Month: October 2019

Adventures in Crypto is a weekly series focusing on my journey as a Zcash Foundation operations apprentice. Zcash Foundation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit whose mission is to build a truly private financial payment infrastructure for public use, and they support Zcash and the surrounding cryptocurrency community with research grants.

Oct 21, 2019 – Oct 25, 2019

What I’m Learning:

One cool thing I learned at work last week:
I learned the process of how to run payroll and the procedures associated with it. Before payroll is finalized, Zcash Foundation requires signed approval from the executive director and operations director. This prevents mistakes from happening.

One cool thing I learned outside of work last week:
Nodes are older technology than Bitcoin.

What I’m Creating:

One example of how I created value at work last week:
I’m now in charge of processing reimbursements for our employees.

What project I’m currently working on at my BP:
Right now I’m back in planning the company’s annual retreat and this project is almost entirely my responsibility.

What I’m doing to become a better version of myself overall:
I’m currently learning about Excel through Coursera and continuing learning the basics of Bitcoin, Zcash, and the blockchain. Learning these things will help bring me up to speed with my coworkers and help facilitate discussions with common interests.

Adventures in Crypto is a weekly series focusing on my journey as a Zcash Foundation operations apprentice. Zcash Foundation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit whose mission is to build a truly private financial payment infrastructure for public use, and they support Zcash and the surrounding cryptocurrency community with research grants.

Oct 15, 2019 – Oct 19, 2019

What I’m Learning

One cool thing I learned at work last week:
The blockchain and accounting have more similarities I wasn’t aware of previously. The blockchain is basically a ledger of all the transactions in the system and just like accounting, it’s nearly impossible to hide money or transactions from the ledger.

One cool thing I learned outside of work last week:
If you travel frequently, get a travel rewards credit card with travel insurance. It’ll be easier to get a refund if your flight is canceled and if the airline refuses to budge. You won’t have to go through the trouble of fighting for your refund, the credit card company does it for you.

What I’m Creating:

One example of how I created value at work last week:
I added more items to my detailed to-do list. This list helps by boss check in on my onboarding progress and it’s another way for us to communicate and ensure that we’re on the same page (pun intended).

What project I’m currently working on at my BP:
I’m back to planning for our yearly company retreat and I’m using Google Sheets to list all the recommendations and suggestions for fun activities, bars, dining, hotels, and meeting rooms.

What I’m doing to become a better version of myself overall:
In my personal life right now, I’m sprucing up my personal email and organizing or deleting things I don’t need anymore. Cleaning up my inbox was mundane at first but the results are quite satisfying, just like cleaning your room.

Adventures in Crypto is a weekly series focusing on my journey as a Zcash Foundation operations apprentice. Zcash Foundation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit whose mission is to build a truly private financial payment infrastructure for public use, and they support Zcash and the surrounding cryptocurrency community with research grants.

Oct 7, 2019 – Oct 11, 2019

What I’m Learning

One cool thing I learned at work last week:
I was introduced to QuickBooks and learned how to process and file away expenses. Eventually, I’ll learn the ins and outs of accounting but for now, I’ll take it slow and accurate since my boss doesn’t want me making costly mistakes.

One cool thing I learned outside of work last week:
Alpacas sleep on the ground in weird and often hilarious positions with their necks looking like it’s broken. Many first-time alpaca owners panic thinking their alpaca was killed.

What I’m Creating:

One example of how I created value at work last week:
I sorted through the dozens of expenses in QuickBooks, then found the corresponding invoices for the related expenses, and filed them away in the appropriate folder in our Google Drive folder.

What project I’m currently working on at my BP:
I’m currently planning out a detailed weekly to-do list, which will help my boss get a better idea of my thought processes. It’ll also help me record the new things I learned.

I’m still working on the Master Operations spreadsheet and it’ll be a work in progress. The Master Ops sheet is a sort of backup for the Foundation’s operations role so in case my boss becomes incapacitated we’ll have a blueprint of how to run the business side of things.

What I’m doing to become a better version of myself overall:
I’m still learning more Spanish and getting the hang of the grammar. I’ve also signed up for an Excel/Google Sheets course on Coursera which will help me learn my responsibilities better.

Adventures in Crypto is a weekly series focusing on my journey as a Zcash Foundation operations apprentice. Zcash Foundation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit whose mission is to build a truly private financial payment infrastructure for public use, and they support Zcash and the surrounding cryptocurrency community with research grants.

Sept 30, 2019 – Oct 4, 2019

What I’m Learning:

One cool thing I learned at work last week:
Monero is a competitor, so to speak, to Zcash and they’re also a privacy coin. The main difference between the two is how they approach encryption; Monero uses an older technology called Ring Signatures to encrypt the sender’s data. Zcash uses a newer technology called zk-SNARKs (Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge) to encrypt both the sender’s and receiver’s data.

One cool thing I learned outside of work last week:
I’m currently learning Spanish via Duolingo. I wanted to learn Spanish to better connect with my Puerto Rican and Cuban friends and it’s commonly spoken here in Florida.

What I’m Creating:

One example of how I created value at work last week:
I alleviated my boss’s workload by processing bills and adding pieces of information into each grantee’s folder. So these grantees are given money from Zcash Foundation and each one needs a copy of their government ID, tax form, a signed contract agreement, and a screenshot of their name in the OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control).

The OFAC information is especially important. We are a non-profit and it’s imperative that we’re transparent and double-checking to see if the grantee we’re giving money to isn’t on the terror watch-list. We will most likely never find someone on the watch-list but in case it does happen we’ll need to report it to the government.

What project I’m currently working on at my BP:
My boss, Antonie, and I are currently building a database for our main event of the year, Zcon, which is our yearly conference. Additionally, I’m adding new responsibilities to our Master Operations spreadsheet such as how-to steps on domestic and international bill pay, and what to do in SignEasy.

I’m also working on another spreadsheet that I created, with some guidance from Antonie, for our company retreat to Nola. Right now I’m researching places to eat, drink, stay, and activities to do in the French Quarter of Nola.

What I’m doing to become a better version of myself overall:
I’m continuing to use time management apps called Pomotodo and Todoist to help me maintain a balanced work-life schedule, which is essential for remote, stay-at-home jobs. I’m also making time to step outside of my home and interact with friends and people at conferences or other events.

Adventures in Crypto is a weekly series focusing on my journey as a Zcash Foundation operations apprentice. Zcash Foundation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit whose mission is to build a truly private financial payment infrastructure for public use, and they support Zcash and the surrounding cryptocurrency community with research grants.

Sept 23, 2019 – Sept 27, 2019

What I’m Learning:

One cool thing I learned at work last week:
I learned about a new breakthrough in cryptography, Halo which is a new technology that could solve the issue of scalability in the crypto realm. Basically, Halo built upon zk-SNARKs and computes an entire blockchain with one math problem, thus increasing the number of transactions per second, which is the scalability issue. Compare that to Bitcoin, where it currently can only process seven transactions per second.

One cool thing I learned outside of work last week:
The difference between llamas and alpacas is similar to alligators versus crocodiles. Llamas are bigger and more aggressive than alpacas.

What I’m Creating:

One example of how I created value at work last week:
I created a new section in the database for our conference that the Foundation is planning and processed mail in our electronic inbox, which freed up more time for my boss who is currently busy with auditing.

What project I’m currently working on at my BP:
I’m currently helping to plan Zcon, a yearly conference hosted by the Foundation.

What I’m doing to become a better version of myself overall:
I’m continually learning new things and documenting it in the Master Operations sheet.

Weekly Monday Workshop:

What Praxis Monday session did you attend last week (ie. what was the topic & who was the guest)?
Working Remotely with Amanda Kingsmith, Praxis advisor and alumna.

What was your favorite highlight from the session?
I appreciated the actionable takeaway that Amanda suggested and the steps needed to successfully work remotely. The steps are listed below.

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What was your biggest takeaway from that session?
I learned the importance of Pomodoro and taking short, frequent breaks to prevent burnout.

How do you intend to apply that takeaway to your life?
I will implement Pomodoro often and learn more discipline with it’s use.