Original Title: "Refusing Mediocrity: The Diverse Perspectives of Web3 College Students"
Original Author: Pzai, Foresight News
From contracts to MEME, from trading platforms to on-chain, a new generation of college students is diving into the crypto space in various ways. In their career choices, they are no longer enamored with the stable paths of traditional internet giants, but view the crypto field as a "digital blue ocean" for realizing individual value leaps. In this wave, young people are not only technology explorers but also cultural interpreters and economic model experimenters.
As more and more college students flock to the space, how to find the right entry point into crypto has become a question many are pondering. While operating a college association, I participated in numerous events each semester (commonly referred to as "running meetings"). After one such meeting, I received a profound question from a junior, whose confusion is not an isolated case, but rather represents the bewilderment most beginners feel towards the crypto field:
What does Web3 mean for college students? Are we just jumping on trendy activities, or are we participating in an unregulated electronic casino? With these questions in mind, I spoke with several college students, and in their stories, I found the truth of Web3 after "de-mystification."
Max: Finding Meaning in K Lines
On a weekend in April, Max and his blockchain association partners chose to have a team-building retreat at a seaside inn, and away from the crowd, he opted for an all-night conversation with a few seniors. As a sophomore majoring in Financial Technology at Shenzhen University, Max dove headfirst into the school's blockchain association the moment he stepped onto campus. The unique advantages of Shenzhen brought many people together, and Max became a key organizer of events within the association. The next day, there was a project event that needed to be held at Shenzhen University, and he was busy arranging everything from community distribution and event promotion to venue organization. The moonlight reflecting off the beach complemented the brief conversations in the living room and Max's busyness.
Max was born in the Chaoshan region of Guangdong, where the local "adventurous" atmosphere influenced him from a young age. His father took him to visit a Bitcoin mining farm when he was young and introduced him to the crypto market after he graduated from high school. Influenced by this, Max became curious about concepts like blockchain. As the U.S. crypto-compliant ETF gradually took shape, he also saw potential opportunities in the market.
In college, as a complete novice, he tried every possible track, from airdrops, secondary markets, to even technical directions… but the results seemed unsatisfactory. "I didn't gain any positive feedback; all I got was negative feedback, and I became more and more frustrated. Seeing many people online achieving results in these areas made the gap feel very uncomfortable."
A turning point came on an ordinary afternoon. On October 25, 2024, as the banana from the tape + banana series "Comedians" created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was about to be re-auctioned by Sotheby's, the Meme BAN, based on it, broke through the crowd of AI themes, and within 24 hours, its market value soared to $20 million. "I discovered this opportunity on X and jumped in without hesitation," which also led Max to engage in on-chain MEME trading and earn his first profits of several times his investment.
The dazzling array of tokens gave him a sense of novelty and impulse he had never experienced before, prompting him to resolutely become a "Pionex rookie." "After trading MEME, I found that MEME was my sweet spot." In a light-hearted conversation, he opened his laptop, watching the K lines dancing on the screen, calmly clicking to buy and sell. "You can view many tokens at once, which tests your attention."
From on-chain to off-chain, Max continuously met DEGEN partners in the space and built his own network of influence. "For me, my advantage lies in my internet sense, and the MEME track just happens to need people with internet sense, aligning perfectly with my strengths." Now, he has over 6,900 followers on X and has achieved certain results with multiple tokens. "I have always enjoyed trading MEME."
Max is explaining to his classmates
As a player involved in multiple tracks, Max believes that the crypto field is still a blue ocean for college students: "Compared to traditional industries, crypto offers many more opportunities. Traditional positions have already been occupied by a lot of old money, and there are fewer opportunities for value misjudgment and underestimation. The crypto industry is still immature and in a strong upward trend, with many opportunities for value misjudgment and underestimation. Opportunities are more abundant only in emerging industries. So I have always felt that entering the crypto field is the right choice."
Regarding the issue of educational background in the crypto field, Bitget CEO Gracy Chen stated on X, "This industry does not worship degrees; we worship ability. The ultimate winners are those who can transform cognitive differences into execution power." Max believes that, to some extent, educational background can become a burden for some people. "Sometimes, a high degree is not a good thing for a person because precisely because you have a high degree, you may have high expectations and low abilities. If you must do something glamorous, you might miss many opportunities."
HAO: From Trader to "BUIDLER"
In early April, Hong Kong was bustling with people, and HAO chose to follow his team to "run meetings" for the first time. As an ambassador for a certain infrastructure project, HAO's schedule in Hong Kong was packed, assisting the team in introducing the project and organizing materials during three or four side events. From the initial concept of event planning to the execution of every detail, he felt a sense of value. Walking among the skyscrapers in Central, HAO felt a "sense of belonging."
HAO at the BUIDL 2025 project booth
HAO grew up in a family environment that fostered a strong interest in business and finance. In high school, he often watched financial documentaries, and once even chose to skip evening self-study to watch "The Big Short" in the library, gradually aspiring to enter the fintech industry. In his spare time, he also began to engage in secondary trading, "which felt very interesting." After being admitted to Shenzhen University, he quickly joined the school's blockchain association. Before joining the association, he thought the saying "one day in the crypto world is like a year in the real world" was just an exaggeration, but being in the industry truly shocked him with its unique rhythm.
By chance, with the enthusiastic recommendation of a senior in the association, HAO became a campus ambassador for a project. Every week, he would sit with the seniors in his team in a Zoom meeting, passionately discussing the project's development direction and creative ideas for events. In social media operations, he constantly thought about using innovative content and interactive formats to enhance community engagement. The transition from trader to project-side thinking left him somewhat confused, but he remained steadfast in his choice. "Crypto is a trend of the times, and external funds are pouring in crazily. I don't want to miss this wave; there are still many opportunities for individuals."
After three days of activities, HAO returned to his dormitory at school, where his roommate was preparing for a research group meeting, which made him feel a sense of disconnection. "It feels like I have chosen a different path." In the current job market, he still chooses to enter crypto because "actively exploring crypto while ensuring academic progress not only allows me to meet many outstanding people but also opens up another path for myself in the current unfavorable employment situation."
The evening breeze of Victoria Harbour brushed against HAO's face, and this year's experiences made him feel that he has already become a part of this era.
HAO with friends in Hong Kong "running meetings"
Andy: Delving into the "Research and Investment" Deep Waters
In 2023, the University of Hong Kong's blockchain community (0xU) held a series of courses at several local universities, during which Andy, a marketing major, had no understanding of blockchain concepts. After being introduced to the community by peers, he felt a significant gap between the knowledge system he encountered on campus and the complex ecosystem of the crypto field, which sparked his initial interest in crypto.
"At first, it felt very fresh, like encountering a new movie for the first time." In the crypto wave, his feelings were "sometimes dull, sometimes exciting." "The dullness comes from the repetitive nature of many things, while the excitement comes from seeing certain innovations."
At that time, the DeFi nesting doll mechanism was widely discussed in the market, and Andy sensed the "arbitrage space" brought by cognitive differences: "DeFi is not necessarily Lego, but the token economics or the complexity of the mechanism requires some understanding to figure out the highest return method." From this arbitrage experience, Andy realized that cognitive differences in the crypto field require a lot of practical experience to bridge.
After that, Andy went through a period of internships, transitioning from a vague understanding of various project models in the crypto industry to gradually being able to handle various work tasks proficiently, significantly enhancing his professional skills. Finally, with his solid professional background and rich internship experience, Andy successfully entered a leading venture capital (VC) firm through a friend's introduction, starting a new chapter in his career.
At the same time, as platforms like Weibo increased their content control over the crypto field, crypto KOLs on X were gradually rising. At that time, Andy, as an i-person, "didn't like to express opinions," until he saw data analysis content posted by Sha Po Lang on X, which, along with encouragement from seniors, prompted him to actively operate Twitter outside of his main job. "I already have a lot of data analysis in my main job, so doing data-driven X operations is relatively simple for me, making it a comfort zone." A year after graduation, Andy gradually gained recognition from many industry seniors.
Over the years, Andy's biggest insight about college students entering the industry is that "college students need someone to guide them, preferably their seniors/friends, as the probability of being deceived is lower than with outsiders." In his view, the crypto field is a mixed bag, and having familiar people to lead can not only help avoid many detours but also prevent falling into potential traps. "Don't be afraid to experience; without experience, you won't know the specifics."
Like the college students who are intersecting with the crypto field, a year after graduation, Andy is also shedding the naivety of being a college student and embracing his own crypto brilliance.
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