Web3×Education Innovation: An Innovative University is Born

Author: Dinghui's Xiaoling'er

"We bought an island near Singapore!"

This morning, Web3's top investor Balaji officially launched The Network School, an educational experimental university focusing on technological innovation. It is located on a beautiful island near Singapore and is committed to providing development opportunities for talents with limited resources around the world. It gives priority to young talents in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and there is no age limit for application. Focus on learning, exercising, making money and having fun.

The first semester will be held from September 23 to December 23 this year for a period of 3 months. A $1,000 reward will be issued every day for open source software development and Ai creation.

Who is Balaji?

A Stanford PhD who once taught at the university, a top web3 angel investor, the initiator of the Netwrok State movement, an Indian, former CTO of Coinbase and partner of A16z Fund, and a million-dollar Twitter influencer.

The following article is Balaji's vision and plan for this university, translated with the help of Ai.

The Dark Talent  

I hope that global development opportunities can become more equal.

My father was born in an extremely poor country. Although he had no background, he could make a career and realize himself as long as he had the opportunity. This is what we call Dark Talent: young talents who are on the margins and not noticed by the mainstream world. For more than ten years, I have been thinking about how to enable more people in similar situations to have the same opportunities and how to empower Dark Talent around the world.

I once taught at Stanford and still miss it today. It is true that American universities once played a role in this regard, but now they are not as satisfactory as expected. Data shows that the influence of these universities has declined recently. And for most people in the world, they are expensive and inaccessible. But now we can try a new way.

Thanks to the goddess of wisdom and Satoshi Nakamoto, I have the opportunity to support the birth of an original network school - The Network School.

The Network School aims to deliver the mission of peace, trade, internationalism and technology in the context of today's world talking about war, trade wars, nationalism and statism. Through digital polities and verifiable voting mechanisms, democracy will be reborn in the Internet age. Not only to train the next generation to become business leaders, but also to become evangelists and role models in the community. And by improving the personal, physical, mental and professional abilities of participants, we will pursue truth, health and wealth together.

Now, please allow me to introduce in more detail how The Network School works, the target population and how to apply.

How it works

The Network School is for all ages, not just teenagers.

It aims to provide lifelong education, not a one-time learning experience.

The course content is divided into two parts: structured and unstructured:

The structured part focuses on continuous daily self-improvement, learning skills, burning calories and earning currency; while the unstructured part aims to enhance social interaction through entertainment and communication with like-minded people.

In a nutshell: learn, exercise, make money and have fun.

1. Learning and Practice

The first part of Network School focuses on learning technology and humanities.

At present, the undergraduate education model in the United States has problems. You spend more than $100,000 to complete a four-year degree program, but there is no budget for self-improvement in your life afterwards. It's like spending more than $100,000 to buy a new car without any budget for its maintenance.

In contrast, the network school advocates continuous education. It is suitable for remote workers, engineers, creators, and digital nomads who want to integrate learning into their lives, rather than investing all their time in full-time study.

Specifically, we will set up mini-classrooms that students can join at any time to solve the problems of the day. If you successfully solve the problem, the proctor will issue you a cryptographic certificate, which is a non-transferable free NFT that will be sent to your crypto wallet as a "proof of learning."

Often, your solution might require submitting code to GitHub or Replit (to demonstrate your understanding of a concept) or posting content on social media (to demonstrate your mastery of a new AI tool). Over time, these crypto credentials will gradually build a crypto resume that proves your knowledge.

Our initial teaching content is focused on building technology communities, which is different from building technology companies. Courses cover everything from cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, and social media to history, politics, and filmmaking. Even if you just want to grow a traditional business or expand your personal influence, this content will help you.

Of course, over time, all branches of science and humanities will play an important role in community building. So if our initial experiments are successful, we will gradually expand the course content and build a whole new university.

But we are deliberately starting simple. Our learning focuses on continuous education and is designed to solve real problems in the present.

2. Daily Fitness

Network School The second part focuses on fitness and burning your calories.

Longevity is important, but the social environment of the 20th century did not provide ideal conditions for maximizing physical health. Instead, the default lifestyle in Western society was sedentary and high in sugar. Those who wanted to break away from this lifestyle needed to develop their own nutrition and exercise plans, which often took time, money and energy.

We are changing this situation. We have partnered with Bryan Johnson, a pioneering longevity movement practitioner in Silicon Valley, to design a set of diet and fitness programs for the entire community. Bryan will launch this program on campus, and then his designated team will be responsible for daily management. Like many of you, I have experienced both healthy and obese states at different stages, so this is also a product I want to use myself.

Each member of Network School has a daily workout time with a semi-personal trainer, just like attending a group fitness class. You can choose a time that suits you for your morning run and weightlifting, and receive a "workout certificate" from your trainer. Your team will also hold you accountable for your attendance. Afterwards, you will receive a healthy meal to start your work day. At the core of this program is providing "willpower as a service", with the community helping to maintain discipline and motivation.

We start with the basics of running, weightlifting, healthy eating and good sleep habits. The initial goal is to fully tap into your genetic potential. If all goes well, we hope to work with biotech entrepreneurs to help all of us break through genetic limitations and extend our lifespan.

But let's start with simple steps! Therefore, the "burn calories" section is centered on lifelong health and daily exercise.

3. Earning Money and Career Development

The third part of Network School is about earning money.

We will be offering cryptocurrency rewards for open source projects, AI content creation, and daily tasks. There will be a $1,000 bounty every day throughout the program, similar to the various prizes I post on Twitter and Farcaster. Community members can also post their own rewards.

Next, in line with the overall theme of "self-improvement", we will offer office hours to help you solve problems related to work, career development, visa status, and funding. Compared with the average university career center, we focus more on your growth because our interests are aligned: the more you earn, the stronger your financial strength, and ultimately more reinvestment in the community.

Finally, we will schedule guest hours to invite well-known technical experts to visit. As my friend Sriram said, whenever investors come to Singapore, I usually record a podcast with them. Many also visit Network School to meet students, invest in them or hire them. In addition, some experts give remote lectures. You can see the high caliber of visitors from our conferences and podcasts.

So the core of the "earn" part is about continuous professional development and daily rewards.

4. Fun

Of course, all work and no play makes a smart kid a dull boy. So the fourth part of Network School is about fun.

This part is free-to-plan. In fact, it may be one of the main reasons you are here. At its core, it is about bringing together great people: positive-sum thinkers who believe in technological progress, internationalism and capitalism. These are your network friends, from the virtual world to the real world. Stanford University introduced the concept of residential education, and we have taken it to new heights.

Actually, our initial location is very similar to Stanford. It's beautiful, sunny, and less than an hour's drive from a major city (Singapore) with an international airport (Changi Airport). This means you can work hard during the week, go into the city for fun on the weekend, and get to anywhere in Asia on the same day. It's very convenient for the more than 50% of the world's people who live in Southeast Asia.

We will also organize some group outings, but most of the entertainment activities will be up to you.

For whom?

There are four perspectives on this question: people, ideology, profession, and individual.

Suitable People

As mentioned earlier, we focus on Dark Talent who are not recognized by the traditional system. The more you respect traditional educational institutions, the more they recognize you, and the less suitable you are as an applicant.

Therefore, Network School is suitable for Indian engineers and African entrepreneurs, builders from the Midwest and the Middle East, Chinese liberals and Latin American liberals, rising technical talents in Southeast Asia, and investors who are still holding on in Europe.

It is for all those who do not consider themselves to be in the system. But it is definitely not just for the technology field, because a community cannot operate only by technology.

Ideology

Network School is for those who value universal values, recognize that Asia is rising, and believe that the next world order should be built more around the Internet and neutral code.

For example, Network School is for people who believe that:

• BTC will replace central banks and the Federal Reserve System

• Cryptography is the real guarantee against excessive censorship and confiscation

• Ai can provide better legal insights than any judge

• Democracy can be reborn through cryptography

Network School is for people who believe in technology, harmony, internationalism, and capitalism; for people who want a Silicon Valley without the baggage of San Francisco; and for people who want to create not just new companies and new currencies, but new cities and new communities.

Careers

Our ideal applicant will be able to work remotely or have enough savings to support themselves during the Network School. For our first cohort, we are specifically looking for three categories of talent:

• Writers, Artists, Influencers, and Filmmakers

• Trainers, Athletes, Coaches, and Clinicians

• Founders, Engineers, Designers, and Investors

These individuals are broadly focused on learning, fitness, and making money, respectively. Of course, if you don’t fall into these categories but feel you have something to contribute, we encourage you to apply to The Network School as well.

On a Personal Level

I should mention that Network School is a "product" I built for my younger self - that aspiring young engineer. It's my dream community: a techno-capitalist college town, a globally affordable Stanford 2.0 that truly is all about merit.

So, I'll be on campus full-time. Bryan Johnson and I are checking out everything from the bench press to the French press. We'll eventually recruit content creators, fitness gurus, and angel investors as teachers for our learning, fitness, and moneymaking courses, respectively. It'll all come in due time.

 How to Apply

How do I apply to Network School?

We've prepared a simple application form. The initial application only takes a few minutes. If your application is approved, we will send you a second application form, and you will need to pay the rent at that time. Our monthly rent is $1,000 (2 people sharing) and $2,000 (single person). We also offer daily and weekly options, but even short-term visitors need to submit an application.

The rent includes an air-conditioned room on a beautiful island with internet, gym, and access to all classes and community services. You will also need to pay for your own flights and meals, but we think the overall package is very affordable. So, for individuals or small teams who want to save money, stay healthy, and improve themselves in a paradise-like environment, the online school may be a great choice.

I am very much looking forward to seeing you there! Just open the link below and fill out the application.