Dear colleges, my kid may not be Kershaw
My 9th grader just started planning for college. We hope he’s snapping off a Kershaw‑esque curveball by 11th grade… but if that doesn’t happen, we know what actually moves the needle beyond good grades and student government: a sustained, student‑led project that shows initiative, leadership, and real impact over several years and the ability to tell that story.
So we started designing that kind of project for him and then the uncomfortable question showed up: is any of this (high school, then college) actually teaching him how to build his own path in a world shaped by AI, automation, and digital leverage?
The ladder is wobbly, the tools are wild
Entry‑level jobs are disappearing, the “safe” corporate ladder is looking more like a step stool, and AI is eating the boring parts of everyone’s job anyway. At the same time, an expert with a laptop, a camera, and a solid idea can now build, launch, and distribute to hundreds of thousands (or millions) from anywhere. (its not that easy, but that’s what’s happening)
Pieces of a new playbook exist, but they’re scattered:
High school entrepreneurship programs that now treat AI as a cofounder for student businesses.
College and MBA programs bolting AI onto business innovation labs and “next‑gen” degrees.
Creator / AI schools showing founders how to use tools and automation to grow online.
What’s rare is a single, coherent lane that:
Starts as early as high school (or undergrad, or postgrad).
Treats content and storytelling as infrastructure, not a side dish.
Bakes AI and no‑code into the build process from day one.
Has students run real ventures with real customers, not just “pitch decks” (get it? sorry)
The “third lane” I wish existed
Call it creator entrepreneurship:
Not business school.
Not film school.
Not a “how to get brand deals” creator bootcamp.
But a hands‑on path where students:
Use storytelling as customer discovery and distribution.
Learn unit economics, pricing, funnels, and basic ops tied to actual revenue.
Use AI and no‑code to do in days what used to take teams.
Build durable, multi‑stream, IP‑driven micro‑ventures over years, not weeks.
In other words: stop teaching the youth only how to make content or only how to take exams—teach them how to build, ship, and sell.
Your turn: what have you seen?
This is where you come in.
Have you seen a high school, college, or postgrad program that truly merges entrepreneurship, media/storytelling, and AI tools into one modern curriculum?
Are there schools, labs, gap‑year programs, or online cohorts that already feel like this “third lane”?
If you work in education, would your school ever let a student’s multi‑year creator business replace a traditional capstone?
Hit reply and send:
Links, syllabi, or screenshots.
Names of programs or people who are trying this.
Or, if nothing like this exists, what you wish a 4‑year “creator entrepreneurship” track for a 9th grader or freshmen in “new” type of college would look like.
Because if the old playbook was get a degree, get a job, the next one might be: build something real, then decide who gets to partner with you.
(sorry)
Billy
PS: I’ll see some of you next week at our second run of Creator CEO Summit at The Lighthouse. If you were busy in vaca mode and missed the memo on this round, we’ll catch you at the next summit. New York next?
