Vivek Singh had always wanted to be an independent worker, after having to leave his native Mumbai to chase work opportunities in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, and other far flung cities across India.
“I wanted more freedom, more flexibility,” Singh says, but staying home near his family wasn’t an option when graduating in 2008 into a global recession.
Vivek finally struck out on his own in 2017, transitioning from front-end dev work to crypto programming. But many early crypto startups wanted to pay in cryptocurrency alone, and others stiffed him entirely after months of work. While using networks like Upwork, Vivek said he had to accept below market rates plus "another 30%" off his contracted pay in fees.
That all changed after joining Braintrust last year. Within a week of being approved, Vivek landed his first job, making $50,000 in his first three months — easily 5X what he was making using other platforms to find work. Plus, Braintrust offers him better clients, without him ever having to worry about getting paid at the end of the month, the Blockchain Architect says.
“This isn’t possible on any other platforms: Braintrust has quality Talent and quality clients. The payments are always on time. And the kind of money you’re making on Braintrust is amazing.”
Now Singh gets to work with amazing clients like Stardust, a US-based software platform enabling the metaverse by making it easier to integrate NFTS into games. Most importantly, he gets to do so while living in his family compound with his parents, siblings, wife, and two kids — invaluable time spent with those he cares about most.
“I have work-life balance. I can choose when to work, and who to work for.”
Some people never adapt. But when Vivek learned about crypto from a friend in 2017, he was determined to learn everything — so he started pulling out the books.
Yep, Vivek learned how to create cryptocurrencies by going old school, loading up 10 ebooks on his Kindle and devouring them over just a few months.
He was soon well-versed in crypto theory. To get practical experience, he started coding smart contracts and other chain-related products in his free time. Finally, a client gave him the task of building a cryptocurrency and exchange of his own — and since, he’s done work for seven crypto companies.
That experience dovetails with his biggest advice for fellow independent workers: “Know your area, what you’re good at, so you can focus on that,” Vivek says.
Which may even mean cracking open an actual book — imagine that!
As a crypto expert himself, Vivek is particularly encouraged by the early success of the BTRST token since its mainnet launch and the potential it has for Talent to #ownit.
“We as the Talent will have more control over the network and what kind of jobs we see on the platform. There is no other platform I’ve seen doing this kind of governance for Talent and companies, and it’s fascinating.”
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