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  • MEV Jobs Require Experience But I'm Junior - How Do I Get Hands-On MEV Experience for Interview Success?

    SolidityStarter

    SolidityStarter

    @SolidityJatin
    Updated: Jul 27, 2025
    Views: 24

    The job description asks for experience with MEV. As a junior, how can I possibly get hands-on experience with this to apply for roles?

    I've been working and studying Solidity and DeFi protocols for almost 1 year now. But every MEV jobs posting wants "hands-on MEV experience" or "proven track record with Maximal Extractable Value strategies." It's giving me major catch-22 vibes.

    Here's what's stressing me out for interviews:

    • Getting started MEV development - Where do junior devs begin with MEV bot creation when most resources assume advanced knowledge?

    • Maximal Extractable Value hands-on practice - Are there testnet environments where I can safely experiment with arbitrage strategies without risking real funds?

    • Flashbots and MEV infrastructure - Should I focus on understanding flashbots first, or jump into building basic arbitrage bots?

    • Interview prep for MEV roles - What specific concepts do interviewers test for junior positions?

    • Building an MEV portfolio - How can I demonstrate understanding without access to capital that experienced searchers use?

    I understand the theory behind transaction ordering and value extraction, but the practical implementation feels like a huge gap. Most successful MEV developers I see have been in the space for years.

    Any advice from developers who've made this transition? Did you start with simple arbitrage bots or educational projects that showed understanding even if they weren't profitable?

    Really hoping to break into this space and contribute meaningfully to the ecosystem

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  • AlexDeveloper

    @Alexdeveloper • 4d

    Fork mainnet locally, build some basic arbitrage detectors on testnet, and document everything. You don't need years of MEV experience if you can prove you understand the concepts.

    Look, I've been doing MEV stuff for about 5 years now and honestly, the "experience required" thing is mostly HR nonsense. Half the MEV devs I know started less than 3 years ago when this space really took off.

    Here's what actually worked for me and the junior devs I've mentored:

    Start with understanding first - don't jump straight into bot building. Spend a few weeks really getting how mempool works, why arbitrage opportunities exist, and what Flashbots actually does. The theory matters more than you think.

    For hands-on practice without losing money:

    Fork mainnet at historical blocks using Hardhat. You can replay actual MEV opportunities and see if your code would've caught them

    Goerli testnet is decent for basic arbitrage testing, though liquidity sucks

    Build a simple price difference scanner first - like something that just alerts you when USDC/ETH prices vary >0.1% between Uniswap and Sushiswap

    Portfolio projects that actually impress: Instead of trying to build the next sophisticated bot, focus on demonstrating you understand the fundamentals. I hired a junior last year who built a dashboard showing real-time arbitrage opportunities (didn't execute them, just detected). Another one created a liquidation calculator for Aave positions.

    About Flashbots vs basic bots - learn Flashbots concepts first because it's become the standard infrastructure. But don't stress about building production-ready bundles immediately.

    Interview reality check: For junior roles, they're mostly testing if you understand gas costs, slippage, and can walk through basic arbitrage math. I've never asked a junior to code a sandwich bot on the spot.

    The capital thing is real, but flash loans exist for a reason. Build something that shows you understand atomic arbitrage even if you never deployed it with real funds.

    Honestly, your Solidity background puts you ahead of most applicants. Just start building stuff and documenting your process. The MEV community is pretty welcoming if you're genuinely trying to learn rather than just chasing quick profits.

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