So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion In The Quest For Work You Love (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Hmm. So... I love and 100% agree with the idea behind the title, that you should be so good in whatever you do that 'they' can't ignore you (a quote taken from Steve Martin, who worked at his craft for a decade before he made it big). I also agree that telling someone to "follow your passion" can be very poor advice. However, I found the rest of Newport's argument both depressing and wrong: that you shouldn't even try to find work that you enjoy but simply work hard at whatever job you've ended up in until you're so good that you have a bit more freedom to go off and do something more interesting (though still very much related to the work you've got experience in). Examples are presented very selectively to back up the tenuous argument. I also found the way in which the book was written quite annoying with summaries repeating the same points and the author claiming to be writing this 'remarkable' book. This manifesto on success really resonated with me. It reinforced ideas I've been developing about autonomy, control, and craftsmanship. I've been becoming increasingly frustrated with the passion principle lately, and this manifesto strikes a welcome balance. It offers the credo that a satisfying and successful work life comes through "working right" not finding the "right" work. To me, "right" means perfect. If we wait until the perfect thing comes along, we will never begin. Best to begin something and make it, slowly, through incremental changes, into something better, something of valuable, something we can be passionate about. It's really an issue of the chicken or the egg. Newport says egg first, and I agree.
What do You think about So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion In The Quest For Work You Love (2012)?
After reading this book, a lot of observations in my professional life finally make sense. Awesome!
—Amanda
This book offered solid advice. I wish I had a book like this when I was in college.
—kate
not the most well organized book, repetitive, but a must read for its content.
—inmamr
Good book, but it would be ok, if it were only half as long.
—maryse
really good,thoughtful and methodical guide
—antwa
