are making the Internet and the world of tech what it is today. Please be sure to check out our award categories, nominate, and vote for the people and companies who you think are making the biggest impact on the tech industry today.
The 2021 Noonies are sponsored by: bybit, Dottech Domains, and Avast. Thank you so much to these sponsors who are helping us celebrate the accomplishments of all our nominees.