From Pizza Orders to Packet Routing — The Web3 Job That Blew My Mind
A few months ago, I was chatting with a candidate who told me he was running nodes in his flat to earn crypto while working full-time as a network engineer. Nothing unusual, right? Except he was routing real data packets through the Helium Network and pulling in more from DePIN projects than from his day job.
That was the moment it clicked.
I’ve been in crypto recruitment long enough to remember when “jobs in Web3” mostly meant Discord mods, NFT shillers, or Solidity devs working on their fourth stealth launch. But what we’re seeing now with DePIN — Decentralised Physical Infrastructure Networks — is a completely new frontier. It’s where blockchain meets the real world. And it’s not just reshaping how networks function; it’s redefining what a Web3 job looks like.
Here’s what I’ve learned from being deep in the hiring trenches — and why DePIN is turning into one of the most exciting (and overlooked) corners of crypto careers.
DePIN Is Creating Jobs That Didn’t Exist Five Years Ago
And I don’t just mean obscure ones like “Mesh Router Deployment Specialist” (yes, that’s real). I’m talking about a wave of roles that blend traditional infrastructure skills with token incentives and distributed networks.
Helium, one of the OGs in the DePIN space, started by rewarding people for setting up LoRaWAN hotspots. It looked like a hobby project at first. But now? There are entire businesses built around hotspot deployment, network optimisation, and data analytics for these decentralised networks.
More recently, projects like Render are offering GPU infrastructure via decentralised cloud rendering, and Akash Network is doing the same for cloud compute. That means people with idle GPU farms or extra bandwidth aren’t just earning tokens — they’re becoming micro-entrepreneurs in decentralised infrastructure.
The job market is catching up. I’ve placed candidates into hybrid roles where they’re part sysadmin, part community builder, and part token economist. Five years ago, none of this existed.
Hiring for DePIN Projects Feels Like Building a Startup and a Movement at the Same Time
If you’ve ever recruited for an early-stage DePIN project, you’ll know what I mean. You’re not just hiring someone with the right CV — you’re looking for true believers. People who’ll go down the rabbit hole and still come out enthusiastic.
These companies are often lean, global, and remote-first. They might be running on a mix of grants, token treasuries, and revenue from real-world usage. That creates an unusual hiring dynamic: they need doers, evangelists, and multitaskers all rolled into one.
I’ve seen DevOps engineers who double as field testers, and community managers who coordinate infrastructure deployment across continents. The roles are messy, ambiguous, and constantly evolving — but they’re also some of the most fulfilling ones out there for people who want to build something meaningful.
What’s worked for me? Looking beyond traditional titles and focusing on grit, curiosity, and mission alignment. You can teach someone the tech. You can’t fake genuine interest in decentralising the internet.
DePIN Projects Need Talent Who Understand Both Hardware and Hype
This is where things get tricky. Most crypto-native people come from software backgrounds. They’re fluent in code, tokens, governance… but when you ask them about firmware updates, power redundancy, or latency issues in mesh networks, it’s crickets.
On the flip side, I’ve worked with brilliant hardware engineers who don’t get the tokenomics side at all. One told me, “I don’t understand why people would get paid in imaginary coins for running a router.” Fair.
That’s why DePIN needs bridge talent — people who can span both worlds. If you’ve got even a basic understanding of hardware and an appetite for decentralised tech, you’re golden. This is the talent sweet spot no one’s talking about.
In my own experience, candidates with a background in telco, supply chain, or physical infrastructure — but who’ve dabbled in Web3 — are absolute gold. They might not have the flashiest Twitter profile, but they’re the ones who keep these networks alive.
The Future of DePIN Jobs Might Look a Lot Like the Gig Economy — But With Tokens
Here’s a spicy take: DePIN could turn crypto into the next-gen gig economy.
Why? Because a lot of DePIN work is modular, permissionless, and incentivised by tokens. Just like you can sign up to drive for Uber, you can plug in to a DePIN network and start earning — whether that’s by offering compute, storage, connectivity, or sensor data.
But here’s the twist: instead of working for a centralised platform that takes a big cut, you’re participating in a network you can actually own a piece of. That’s huge.
I’ve spoken to folks earning from WeatherXM by sharing local weather data, or running servers for projects like Flux and Akash in rural areas where traditional infrastructure is patchy. It’s not just extra income — it’s meaningful participation in building the next internet.
Of course, it’s not all sunshine. Token volatility, regulatory grey zones, and patchy user adoption are still hurdles. But when you get the right mix of incentives, community, and utility, things take off fast.
Why DePIN’s Job Market Is Just Getting Started
If you’re in recruitment, talent, or just watching the Web3 space closely, keep your eyes on DePIN. It’s still early. The infrastructure is messy, and the user experience isn’t quite there yet. But the talent needs are growing fast — and they’re wildly different from what we’ve seen before in crypto.
We’re going to need:
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Field deployment engineers who understand mesh networks.
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Token-savvy operations leads who can coordinate distributed supply chains.
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Product managers who can balance UX with token incentive design.
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And yes, even recruiters who get why someone would choose to earn tokens by sharing GPU compute from a farm in Portugal.
DePIN is real. It’s gritty. It’s grounded in the physical world. And it’s opening up a whole new category of jobs that blend crypto ethos with real-world impact.
So if you’re tired of chasing the next meme coin or writing yet another L2 comparison — maybe it’s time to get your hands dirty with some DePIN.
