College Students: Focus On This

Author: David Perell URL: https://www.perell.com/blog/2016/10/5/college-students-focus-on-this One-line: An early-Perell pep talk to communications students — university programs teach for the pre-mobile world, so the move is to form your own vision of where things are headed and build skills for that future, using free internet distribution to share your work now.

Key claims

• Young students have an edge. As the world evolves faster, the young “aren’t burdened by the inherent assumptions of the old world order” and offer unique insight into how young people think — an advantage over older peers.
• University comms programs teach a dead world. They’re stuck in the pre-mobile era while the internet and Facebook drive tectonic shifts: TV → short-form video; the cable bundle → SVOD and social; newspapers → personalized feeds (Journalism). The changes touch journalism, PR, advertising, cinema, TV, design, and analytics.
• Conceptualize the future and build for it. “If your professors think you’re crazy, you’re doing something right.” Academia is, by nature, reactionary and behind the times — so self-directed learning becomes critical.
• The internet democratized distribution. Brands, publishers, and students have the same chance to spread ideas — making college the ideal time to share your work; Facebook is a low-cost channel to target employers or the exact people who’ll value your work.
• Build where the people are. Find businesses leveraging the dominant platform in ways that intrigue you; the same logic recurs across every Platform (Kyle: today it’s Webflow or Shopify).
• Craft alone is a disadvantage. Those who focus narrowly with no grasp of business models and societal trends lose to independent creators (like Casey Neistat) who produce, distribute, and build a business around their work.

Notable quotes

“As a student, you’d be smart to conceptualize your own vision for where the world is headed and focus on building skills for that new world. If your professors think you’re crazy, you’re doing something right.”

“The internet has democratized distribution — brands, traditional publishers and students have the same opportunity to spread ideas.”

“It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.” — Martha Graham

Kyle’s notes

Kyle: Academia is, by nature, reactionary and reflective of the world and therefore “behind the times.” As the speed of change increases, our need to direct our own learning will be critical.

Kyle: I sometimes feel like Writing is Screaming into the Void.

Kyle: True of any Platform; today it’s Webflow or Shopify. Build your career where people are.

How it connects

• David Perell — an early-career companion to A Message to Every Entrepreneur; self-education and internet distribution as the path forward.
• University disruption / Academia — the core critique: schools teach for a world that no longer exists.
• Platform — picking a dominant platform and building your career where attention already is.
• Writing / Martha Graham — the imperative to publish and “keep the channel open” regardless of whether it feels like screaming into the void.

Verbatim source notes — restored from Roam, 2026-09-21

• Fall of newspapers → rise of personalized news feeds Journalism
• Fall of television → rise of short form video
• Most university communications programs are stuck teaching their students skills for the pre-mobile world. The ubiquitous rise of the internet, and by extension, Facebook has catalyzed tectonic shifts in the way we communicate, learn, and engage with the world. Some examples below:
• Those who narrowly focus on their craft with no understanding of business models and broad societal trends are at a disadvantage. The internet uniquely empowers independent creators like Casey Neistat who produce their own content, distribute it, and build a business around it. Doing so however, requires a business acumen that communications students aren’t known for.
• Facebook isn’t going away any time soon — it owns your online identity, your memories, your online friend graph, and knows your interests. For at least the next decade, it will dominate our attention, and by extension, serve as the online hub for media and communication.
• College is a time to consider your career aspirations and embrace your passions. While most kids are drinking, or slacking off in class, wise students use their free time to get ahead of their peers. As the world evolves with increasing speed, young students are in some ways, at an advantage in comparison to their older peers. They aren’t burdened by the inherent assumptions of the old world order and offer unique insight into how young people think and behave.
• The internet has democratized distribution — brands, traditional publishers and students have the same opportunity to spread ideas, making college the perfect time to share your work with the world. Whether you’re a writer or a filmmaker, Facebook is a low cost distribution channel where you can target your posts to potential employers or the exact people who will appreciate your work. Martha Graham
• College students should let Facebook to guide their preliminary career decisions. Find businesses that are leveraging the platform in ways that intrigue you. Facebook’s impact extends beyond media and communication and into novel, more niche businesses using Facebook, and the internet broadly, to reach a clearly defined set of consumers.
• The changes extend to all sectors of communications including journalism, public relations, advertising, cinema, television, design, and media analytics. As a student, you’d be smart to conceptualize your own vision for where the world is headed and focus on building skills for that new world. If your professors think you’re crazy, you’re doing something right.
• True of any Platform; today it’s Webflow or Shopify ($SHOP). Build your career where people are.
• Fall of the cable bundle → rise of SVOD (subscription video on demand) services and social media