Issue #7: The Proof-of-Work Portfolio: Your Decentralized Currency of Competence

In April 2023, I got my first full-time software engineering role.

Here's what I didn't have when I got that offer:

No computer science degree
No previous job title that said "Software Engineer"
No big tech company internships
No bootcamp completion certificate (I got hired before I finished)

Here's what I did have:

A public GitHub with working projects
Blog posts documenting what I was learning
YouTube videos showing me code in real-time
Twitter threads explaining concepts I'd just figured out
A deployed pharmacy management system that real pharmacies were using

When my manager reached out, he didn't ask for my resume first. He had seen the things that I had been doing so he was convinced that I was the right person for the job.

They saw what I could build or do, not what someone said I might be able to build or do.

That's the difference between credentials and proof-of-work.

And that's what this issue is about.

For most of human history, your value in the job market was defined by a piece of paper.

A degree from the right university.
A certification from the right institution.
A job title from the right company.

These credentials served as proxies for capability. They said, "Someone else vetted this person, so you don't have to."

But here's the problem with credentials as proxies:

They represent potential, not proven ability.

A pharmacy degree says I was taught pharmacology. It doesn't say I'm good at diagnosing drug interactions under pressure.

A software engineering bootcamp certificate says I completed the curriculum. It doesn't say I can build a functional application that solves a real problem.

A job title says someone hired me once. It doesn't say I delivered results.

Credentials are opaque. Non-transferable. Subject to interpretation by a gatekeeper.

And in the age of career reinvention, they're often pointing in the wrong direction.

You have a pharmacy degree but you want to be a software engineer.
You have an MBA but you want to be a designer.
You have 10 years in finance but you want to build a coaching business.

Your credentials don't just fail to help you. They actively box you in.

So what do you do when your credentials don't match the identity you're trying to build?

You build a Proof-of-Work Portfolio.

Think of your personal and professional value as a decentralized, personal currency.

Traditional credentials are like asking a bank to vouch for you. "This institution says I'm valuable."

A Proof-of-Work Portfolio is like showing your transaction history. "Here's the value I've created. You can verify it yourself."

It's a public, auditable ledger of what you can actually do.

Every project, case study, piece of content, or real-world result you produce acts as a "block" in your personal blockchain of competence.

This ledger is:

Transparent. Anyone can see it.
Verifiable. Anyone can audit the work.
Transferable. It demonstrates skills that apply across domains.
Immutable. The work exists even if you change jobs or industries.

When I was transitioning from pharmacy to software engineering, my Proof-of-Work Portfolio wasn't my PharmD degree. It was:

The e-library I built for pharmacy students in year two
The ERP system I created for our student association
The hotel management application I shipped
The pharmacy management software I sold to working pharmacies
The public documentation of my ALX bootcamp journey

Each piece of work said: "I can do this. Here's the proof."

No gatekeeper needed.

Let me show you the difference in a simple table.

Traditional Credential vs. Proof-of-Work Portfolio:

Here's a real example from my journey.

When I started thinking about applying for software engineering roles in 2023, I had two competing narratives:

Narrative 1 (Credential-Based):
"I'm a licensed pharmacist with six years of training. I completed a one-year software engineering bootcamp."

Narrative 2 (Proof-of-Work):
"I built five working applications while in pharmacy school. I documented my entire bootcamp journey publicly. I have 50+ blog posts explaining technical concepts. My GitHub shows 200+ commits. Here's a deployed app you can test right now."

Which narrative is more convincing?

The first one asks you to trust institutions. The second one gives you evidence you can verify yourself.

That's the power of proof-of-work.

To build a Proof-of-Work Portfolio that actually changes how people see you, you need three things:

Your work needs to be online where anyone can find and evaluate it.

This means:

For technical work: GitHub, deployed applications, open-source contributions
For creative work: Behance, Dribbble, Medium, Substack, YouTube
For consulting/freelance: Case studies on your website, client testimonials with specifics
For writing: Published articles, a blog, LinkedIn posts with engagement
For building in public: Twitter threads, YouTube videos, livestreams

The platform matters less than the principle. Your work needs to be auditable by anyone, anywhere in the world.

When someone Googles your name, they should find evidence of your capability, not just a LinkedIn profile that says you're "passionate about technology."

Each piece of work needs to be:

Completed. Not "90% done." Shipped. Live. Finished.

Documented. Explain what you built, why you built it, and what the result was.

Demonstrable. If it's an app, someone should be able to use it. If it's a design, they should be able to see it. If it's writing, they should be able to read it.

Here's the mistake most people make. They build things but never ship them. Or they ship them but don't document the process.

A GitHub repo with no README is not proof-of-work. It's proof you wrote some code.

A deployed application with a clear explanation of the problem it solves and how you built it? That's a block in your portfolio.

This is the part most people miss.

Every piece of work in your portfolio needs a story that connects the "what" to the "why" and the "how."

What: A pharmacy management system
Why: Pharmacies in Ghana were using paper records. This led to errors and inefficiency.
How: I built it using PHP and MySQL. I tested it with five pharmacies. Three bought licenses.

The narrative context does two things:

It shows you understand the problem, not just the technical solution.
It makes your work relevant to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

When I was applying for health informatics programs and digital health roles, I didn't just say "I built healthcare software."

I said, "I saw patients arrive at the hospital too late because of access issues. I built software to solve that problem at scale. Here's the system, here's who used it, here's what happened."

That narrative connected my pharmacy background to my technical skills. It made the transition legible.

Let me show you exactly how I did this. Not the highlight reel. The actual process.

While I was in pharmacy school, I started building things in the margins.

Year 2: Built an e-library for PharmD students. It contained textbooks, handouts, past questions. I built it with HTML, CSS, jQuery, and PHP. It was clunky, but it worked.

Year 3: Created an ERP system for our student association. It managed membership, events, finances. The executives actually used it.

Year 4: Built a hotel management application and sold it to a hotel in my hometown. That was how I got money to set up my first online web hosting and my personal domain.

Final Year: Developed a pharmacy management system and sold it to working pharmacies. This was the first time my "side project" generated real income.

At this stage, none of this was public. It was proof-of-work for myself. Evidence that I could actually build things, not just learn syntax.

In 2020, during the COVID lockdown, I went "full-time" on tech while school was suspended.

I built a health blog that grew to 40,000 monthly visitors. I perfected my pharmacy management system. I took on freelance contracts for websites and applications.

But I still wasn't documenting publicly. I was working, but I wasn't building my public ledger.

That changed in 2022 when I enrolled in the ALX Africa Software Engineering bootcamp.

I made a decision: I'm going to document this entire journey publicly.

I created a new Twitter account. I posted multiple times a day about what I was learning, the challenges I faced, the bugs I couldn't solve, the concepts I'd just figured out.

I wrote blog posts explaining technical concepts to an audience that didn't know them yet.

I made YouTube videos and did livestreams showing me code in real-time.

This did three things:

It forced me to learn more deeply. When you have to explain something clearly enough for a stranger to understand, you can't fake understanding.

It created a public audit trail. People could watch me get better in real-time.

It generated opportunities I couldn't have predicted. Six months into the bootcamp, I got my first paid gig as a backend developer. People started reaching out in my DMs with partnership offers and job inquiries.

Before I even completed the bootcamp, ALX Africa offered me a job building their software engineering curriculum.

I didn't get that job because of my pharmacy degree. I got it because they could see what I was building and how I was thinking about problems.

Once I had my first software engineering role, the Proof-of-Work Portfolio continued to compound.

I worked on real projects. I documented what I learned. I wrote technical articles.

When I applied to the Master's program in Health Informatics at the University of Toronto, I didn't just submit my pharmacy transcript and bootcamp certificate.

I sent them my GitHub. My blog. My portfolio of healthcare applications I'd built.

They accepted me because they could see I wasn't just "thinking about" the intersection of health and technology. I was already building in that space.

Now, as I'm building my current startup and this personal brand, the portfolio continues to grow.

This newsletter is part of my Proof-of-Work Portfolio. The Identity Audit I built is part of it. The YouTube videos I'm making are part of it.

Each piece is a block that says: "This is what I can do. Here's the evidence."

You don't need years of experience. You don't need a big audience. You don't need fancy tools.

You just need to start creating evidence.

Here's how:

Pick something small enough to finish in 30-90 days but meaningful enough to demonstrate a real skill.

For technical work: Build a small app that solves a problem you have
For design: Redesign a website for a local business (even if they don't pay you)
For writing: Publish 10 articles on a specific topic you're learning
For consulting: Solve a problem for a friend's business and document the process

The project doesn't need to be perfect. It needs to be done.

Put your work somewhere people can find it.

Create a GitHub account and push your code. Start a blog on Medium or your own website. Post your design work on Behance. Share case studies on LinkedIn.

The act of making it public changes the quality of your work. When you know someone might actually look at it, you care more about the details.

Write about what you built and why.

The structure:

What problem were you trying to solve?
How did you approach it?
What did you learn along the way?
What was the result?

This narrative context makes your work 10x more valuable because it shows you can think, not just execute.

Ship another project. Document another process. Build another block.

The portfolio compounds. Each piece of work makes the next piece more credible.

After three projects, you're not a beginner anymore. You're someone with a track record.

After ten projects, you're someone with undeniable proof.

Once you have multiple projects, add a narrative thread that connects them.

"I built these five healthcare applications because I believe technology can solve access problems in underserved communities."

"I redesigned these ten websites because I'm obsessed with how visual hierarchy influences user behavior."

"I wrote these 20 articles because I'm documenting my journey from corporate employee to independent consultant."

The thread makes the portfolio coherent. It shows you're not just collecting projects. You're building toward something specific.

Let me show you three specific moments where my Proof-of-Work Portfolio changed outcomes.

In late 2022, six months into my software engineering bootcamp, I got a message from a colleague.

They wanted to hire me to build the backend of a fullstack e-commerce project they were working on. Then nine months into it, I got a message from the Founder of Holberton school, jump on a call with him and he wanted me to join ALX Africa to help build their software engineering program.

I hadn't finished the bootcamp yet. I didn't have a job title that said "Software Engineer." I didn't have a CS degree.

What I had was a Twitter account with daily documentation of my learning. Blog posts explaining technical concepts. GitHub repos showing my projects. Videos of me coding live.

They could see I understood not just how to code, but how to learn and how to teach. That's what they needed.

The portfolio made me visible and credible before my credentials caught up.

When I applied to the Master's in Health Informatics program, I was competing against people with traditional tech backgrounds. CS degrees, years of software engineering experience, big tech companies on their resumes.

I had a pharmacy degree and a one-year bootcamp.

But I also had something they didn't: a portfolio of healthcare technology projects I'd actually shipped.

The pharmacy management system. The health blog with 40,000 monthly readers. The e-library for medical students. The ERP system.

I could show them I wasn't theorizing about health tech. I was already building it.

That's what got me in. And that actually got me into their executive program even though I didn’t meet the number of years requirements and I had originally applied for just the regular one.

Right now, as I'm building my new startup and this personal brand, my Proof-of-Work Portfolio is what gives me permission to teach.

I'm not claiming I've "made it." I'm not selling you a course on how to make six figures in 90 days.

I'm showing you the frameworks I'm actively using. The experiments I'm running. The evidence I'm collecting.

This newsletter is part of the portfolio. The Identity Audit is part of the portfolio. The YouTube videos are part of the portfolio.

Each piece says: "I'm not just talking about systematic reinvention. I'm doing it. Here's the proof."

As you build your portfolio, you'll move through three distinct levels.

At this stage, your portfolio says, "I'm learning. I'm showing up. I'm putting in the work."

What it looks like:

Tutorial projects with small modifications
Blog posts explaining concepts you just learned
GitHub repos with basic applications
Design mockups of existing websites

Why it matters:

It proves you're serious. You're not just thinking about it. You're doing the work.

This is where everyone starts. It's not impressive to experts, but it's impressive to your past self.

At this stage, your portfolio says, "I can solve real problems. I've shipped things that work."

What it looks like:

Original projects that solve problems you or others actually have
Case studies with measurable results
Client work with testimonials
Content that gets engagement and shares

Why it matters:

This is where employers and clients start paying attention. You're not just learning anymore. You're delivering value.

This is the level that gets you hired.

At this stage, your portfolio says, "I have a unique perspective. I've developed frameworks others can use."

What it looks like:

Original frameworks or methodologies
Teaching content that helps others level up
Open-source contributions that others build on
Thought leadership in your domain

Why it matters:

This is where you stop competing for opportunities and start attracting them.

People come to you not just for your skills, but for your thinking.

Most people never reach Level 3. They don't need to. Level 2 is enough to build a successful career.

But Level 3 is where you build a brand. And that is exactly where I am currently aiming to get to.

Let me save you some time by showing you the mistakes I made and see others make constantly.

You build projects but never show them to anyone. You write code but never push it to GitHub. You design mockups but never publish them.

Private work doesn't compound. Public work does.

You want your first project to be impressive, so you start building something massive. Six months later, it's still "50% done."

Ship small things. Momentum matters more than perfection.

You have a GitHub with 20 repos, but no README files. No explanations of what problems you were solving or why.

Work without context is just noise.

Your portfolio is scattered. Three projects in web development, two in data science, one in mobile apps, four in design.

Breadth can work, but depth builds credibility faster. Pick a thread and pull it.

You're waiting to feel "qualified" before you ship. Waiting to finish the course. Waiting for someone to validate your work.

You're qualified when you have evidence. The portfolio is the evidence.

Ship now. Get feedback. Ship again.

Here's the truth about modern career transitions.

The person who can show their work will always beat the person who can only show their credentials.

A pharmacy degree is a credential.
A working pharmacy management system is proof-of-work.

A bootcamp certificate is a credential.
A deployed application with users is proof-of-work.

An MBA is a credential.
A case study showing how you helped a business grow is proof-of-work.

You don't need permission to build a Proof-of-Work Portfolio. You just need to start creating evidence.

The person I was in 2016, secretly writing code couldn't have predicted where this would lead.

But every project I built, every piece of content I published, every commit I pushed became a block in my personal ledger of competence.

That ledger is what opened doors my pharmacy degree never could.

And the same is possible for you.

Here's what I want you to do in the next 30 days.

Week 1: Choose your project

Pick one small, completable thing you can build or create that demonstrates a skill you want to be known for.

Week 2-3: Build it

Show up daily. Use the Micro-Payment Method if you need it. Make progress, even if it's small.

Week 4: Ship it

Publish it. Make it public. Write a post explaining what you built and why.

That's it. One project. 30 days. Public evidence.

Then do it again next month.

In six months, you'll have six pieces of proof-of-work. That's more than most people create in their entire career.

In a year, you'll have twelve. At that point, you're not trying to convince anyone of your capability. You're showing them.

The portfolio speaks for itself.

I am rooting for you.

— Obed

P.S. If you've already started building your portfolio, hit reply and show me. Send me a link to your GitHub, your blog, your case studies, your projects. I want to see what you're building.

P.P.S. If you're stuck on what project to start with, reply and tell me what skill you're trying to prove. I'll help you think through a small, shippable project.

The Ledger is published every Tuesday. Every issue is a block in my own proof-of-work portfolio.