That's still an exception. Sure you can, but the lack of PhD is likely going to make things more difficult. In some domains, trying that stuff is even explicit

That's still an exception. Sure you can, but the lack of PhD is likely going to make things more difficult. In some domains, trying that stuff is even explicitly frowned upon. Me for instance started to get into applied cryptography, starting 3 years ago, by writing a crypto library¹, and learning whatever was needed to do it properly. Problem was, I had no prior reputation, no PhD in the relevant field, so reactions were mitigated. Some welcomed the effort, either for its own sake, or because they recognised it filled an under-served niche. The majority however parroted variations of the usual "don't roll your own crypto". Some established authorities here took the time to demonstrate I might not know as much as I appeared to know, without providing much help. Yet, it's pretty normal. Cryptography is difficult, full of subtle death traps, and is routinely used in contexts where stakes are high (up to and including life or death stuff). Of course you should be cautious when you see a new Maverick around the block. Plus, the domain expert there are few, and very busy. They don't have to give their time to any newcomer. Slapping down the newcomer may be harsh, but it's easier, and possibly more effective than providing help. Now, 3 years later, I enjoy a pretty good reputation on /r/crypto², but I'm a long way from widespread recognition in the field. Monocypher did find some real users in the embedded market, though. [1] https://monocypher.org https://monocypher.org [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/crypto/ https://www.reddit.com/r/crypto/