As the advent of Web 3.0 approaches, many people may consider entering this emerging field. However, there is still relatively little content available on Web3 at this stage. If you're a newcomer looking to break into a Web3 product role, what practical experiences can you follow? In this article, the author shares his insights based on personal experience. Let’s take a look.

I. About Interviews & Job Searching

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Interviews are always a great learning opportunity for product managers. Regardless of whether the process goes smoothly, there is always something to learn. If things go well, you recognize that some of your experiences are valuable, which builds your confidence and helps you understand which of your traits are marketable. If things don’t go well, you can gain insight into different perspectives and recognize your shortcomings. This doesn’t mean you’re inadequate; it simply reflects that your traits and knowledge don’t align with that particular company.

02
If you are transitioning from another industry, you might feel some fear about not being familiar with or understanding this field, worrying about making mistakes during interviews. However, this is completely unnecessary, as Web3 is akin to the mobile internet of ten years ago—an entire field still largely uncharted, without any absolute truths or mature methodologies. Don’t be afraid if you don’t know much; having your own logically coherent views can help you outperform 80% of your competitors.

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If you are a Web3 novice, the fastest way to get started is to dive in and get your hands dirty by directly engaging with Web3 products. Practical experience is far more valuable than reading 100 operation manuals.

Stop solely reading articles about what others think Web3 is. Instead, immerse yourself in the experience of Web3 to stimulate your own thinking and form your own insights; this is the quickest path to getting up to speed.

04
The Web3 industry is still in a developmental stage, and in the early stages, there’s no need to overly focus on user experience in products. Instead, competition among projects is largely about team operations and marketing capabilities, which help projects sustain themselves amid competition. Accordingly, product roles also require operational and marketing skills, enabling you to support the team and making you more appealing to Web3 teams. Demonstrating operational and marketing abilities during interviews will also make it easier to secure opportunities.

05
Don’t approach job searching as an employee; think of yourself as a company seeking a partnership. Your relationship with the company you want to work for should be seen as a collaboration, not an employer-employee relationship. Where you work should be about contributing to the growth and prospects of your “company,” rather than just earning a paycheck. Companies that don’t help you add value—whether through skills, knowledge, experience, or credentials—aren’t worth pursuing.

06
Web3 originates from a specific economic system, leading each Web3 project to have its own unique economics. When choosing a company to join, be sure to keep a keen eye on the underlying driving forces of the project. Absolutely avoid projects that are purely nihilistic or that resemble Ponzi schemes.

II. About Learning Web3

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A key feature of Web3 is openness! If you’re willing, there is no knowledge that you cannot learn. Various communities and media offer free, abundant, and systematic content for reading, which is more than sufficient for transitioning and preparing for interviews without the need for paid learning resources, which only contributes to anxiety.

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The best introductory material for Web3 novices is the Web3 knowledge academies offered by major exchanges. Exchanges create concise and straightforward content to help novices quickly get started as target users, ensuring there are no reading obstacles such as confusing acronyms or terminology. Most of this content can be accessed without registration, making it an invaluable resource for beginners.

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Once you have foundational knowledge, maintain ongoing awareness of the trends and developments in the Web3 industry. The field is rapidly evolving, with new concepts and technologies emerging constantly. Failing to stay updated on new trends can lead to falling behind in future project planning.

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The concept of gas fees can be particularly confusing for newcomers. A simple analogy is that gas fees are like tolls on a highway. Web2 products offset these tolls through advertising and data usage, while Web3 products return data to you, meaning you must pay this toll (gas fee). If you travel on someone else’s road, you must use their toll ticket to pay.

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If it’s inconvenient or you are unwilling to spend real money to experience Web3 products, you can use various test networks to get a feel for the basic operational processes and the core of the product, even though there may not be many publicly available test net products.

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Once a Web3 product is released, rolling back product versions in emergencies is not possible. Therefore, be extremely cautious during the testing phase. If the project has sufficient resources, any code changes involving on-chain interactions must undergo code audits to ensure there are no security vulnerabilities.

III. About Projects & Products

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Working on Web3 projects is akin to working on overseas projects, where you will encounter many situations that are very different from domestic Web2 products. Many basic infrastructures that seem routine may become significant pain points in Web3 or while going abroad. For instance, there is no mature Alipay API for you to call.

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Stay updated on changes in global regulatory information. Most Web3 projects have financial attributes, and changes in regulatory policies can lead to the abrupt termination of certain niche markets. Always be cautious regarding regulations to avoid potential risks.

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Due to the high transparency of information in Web3, market volatility is also heightened. Any change in information spreads rapidly, and the market reacts quickly. In contrast, Web2 projects often take months or even a year or two for issues to surface due to information opacity. Web3 projects, however, allow issues to be traced back to on-chain data, with problems potentially escalating within days or weeks.

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The pace of Web3 development is fast, reminiscent of the mobile internet a decade ago, where new concepts and models appeared every few months, leading to an influx of teams competing. This can easily foster a FOMO (fear of missing out) mentality. However, the projects that endure are those that focus and accumulate over time. Without a solid user base developed through deep engagement, they will ultimately fade away despite initial momentum.

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When the wind rises, even pigs can fly; previously, with Web2, everything could be "internet+" and now with Web3, anything can be done again in Web3. However, the underlying logic of products remains unchanged. Product value = (new experience - old experience) - replacement cost. No matter how you innovate, if the new experience doesn’t surpass (old experience + replacement cost), it remains mere bubble and will not become a sustainable project.

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The essence of a product is to discover and meet user needs, which holds true across all sectors. Just because it carries the "Web3" label doesn’t mean the fundamental nature changes. Experience with Web3 projects is not the sole criterion for product recruitment; rather, the degree of understanding of the essence of the product is what truly matters. Project experience is merely a facade.

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In any job, the most important aspect is to operate legally and compliantly. If you encounter projects with legal risks, it’s better not to engage than to try to skirt the rules.

IV. About Original Intentions & the Future

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The essence of Web3 is community consensus, and Web3 products are merely manifestations of that consensus. To truly understand Web3, join a few Web3 communities and engage to experience the romanticism of programmer thinking, where code, information, and data are open-source and transparent, embodying the spirit of the geek.

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In philosophical terms, Web2 resembles Confucianism, where product planning establishes various systems and processes, allowing everyone to appear as gentlemen under the same ceremonial system. In contrast, Web3 embodies Daoist thought, allowing for spontaneous growth and adapting to consensus systems. It experiences cycles of prosperity and chaos, collapsing and rebuilding repeatedly, creating an unknown developmental path.

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When working on products, it’s essential to return to your original intentions. If you do not resonate with the spirit and consensus of Web3 but are only drawn to the trends and rampant capital, it will be hard for you to consistently work on Web3 products. The market in the Web3 world shifts quickly between bull and bear phases, and without core values, you may become just a cog in a machine, useful when needed and discarded otherwise.

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Currently, Web3 is in a developmental stage where products still hover at a metaphysical level and have yet to tangibly change users' lives. However, everything happening in Web3 is a preparation for the ultimate goal of "Metaverse." You are not changing the world but rather preparing to build the future world.