RareSkills

RareSkills has established itself as a premier blockchain education platform, now offering comprehensive Solana development training through their intensive bootcamp program. Their curriculum combines deep technical instruction with hands-on project work, focusing heavily on security best practices and real-world development scenarios. The platform maintains small cohort sizes of 5 students maximum, providing personalized attention and code reviews from experienced instructors who have collectively prevented hundreds of millions of dollars in smart contract hacks. Their expansion into Solana development represents a significant contribution to growing the ecosystem's developer base, with their graduates going on to work at major Web3 companies including Coinbase, LayerZero, and Compound.

How RareSkills Trains Solana Developers

RareSkills approaches Solana development education through an intensive, security-first methodology. Their program differs significantly from traditional coding bootcamps by emphasizing active learning over passive lectures. Students engage in hands-on coding sessions, working directly with Solana's native Rust programming language and the Anchor framework while receiving regular feedback from experienced instructors.

The training process involves weekly live classes where students work through practical challenges and CTFs (Capture The Flag exercises), with instructors providing guidance and explaining complex concepts in real-time. This approach ensures students develop a deep understanding of Solana's unique architecture and security considerations, rather than simply memorizing syntax or following tutorials.

What Makes RareSkills Different

RareSkills stands out in the blockchain education space through their commitment to small cohort sizes and intensive personalized instruction. Unlike many educational platforms that focus on scaling through recorded content, RareSkills maintains a maximum class size of 5 students, ensuring each participant receives substantial individual attention and code review time.

Their instructors include experienced smart contract auditors and security researchers who have prevented hundreds of millions of dollars in potential hacks. This security-first approach means students learn not just how to write Solana programs, but how to write them securely and efficiently, understanding potential vulnerabilities and best practices from day one.

Core Features of RareSkills' Solana Training

The Solana development curriculum at RareSkills is structured around several key components. Students begin with fundamental concepts like account management and program derived addresses (PDAs) before progressing to more advanced topics such as cross-program invocation and custom program development.

Weekly live classes form the backbone of the program, supplemented by one-on-one code reviews and mentoring sessions. Students have lifetime access to course materials and the RareSkills community, allowing them to continue learning and networking even after completing the program. The platform also provides extensive pre-course material to ensure students begin the program with a solid foundation.

The RareSkills Team

RareSkills' instruction team consists of experienced blockchain developers and security researchers. The platform was founded by Jeffrey Scholz, who created two of Udemy's expert-level Ethereum development courses. Their instructor roster includes prominent figures in blockchain security such as gmhacker (Goncalo Magalhäes), who serves as Head of Security at Immunefi, and Shung, a Smart Contract Auditor at Kebasec and Associate Security Researcher at Spearbit.

Their team's combined experience spans major blockchain projects and security firms, providing students with insights from real-world development and auditing scenarios. This practical experience informs their teaching methodology and ensures the curriculum remains current with industry best practices.

Educational Resources and Materials

Beyond their paid bootcamp program, RareSkills contributes significantly to the Solana ecosystem through freely available educational content. Their blog features in-depth technical articles covering various aspects of Solana development, from basic concepts to advanced security considerations. This commitment to open learning helps grow the broader Solana developer community while maintaining their premium offering for those seeking more intensive training.

Their educational materials are regularly updated to reflect the latest developments in the Solana ecosystem, including new features, security considerations, and best practices. The curriculum covers both theoretical foundations and practical applications, ensuring students understand not just how to use various features but why they work the way they do.

Security Focus and Best Practices

Security stands at the forefront of RareSkills' training methodology. Students learn about common vulnerabilities in Solana programs and how to prevent them through proper design patterns and testing procedures. The curriculum includes extensive coverage of security topics such as program authority validation, proper account validation, and secure cross-program invocation.

Regular code reviews and security-focused assignments help students develop a security-minded approach to development. This emphasis on security has led to several RareSkills graduates successfully participating in security contests and bug bounty programs, with some placing in top positions in their first attempts.

Future Development and Roadmap

RareSkills continues to expand their Solana-focused offerings, with plans to introduce additional specialized courses and workshops. Their roadmap includes developing more advanced security-focused content and expanding their free educational resources to support the growing Solana developer community.

The platform maintains close relationships with major players in the Solana ecosystem, ensuring their curriculum remains aligned with industry needs and emerging trends. This network also provides valuable opportunities for students through potential job placements and networking connections.

Strategies for Success

For developers looking to maximize their learning experience with RareSkills, several strategies have proven effective. Successful students typically dedicate 25-30 hours per week to the program, actively participate in live sessions, and make full use of the one-on-one mentoring opportunities. The platform recommends having some programming experience before starting, though not necessarily in blockchain development.

The most successful graduates often combine the structured learning from RareSkills with active participation in the broader Solana ecosystem, including contributing to open-source projects and participating in hackathons. This combination of formal education and practical experience helps solidify learning and build valuable industry connections.