What are the best ways for Financial Technology employees to develop their skills?

In my experience, there's no faster way to acquire necessary skills than diving into a problem. In particular, look for one that personally sparks your interest because that's going to help sustain you through the inevitable roadblocks you'll encounter. Also, avoid taking on anything too big right out the gate. Look for ways to break tasks down to manageable chunks that allow you to take incremental steps and build on top of your progress. If your project is separate from your daily work then it's also important to build a routine around it, otherwise, it becomes easy to let it sit on the shelf and see your learning gains erode. Lastly, look for frequent feedback to ensure you're on the right path while keeping you motivated.

Start by joining decentralized platforms like GitHub or GitLab for version control. Communicate effectively through decentralized messaging tools like Matrix or Riot. Embrace decentralized file-sharing systems such as IPFS. Participate in blockchain-based collaboration platforms like Gitcoin for funding. Utilize decentralized identity solutions like uPort for secure authentication. Foster a community mindset, leverage smart contracts for transparent agreements, and stay informed about emerging decentralized technologies to contribute effectively to these innovative online projects.

Working on projects delivers an invaluable learning experience. Being engaged in effectively planning, designing, implementing, and delivering various FinTech projects will broaden your understanding of industry trends and emerging technologies, and their practical applications. It offers opportunities to implement theoretical knowledge into practice, face real challenges, and find innovative solutions. This hands-on experience simultaneously boosts your problem-solving skills, project management abilities, and technical expertise. This is particularly true for crypto and web3.0 projects.

Regardless of your role in your current organization - a good project to tackle is to acquire internal data (product analytics, user data, marketing data, etc...) and use that as a basis for a project. Being closer to the challenge at hand will greatly improve how well you can understand context, and will make any result that much more meaningful for yourself and the business you're aiming to help.

Work on APIs that deal with financial service data, particularly those relating to financial statements. This will grow your skills and help you understand balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow. These three financial statements are what publicly traded companies report to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on a quarterly basis.

Fin-Tech employees have the freedom to break the usual ways of working, so why not do the same with the tools? Early stage Fin-Techs have to hustle their way to manage tight budget constraints, and that means they have to be creative. I see so many tools used in just basic way, i.e. Jira just as a ticketing/Kanban tool. However, with some creativity, you can run different processes or full departments through it. Jira can be a recruitment management tool, we have built process landscape within Atlassian suites, or used it as our B2B CRM. There is a vast array of tools, which work on basics skillsets (SQL,VBA, etc.). Be open to experiment and re-use what you have to find new use cases for them.

Although there are hundreds of tools that are all well-supported and documented, it's first important to understand the "why" of the tool you're looking to learn. As an example - Excel is an amazing all-around financial modelling & data aggregation tool, but won't be the best when it comes to data visualization. It's good to break tools down into their core use-cases, and to focus heavily on one or two tools for each. There's no need to spread yourself thin learning different proprietary languages when you can unify a subset of tools around SQL/Excel/Python, which could solve most challenges one would have around data.

FinTech pros excel with blockchain, cloud platforms (AWS, Azure), cybersecurity (Metasploit, Nessus), data analytics (Hadoop, Spark), RPA (UiPath), compliance, AI (TensorFlow), simulation, mobile app development, data viz (D3.js, Tableau), regulatory tools, and DevOps (Jenkins, Docker).

- One thing I’ve found helpful is by attending FinTech conferences, seminars, and meetups to network with professionals, learn from industry leaders, and gain insights into emerging technologies and best practices. - Secondly, getting Enrolled for online courses and certifications that cover relevant FinTech topics. We have various platforms available like Coursera, edX, and Udacity which offer courses in blockchain, data analytics, cybersecurity, and financial modelling at affordable prices. - Lastly, following industry news, subscribing to newsletters, and participating in relevant forums to stay updated on the latest trends, innovations, and regulatory changes in the FinTech sector would help you develop on your skills.

Open-source projects are a great way to learn from other developers and gain experience with new technologies. The developers can also volunteer themselves to help fintech startups. Fintech startups often seek volunteers to help with customer support, marketing, and product development tasks.

A crucial part of professional development involves actively seeking and embracing feedback. Constructive criticism can help you identify areas for improvement and broaden your perspective. Regular feedback sessions with supervisors and peers will help assess your work from different viewpoints. Reflection on this feedback enables a refined approach towards your future tasks, enhancing performance and resultant outputs, thereby fostering continued growth and learning.

Another effective way to seek feedback is by leveraging self-assessment tools and surveys. By using self-assessment questionnaires or anonymous surveys, fintech employees can gather valuable insights about their performance, strengths, and areas for improvement. This method allows individuals to reflect on their work objectively and receive feedback from a broader group of stakeholders, including peers, clients, or team members. It provides a structured and systematic approach to self-evaluation and skill development.

Something crucial in every company and for every person is to develope soft skills. Begin with a needs assessment through surveys and performance reviews to identify skill gaps. Tailor training programs using workshops, role-playing, and e-learning platforms, focusing on key areas like communication and problem-solving. Incorporate mentorship, pairing seasoned professionals with newer employees to transfer skills organically. Enhance collaboration through team-building exercises and encourage personal development with activities like book clubs. Ensure an integrated approach for comprehensive soft skills growth.

There is a ton of ways to learn, however, the most important thing is for you to be very clear on your goals. Have a genuine development plan driven by you, not your Manager. Identify the "soft skills" you want to build, the knowledge you want to acquire, and the exposure to projects and people you want. Once you have this clarity, go and figure out how to make it happen. Learning and Development is an ongoing journey for all of us, from interns to the most experienced CEO and Board member in the industry. It's mega important we invest in ourselves and in everyone in the company.