---
url: /academy-handbook/foundation/week-4/part-6-direction-card.md
---
# Week 4 · Part 6 — Track Selection Card

This is the last page of the Foundation. The full Academy continues into a
Builder or Researcher Deep Dive in Weeks 5–6. **This card is not your final PoW
proposal. Your track choice is fixed for W5–W8, but you are not committing to a
final topic yet.** Your domain, question and final PoW idea may evolve through
the Deep Dive and W7.

For Foundation Pilot learners, completing this card as part of the Week 4 Anchor
Mission is the final required Foundation output. It remains a useful map of what
you might build or investigate next.

::: important The useful output is a better next question
**==One small thing you may want to build or investigate.==** Not a startup, not a
finished product and not a final PoW scope. Use the card to notice what interests
you and what you still need to learn.
:::

## Learning objectives

* Distinguish the Builder and Researcher ways of working
* Select a Builder or Researcher track for the W5–W8 capability path
* Identify current knowledge gaps and explain why the selected track fits the kind of work you want to practise

## Core

### Two Deep Dive tracks

The tracks describe a kind of work, not a prestige tier. Domains such as DeFi,
stablecoins, NFTs, RWA, prediction markets, DePIN, infrastructure, governance
and AI × Web3 are cases that may be explored through either track.

:::: card-grid
::: card title="Builder" icon="material-symbols:code"
Learn to **compose unfamiliar Web3 systems**. You may eventually produce a
working vertical slice, interface, integration or other reviewable build.
:::
::: card title="Researcher" icon="material-symbols:menu-book-outline"
Learn to **decompose unfamiliar Web3 systems**. You may eventually produce an
evidence-backed analysis, measurement or other defensible research artefact.
:::
::::

### Your Track Selection Card

Write one or two lines for each field. Keep the domain and final PoW topic open.

:::: steps

1. **Selected track** — Builder or Researcher. This selection remains your Academy path through W8.

   Choose the kind of work you want to practise through the Deep Dive and Proof of Work.

2. **Topics or domains of interest** — what areas, systems or questions are
   currently catching your attention?

3. **Something you may build or investigate** — one small possibility, not a
   final project commitment.

4. **Current knowledge gaps** — two or three things you do not yet understand
   well enough to work on confidently.

5. **Why this track fits** — connect the choice to the kind of work
   you want to practise, not to its prestige.
   ::::

::: tip This is not your PoW proposal
Your track is fixed for W5–W8. Your domain, question and final deliverable may
evolve through Deep Dive; W7 combines deciding the scope with producing an MVP /
V1.
:::

### What comes next

| Stage | What it does |
|---|---|
| W5 Deep Dive | Six Builder or Researcher Part tasks, each worth 100 points |
| W6 Deep Dive | Six more Part tasks, each worth 100 points |
| W7 | Scope + MVP / V1 · 200 points |
| W8 | Refine + Final PoW · 200 points |

## Landscape

* **Builder** — a track for learning to compose unfamiliar Web3 systems
* **Researcher** — a track for learning to decompose unfamiliar Web3 systems
* **Case or application domain** — an area such as stablecoins, DeFi, NFTs or
  governance; it is not a permanent Academy track
* **PoW topic and domain** — flexible until W7, when scope definition and the
  first meaningful version happen together

::: tip Track kits
The [Builder Deep Dive](../../tracks/builder/) and [Researcher Deep Dive](../../tracks/researcher/)
pages are structural scaffolds. The Education team will add the detailed lessons
and Part tasks later.
:::

## Worked example

The same interest can point toward either track without becoming a final project
yet.

> *"I'm interested in stablecoins."*

| Field | Example answer |
|---|---|
| **Track** | Researcher |
| **Topics** | Reserves, freezing, chain deployment and what holders have to trust |
| **Something I may investigate** | Compare one or two stablecoin designs using official documents and on-chain evidence |
| **Knowledge gaps** | How attestations work; what freeze functions can and cannot do |
| **Why it fits** | I want to practise tracing claims and evidence before deciding on a final deliverable |

This is enough to guide Deep Dive learning. It does not decide the final PoW
question, scope or definition of done.

::: details Further exploration — optional, not assessed

* Browse [Dune](https://dune.com/) or [DefiLlama](https://defillama.com/) and
  note one question you cannot answer yet.
* Ask in the Telegram group what kinds of Builder or Researcher work other
  learners are curious about.
  :::

::: details Sources and attribution

* [ethereum.org — Developer resources](https://ethereum.org/developers/) — Reuse (CC BY 4.0), adapted
* [Dune](https://dune.com/) — Link, referenced only
* [DefiLlama](https://defillama.com/) — Link, referenced only
* [Messari Research](https://messari.io/research) — Link, referenced only
  :::