Alchemy University

Ch. 10: Continuing the Journey

Course/Ch. 10: Continuing the Journey
Lesson 10.13 min read

Online Courses, Tutorials, and Academic Programs

If you prefer structured learning, several platforms and universities offer blockchain courses:

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  • Coursera and edX: These have courses from top universities. For example, Coursera has “Blockchain Basics” by University at Buffalo, “Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies” from Princeton, and more advanced ones like “Decentralized Finance”. edX hosts courses like “Blockchain for Business” by Berkeley. Many of these are free to audit.

  • Khan Academy: Has a series of simple videos explaining Bitcoin and blockchain fundamentals (like by Zulfikar Ramzan). Good for a high-level intro if you like short visual explanations.

  • Codeacademy: Offers a paid course on Ethereum development where you build smart contracts in Solidity – hands-on for aspiring devs.

  • IBM SkillsBuild / Cognitive Class: IBM’s free learning portal has blockchain modules with hands-on labs (like building a simple Hyperledger Fabric app). They also have one about “Blockchain and cryptocurrencies” introducing key concepts.

  • University Programs: Some universities now have blockchain centers and even offer degrees or certificates. E.g., MIT has a Digital Currency Initiative, Stanford and Berkeley have blockchain clubs and courses on campus. For high schoolers, there are emerging programs like in Wyoming (WyoHackathon has teen categories, etc.).

  • Blockchain MOOCs from specialized orgs: The Blockchain Education Network (BEN) and others sometimes run online bootcamps. Consensys (an Ethereum company) has their Academy which offers a Solidity developer course.

  • Next-Gen Personal Finance (NGPF): For educators or students, NGPF has a module on cryptocurrency basics as part of personal finance courses, which can be useful in a school setting to discuss crypto responsibly.

  • Local Workshops and Hackathons: Many cities have blockchain meetups that occasionally run free workshops. Also hackathons (often online nowadays) are great: you learn by doing and can win prizes. ETHGlobal, for example, runs big Ethereum hackathons where novices can join, they provide mentors and workshops and you get to build something in a weekend. Great learning under pressure.

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If you are specifically into development:

  • Solidity docs and CryptoZombies: Official Solidity documentation is thorough. CryptoZombies is a fun interactive tutorial that teaches Solidity by making a zombie game step-by-step.

  • Ethereum.org developer portal: It has tutorials for building your first dApp, and a list of learning resources.

  • Stack Exchange (Ethereum Stackexchange) is where devs ask tech Qs – browsing it is a good way to see common issues and solutions.

  • Open-source: Check GitHub for open-source projects, read their code. E.g., Uniswap’s contracts are public – you can learn a lot from reading production code (though it's advanced).

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