It has been a crazy ride. I'm basically an (crypto) algo trader. This was kind of a dream. Made it true. Worked well. Did it on my own.
Now would like to have a "normal" job again. Maybe in Data Science or Robotics (although no exprience, but this would be very exciting). Anyway.
What do you think. Should I mention that I was basically unemployed the last 3 years and did crypto trading?
I think from the technical part, it was very challeging. Also I was able to beat the competition for quite a long time.
On the other hand, I can't prove anything I say and there is no reference that proves that I actually was that good.
How would you handle this? I mean it is kind of weird to be honest.
I think that the desks that I worked with in the City (derivatives, credit, high speed trading), though a while ago now, would be interested in your experiences for trading many things. They'd probably have to interview you hard!
(I've only been on someone else's payroll for a short time, maybe 5% of my working life, so that is not a problem if you showcase it right, IMHO.)
Did you get money to live from cryptocoins trading? Then you were "self employed", not "unemployed".
If someone needs "proof" of something that you know is true, you don't need to work for them and it's likely some kind of "dance for my entertainment" rather than a genuine "I'll hire MB, but only if he can prove this one thing with paperwork."
I would pick one or more job titles that are both relevant to the job you're applying for and to the work you did and put those on your resume, e.g.
Crypto trader/blockchain developer/investment analyst (self-employed)
- Developed trading platform with X latency
- Implemented blah blah algorithm
- (Throw in more metrics about how you were able to beat competition)
The proof is the skills you built along the way, the same as any job you put on your resume. In data science, at least, we're rarely asked for references. Don't think of yourself as unemployed during that time, and especially don't call yourself unemployed.
Or even within crypto, there's still plenty of big reputable firms doing it.
As for track... half the interview will revolve around technical questions and knowledge of the markets - which sounds like you have. As for track - how did you trade? On chain? You could provide wallet address. On CEX? You could make screenshots or sth. But frankly Id think evidence won't be the stumbling block.
Having done it self employed will only make it more impressive.
What the actual fuck is a blockchain for if you can't prove anything with it??
I wouldn't frame it that way. If you made enough money to cover your rent and living expenses, and weren't collecting unemployment from your local government, then you weren't unemployed. You had a non-traditonal, remote/work from home job, that others would be envious of. Just because there's no office, no boss, no timecard doesn't mean you were unemployed. I'm betting you spent many many hours in front of a computer to get your Algo edge in order to make money. That's called a job.
> On the other hand, I can't prove anything I say and there is no reference that proves that I actually was that good.
It's on the block chain. Make a transaction and sign it with the hash of "I'm Michael Baer and The beauty of companies that use leetcode as their hiring bar is that a smart person who didn't get an ivy league degree and doesn't have traditional experience they can put on their resume means that you can still walk in the front door, ace the test, and get a job. On your resume, dig into what you did as an Algo trader. What code you had to write, what data analysis you did in order to get that edge, etc.