Hey y’all! It’s JC

Let’s set the record straight. crypto isn’t some golden shortcut to overnight riches. Sure, it can be. We’ve all seen the tweets. “Turned $1,000 into $250K in three weeks.” But for every moonshot story, there are hundreds of people left holding the bag, wondering what just happened. I’ve seen both sides. I’ve lived both sides. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned since falling into this space back in 2018, it’s this...

Crypto rewards skill. Not just speed.

The Myth of Easy Money

I’ve had five-figure green days. The kind where your wallet jumps and you feel like you cracked the code. But I’ve also watched it disappear just as fast. One bad call. One rug. One token unlock that nukes everything. It’s a brutal game when you treat it like a casino.

The thing is, people see the wins. No one talks about the nights you stare at your screen, second-guessing every move. No one brags about buying a top, or grinding through bear markets for years before anything clicks. That part doesn’t go viral.

But that’s the truth of it. You might get lucky, sure but if that’s all you’re counting on, this space will eat you alive.

Someone Wins, Someone Loses

Here’s the part that most don’t like to admit: in crypto, for someone to win, someone else usually has to lose. It’s a zero-sum game at times especially when it comes to trading or token launches.

That new coin you 2x’d? Someone bought it higher. That NFT flip? Someone’s still holding the JPEG. I’ve been both the winner and the exit liquidity. And it taught me something big, if you don’t have a skillset, you’re just gambling.

So I stopped chasing pumps and started learning.

From Guesswork to Being Intentional

These days, I treat crypto like any other industry, one that rewards understanding, not just risk-taking. I research teams. I listen to podcasts. I read GitHub commits, follow founders, dig into communities, ask dumb questions in Discords. It’s not glamorous, but it’s how I sharpen the blade.

Crypto is fast, but if you slow down and learn, you start seeing patterns. You learn how to spot copy-paste projects. You recognise devs who ship versus ones who shill. You stop jumping on every trending token and start backing projects you actually believe in.

That’s when the space gets clearer. And that’s when you start to win more than you lose.

Treat It Like a Skill Because It Is

I look at it like this, if you wanted to work in finance, you’d study the markets. If you wanted to be a designer, you’d learn the tools. Crypto’s no different. It’s not a slot machine, it’s an ecosystem. And the more time you spend in it, the better you get.

You learn how protocols work. You figure out how to manage risk. You start asking why something’s pumping instead of just chasing it. That shift is everything.

It’s not always about timing, it’s about reading what’s going on and having conviction. That doesn’t come from luck. That comes from reps.

Still Here for the Long Game

I’m still freelancing right now, doing short-term contract work while I hunt down the crypto job I really want, Account Executive, Business Development, something where I can plug in and help push this space forward. That’s the path I’m building. But even now, every day in crypto is a learning opportunity.

And the thing is, the people I look up to in this space are the ones who really made it, they didn’t just click buttons at the right time. They’ve got depth. Strategy. Awareness. They’ve been through cycles, made mistakes, adapted and are actually building toward something.

I want to be one of them. And if you’re here reading this, I’m guessing you do too.

Wrap-Up

Crypto isn’t a shortcut—, t’s a skillset. You can get lucky, yeah. But staying in the game? Thriving through the noise? That takes work. Curiosity. Discipline. Focus. It’s not easy money, it’s money earned.

So if you’re feeling the pressure to ape into the next thing or FOMO your way into profits, just pause. Think about why. Ask better questions. Stick around long enough to actually build something. That’s where the real wins are hiding.

What’s your biggest lesson so far? Drop it below—let’s keep learning from each other.