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So Good They Can't Ignore You
Cal Newport's clearly-written manifesto flies in the face of conventional wisdom by suggesting that it should be a person's talent and skill - and not necessarily their passion - that determines their career path.
Newport, who graduated from Dartmouth College (Phi Beta Kappa) and earned a PhD. from MIT, contends that trying to find what drives us, instead of focusing on areas in which we naturally excel, is ultimately harmful and frustrating to job seekers.
The title is a direct quote from comedian Steve Martin who, when once asked why he was successful in his career, immediately replied: "Be so good they can't ignore you" and that's the main basis for Newport's book. Skill and ability trump passion.
Inspired by former Apple CEO Steve Jobs' famous Stanford University commencement speech in which Jobs urges idealistic grads to chase their dreams, Newport takes issue with that advice, claiming that not only is thsi advice Pollyannish, but that Jobs himself never followed his own advice.
From there, Newport presents compelling scientific and contemporary case study evidence that the key to one's career success is to find out what you do well, where you have built up your 'career capital,' and then to put all of your efforts into that direction.
305 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
6778 people are currently reading
105424 people want to read
About the author
Cal Newport
107books9,652followersCal Newport is Provost’s Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, and the author of seven books. His ideas and writing are frequently featured in major publications and on TV and radio.
From his website: "I write about the intersection of digital technology and culture. I’m particularly interested in our struggle to deploy these tools in ways that support instead of subvert the things we care about in both our personal and professional lives."
From his website: "I write about the intersection of digital technology and culture. I’m particularly interested in our struggle to deploy these tools in ways that support instead of subvert the things we care about in both our personal and professional lives."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,334 reviews
March 5, 2021
Newport dedicates the first chapter to declaring that 'passion' will get you nowhere - instead, you should become so good at what you do that your career will advance. He establishes the 'passion mindset' and the 'craftsman mindset' as dichotomies, but then spends the rest of the book telling stories of people who actually disprove this hypothesis completely. Almost every individual we are introduced to is actually following their passion, yet Newport's confirmation bias blinds him to the obvious: the professional guitarist, surfer, and archaeologist all started with a passion for these endeavours. It's frustrating because the book offers really valuable advice for becoming great at what you do -- take 'little bets', create career capital, put yourself in positions to get immediate feedback -- and has the potential to be incredible if it hadn't been so narrow-minded. However, Newport is so fixated on disproving the effectiveness of passion and creating a completely unique outlook on life that it just seems a bit ridiculous. It's also unrealistic to suggest that you can't hate a job you're good at. A much better general argument would've been that passion provides a necessary baseline, but mastery is then required to succeed - this is what the book's evidence actually suggests, but Newport is so dedicated to writing something groundbreaking that he actually misses the mark entirely.
December 20, 2012
For me this book is one of the few pop-psych/self-help books that actually holds relevance. Like the author I'm also an academic, however I've done an awesome job of running my career into the toilet. I've spent too many years to mention developing killer skills, but in the parts of the job that give me ZERO career capital. I am an amazing teacher. Truly. I have awards. I get letters from past students now working overseas, thanking me. I make a difference in the lives of young people. Guess what? Teaching doesn't count for a fat wazoo in academia.
I really don't want to play the political academic game, but the truth is that unless I start to produce more of the outputs that are valued, I won't be around to do the teaching that gives my life meaning. I particularly like that Newport gives specific, measureable strategies and tools to increase career capital. The case studies are ones that seem applicable to me. After reading the book I can immediately implement some practical things to improve the power I hold at work, which then allows me to also spend time on the aspects of the job that are most important to me.
It is interesting that Newport wrote this book before he took up his first full-time teaching position. I'm keen to see how his ideas change in the reality of the workplace.
One thing the book overlooks, and that is gender expectations. Female academics, as in so many professions, are expected to be 'nice'. Avoiding the emotional caretaking aspects of a workplace is essential for women who want to develop career capital, but paradoxically it is difficult to succeed by using the same work strategy that male colleagues use. Example: working as the lone female staff member on one programme, colleages constantly referred students to me to deal with their life crises: abortions, family deaths, miscarriages, failing papers. A respected mentor told me to my face how much he admired how well suited I am to this. Reality = I'm not. I am not qualified or suited to counsel a student after a miscarriage. Why would I be? Because I also have a uterus? And I don't want to. I do not want to take on a bottomless well of other people's emotional issues. At the end of 2010 I spent nearly three hours a week (!) referring an endless stream of students to the appropriate care provider (also mopping up tears before students could calm down and listen to me). That's more time than I spent on writing journal articles in the same period. When, at the beginning of the next semester, I gave my colleagues copies of the phone numbers and weblinks for the appropriate university resources, and asked them not send students to me any more, I was called a "cold bitch" by a colleague. I have no solution for this, and Newport doesn't address it. If you have one, let me know.
On a day-to-day basis I'm not sure how many people would find the strategies in the book useful. Academics have a great deal of autonomy as to how we spend our time. I only have about 16-20 hours a week where I have to be somewhere. The rest of the time I can determine my work priorities myself. I only worked in industry for about two years, but a lot of the tasks seemed purely reactive, and that makes it much more difficult to prioritize the tasks that bring you the most career capital.
However, in the broad view, the book is great. Newport emphasizes that you can find meaning in any job; there is no perfect 'right' career. You don't have to love your job when you start it: in fact this is highly unlikely. By doing the hard work, that eventually brings skill, satisfaction will follow.
Overall I found this book useful, practical, and encouraging. Recommended for college grads, senior high school students, people in a career transition, and other academics who screwed up.
I really don't want to play the political academic game, but the truth is that unless I start to produce more of the outputs that are valued, I won't be around to do the teaching that gives my life meaning. I particularly like that Newport gives specific, measureable strategies and tools to increase career capital. The case studies are ones that seem applicable to me. After reading the book I can immediately implement some practical things to improve the power I hold at work, which then allows me to also spend time on the aspects of the job that are most important to me.
It is interesting that Newport wrote this book before he took up his first full-time teaching position. I'm keen to see how his ideas change in the reality of the workplace.
One thing the book overlooks, and that is gender expectations. Female academics, as in so many professions, are expected to be 'nice'. Avoiding the emotional caretaking aspects of a workplace is essential for women who want to develop career capital, but paradoxically it is difficult to succeed by using the same work strategy that male colleagues use. Example: working as the lone female staff member on one programme, colleages constantly referred students to me to deal with their life crises: abortions, family deaths, miscarriages, failing papers. A respected mentor told me to my face how much he admired how well suited I am to this. Reality = I'm not. I am not qualified or suited to counsel a student after a miscarriage. Why would I be? Because I also have a uterus? And I don't want to. I do not want to take on a bottomless well of other people's emotional issues. At the end of 2010 I spent nearly three hours a week (!) referring an endless stream of students to the appropriate care provider (also mopping up tears before students could calm down and listen to me). That's more time than I spent on writing journal articles in the same period. When, at the beginning of the next semester, I gave my colleagues copies of the phone numbers and weblinks for the appropriate university resources, and asked them not send students to me any more, I was called a "cold bitch" by a colleague. I have no solution for this, and Newport doesn't address it. If you have one, let me know.
On a day-to-day basis I'm not sure how many people would find the strategies in the book useful. Academics have a great deal of autonomy as to how we spend our time. I only have about 16-20 hours a week where I have to be somewhere. The rest of the time I can determine my work priorities myself. I only worked in industry for about two years, but a lot of the tasks seemed purely reactive, and that makes it much more difficult to prioritize the tasks that bring you the most career capital.
However, in the broad view, the book is great. Newport emphasizes that you can find meaning in any job; there is no perfect 'right' career. You don't have to love your job when you start it: in fact this is highly unlikely. By doing the hard work, that eventually brings skill, satisfaction will follow.
Overall I found this book useful, practical, and encouraging. Recommended for college grads, senior high school students, people in a career transition, and other academics who screwed up.
August 23, 2016
I have rather mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, the advice rang so true to my experience, I actually went to the author's website to contact him, only to discover that his wife just had their first child last week, so he's not available. On the negative side, though, the book pointed out all the mistakes I've made over the years, which has made me worry that at my age, it's already too late for me to ever have what he calls "a compelling career."
The thesis of the book is that following your passion is bad career advice, and the better approach is to master skills that people value. Mastery is its own reward, and from there, career satisfaction will follow. Sensible enough, but I can't discount passion altogether. He gives example after example of people who built their careers the right way and a few who did things wrong. The successful ones pursued goals logically and systematically, but I can't imagine that passion wasn't part of it. The guy who became a TV scriptwriter didn't have a pre-existing passion for it? C'mon.
So I'm not really sure what to conclude. As someone who spent way too long barely eking out a living as a freelance writer and editor, I see the folly of following your passion. But while I'm grateful for the steady salary of an office job, I must confess to frequent boredom. Survival is more important than happiness, but isn't it possible to have both?
The thesis of the book is that following your passion is bad career advice, and the better approach is to master skills that people value. Mastery is its own reward, and from there, career satisfaction will follow. Sensible enough, but I can't discount passion altogether. He gives example after example of people who built their careers the right way and a few who did things wrong. The successful ones pursued goals logically and systematically, but I can't imagine that passion wasn't part of it. The guy who became a TV scriptwriter didn't have a pre-existing passion for it? C'mon.
So I'm not really sure what to conclude. As someone who spent way too long barely eking out a living as a freelance writer and editor, I see the folly of following your passion. But while I'm grateful for the steady salary of an office job, I must confess to frequent boredom. Survival is more important than happiness, but isn't it possible to have both?
February 5, 2013
I picked up this book not so much because I'm at a career transition point (though that is in fact the case), but because I've followed Cal's student advice blog, Study Hacks, for a couple years now, and his pull-no-punches posts often give me lots to think about. His latest book, So Good They Can't Ignore You, challenges all the feel-good yada yada about following your passion popularized by Oprah and so many others. More significantly, it challenges the common assumption that we all have some predetermined passion or other that's just waiting to be discovered. I intuitively agreed with the premise of his book and came to it looking for a well argued takedown of the follow-your-passion approach to life. I was curious to hear what Cal had to say about all this.
The book was a speedy read full of good stories - so it's a low-investment effort if you're even vaguely intrigued by the topic. However, it was nowhere near as rigorous as I would've hoped. His argument builds on a succession of short profiles of people who've been successful in their careers and ambitions. Only occasionally does Newport draw on theory (e.g., a nod to self-determination theory in ch.2) or research studies. After starting each chapter with a story, he then boils it down to a simple maxim or two, which in turn slot into his four fundamental "rules" of career-building. One of the recurring frustrations, as other reviewers have noted, is that his stories can be read in various ways, and his heavy-handed, reductionist overlays tend to make you more skeptical rather than more convinced.
There are also some distracting issues with tone. His counter-examples (profiles of people who tried to "follow their passion" and lived to regret it) are merciless and devoid of nuance, to the point that I cringed my way through his ham-fisted telling of their stories. Conversely, his conclusion, in which he describes how he followed his own rules as he transitioned into his new career as a university professor, becomes more than a little galling in its blithe lists of his accomplishments. This passage on p.205 shows how Newport's tone can veer off into self-satisfaction and disdain:
Cue eye roll.
Despite these notable flaws, there were several good things I took away from the book. The first was his brief but compelling account of the rise of the "follow your passion" ethos, which drew on Google Ngrams and pointed to the meteoric success of the 1970 book, What Colour Is Your Parachute?. The second was his arguments about the importance of mission, which resonated with me intuitively and challenged me to articulate a mission for my own fledgling career. The third thing was that his blunt analysis and dedicated self-scrutiny boosted my resolve to take a ruthless look at my own skills, ambitions and time management and, above all, to develop a more thoughtful and deliberate approach to my work life. Considering this list of takeaways, these are no small things, so I can be glad I read the book.
The book was a speedy read full of good stories - so it's a low-investment effort if you're even vaguely intrigued by the topic. However, it was nowhere near as rigorous as I would've hoped. His argument builds on a succession of short profiles of people who've been successful in their careers and ambitions. Only occasionally does Newport draw on theory (e.g., a nod to self-determination theory in ch.2) or research studies. After starting each chapter with a story, he then boils it down to a simple maxim or two, which in turn slot into his four fundamental "rules" of career-building. One of the recurring frustrations, as other reviewers have noted, is that his stories can be read in various ways, and his heavy-handed, reductionist overlays tend to make you more skeptical rather than more convinced.
There are also some distracting issues with tone. His counter-examples (profiles of people who tried to "follow their passion" and lived to regret it) are merciless and devoid of nuance, to the point that I cringed my way through his ham-fisted telling of their stories. Conversely, his conclusion, in which he describes how he followed his own rules as he transitioned into his new career as a university professor, becomes more than a little galling in its blithe lists of his accomplishments. This passage on p.205 shows how Newport's tone can veer off into self-satisfaction and disdain:
Because of these early experiences [starting up a successful web design business in high school], I looked on with curiosity, once I arrived at college, when my classmates began to wring their hands about the question of what to do with their lives. For them, something as basic as choosing a major became weighted with cosmic significance. I though this was nonsense. To me, the world was filled with opportunities like Princeton Web Solutions waiting to be exploited.... Driven by this insight, while my classmates contemplated their true calling, I went seeking opportunities to master rare skills that would yield big rewards.
Cue eye roll.
Despite these notable flaws, there were several good things I took away from the book. The first was his brief but compelling account of the rise of the "follow your passion" ethos, which drew on Google Ngrams and pointed to the meteoric success of the 1970 book, What Colour Is Your Parachute?. The second was his arguments about the importance of mission, which resonated with me intuitively and challenged me to articulate a mission for my own fledgling career. The third thing was that his blunt analysis and dedicated self-scrutiny boosted my resolve to take a ruthless look at my own skills, ambitions and time management and, above all, to develop a more thoughtful and deliberate approach to my work life. Considering this list of takeaways, these are no small things, so I can be glad I read the book.
April 1, 2013
There is definitely the core of a five star book here. The book has an excellent title, good anecdotal stories, and some well researched points.
Unfortunately the book starts out with a bad premise, one that continues to get beaten down, something that Cal calls The Passion Hypothesis, which Cal throws out and beats up at every turn. This hypothesis is:
"The key to occupational happiness is to first figure out what you're passionate about and then find a job that matches that passion."
From the start Cal sets up a false dichotomy between starting with something you are passionate about and developing skills. This is unfortunate. This dichotomy doesn't exist and overshadows the good parts of the book.
He also goes out of his way to make the first part of the book sound scientific, stretching the impact of some of the studies he quotes, implying causality with cross-sectional studies, and using words such as "Laws" and "Hypothesis". This verbiage is greatly reduced as the book continues, which is a good thing.
Cal is also pretty heavy handed in trying to make his anecdotes fit his belief. He should let the stories stand on their own instead of trying to guide us with an iron fist.
Lastly, I really wish he had helped the new job searcher or high school graduate find a good starting point for the career process. He debunks passion, although many of the anecdotes clearly denote people who started with passion, but doesn't show where someone entering the job market should start to make themselves valuable. With so many options available should someone chose a field they are not passionate about to stay true to Cal's eschewing of passion? Absurd.
Disappointing, but a good sixty percent of the book could be used to create an inspiring guide for those looking to increase their marketability and enjoyment at work.
Unfortunately the book starts out with a bad premise, one that continues to get beaten down, something that Cal calls The Passion Hypothesis, which Cal throws out and beats up at every turn. This hypothesis is:
"The key to occupational happiness is to first figure out what you're passionate about and then find a job that matches that passion."
From the start Cal sets up a false dichotomy between starting with something you are passionate about and developing skills. This is unfortunate. This dichotomy doesn't exist and overshadows the good parts of the book.
He also goes out of his way to make the first part of the book sound scientific, stretching the impact of some of the studies he quotes, implying causality with cross-sectional studies, and using words such as "Laws" and "Hypothesis". This verbiage is greatly reduced as the book continues, which is a good thing.
Cal is also pretty heavy handed in trying to make his anecdotes fit his belief. He should let the stories stand on their own instead of trying to guide us with an iron fist.
Lastly, I really wish he had helped the new job searcher or high school graduate find a good starting point for the career process. He debunks passion, although many of the anecdotes clearly denote people who started with passion, but doesn't show where someone entering the job market should start to make themselves valuable. With so many options available should someone chose a field they are not passionate about to stay true to Cal's eschewing of passion? Absurd.
Disappointing, but a good sixty percent of the book could be used to create an inspiring guide for those looking to increase their marketability and enjoyment at work.
October 1, 2014
Great read, and for most job-seekers I'd almost put this book down as essential. With all the toxic "follow your passion" advice being thrown around, people need to realize that when it comes to building a career, skills are more important.
The gist of this book can be gotten very quickly; in fact, the final chapter neatly summarizes pretty much everything. However, the rest of the book contains several case studies that are both inspiring and enlightening.
The gist of this book can be gotten very quickly; in fact, the final chapter neatly summarizes pretty much everything. However, the rest of the book contains several case studies that are both inspiring and enlightening.
September 26, 2020
This book was recommended to me by someone, probably because I was being ambivalent about working. I think that they misunderstood my ambivalence however, it wasn't rooted in a feeling that I wasn't passionate about anything, rather my feelings were a reflection of the fact that most career trajectories feel pointless and conflict with my natural desire to be multifaceted. It wasn't so much about the act of working itself or some idea that there is an ideal job out there that would magically make me feel motivated to want to work.
I already agreed with Newport's point of view going into the book so I didn't get much out of it. I also didn't think it needed to be a whole book to be quite honest. I honestly hate how all these self help books have that formulaic way of using anecdotes to illustrate some argument they're trying to make. I think that this could just as succinctly been explained in a blog post like he had been doing to begin with. The book was clearly well written though, reminded me of all those lessons you get in school on how to write essays with thesis sentences and conclusions.
I think this book would be a good read for someone in a different place in their life than I am right now. if I didn't already have similar thoughts around working as Newport I might have actually like this more and found it really illuminating. Would definitely recommend this to people who think that work is about finding something you're passionate about above all else.
I already agreed with Newport's point of view going into the book so I didn't get much out of it. I also didn't think it needed to be a whole book to be quite honest. I honestly hate how all these self help books have that formulaic way of using anecdotes to illustrate some argument they're trying to make. I think that this could just as succinctly been explained in a blog post like he had been doing to begin with. The book was clearly well written though, reminded me of all those lessons you get in school on how to write essays with thesis sentences and conclusions.
I think this book would be a good read for someone in a different place in their life than I am right now. if I didn't already have similar thoughts around working as Newport I might have actually like this more and found it really illuminating. Would definitely recommend this to people who think that work is about finding something you're passionate about above all else.
April 6, 2013
Dr. Newport offers an abundance of prescient advice that has motivated me to focus on building skills and embrace the discomfort associated with pushing my limits.
Unfortunately, in his book "So Good They Can't Ignore You," Newport frames his advice in a disingenuous context -- he (perhaps willfully) misinterprets what I suspect a large number of people (including Steve Jobs) really meant when they use the phrase "follow your passion." Newport claims that "follow" implies identifying a pre-existing passion to match with a job. In the speech Newport claims to "debunk," Jobs tells his audience that "Much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on� you can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards." Thus when Newport writes "If a young Steve Jobs had taken his own advice and decided to only pursue work he loved, we would probably find him today at one of the Los Altos Zen Center's most popular teachers," Newport is blatantly subverting the meaning intended in the verb "to follow" -- a winding path with obscure targets can be followed. Newport ignores this interpretation. Newport also ignores a meaning often intended by the noun "passion" -- Jobs emphasized the emotional, intuitive aspect while Newport fixates on the definition related to intense conviction.
Beyond the poorly framed first rule about Passion, Newport presents examples of individuals with fulfilling careers that could just as easily be described as people who DID follow their passion, if the phrase is interpreted in the manner more likely intended by Steve Jobs. Pardis Sabeti and Kirk French both "connected the dots" as Jobs encouraged, following their intuitions to arrive at an innovative and inspiring career. The section about finding a career mission could just as easily be rewritten in terms of finding (and developing) a passion.
After reading this book, I agree with Dr. Newport's assessment that catchy phrases and slogans can be dangerous, but not for the reasons he puts forth. These slogans are dangerous because in the absence of nuanced explanation, a slogan is easily subverted and misinterpreted. I'm concerned that Dr. Newport ignores an abundance of data that don't neatly align with his thesis, e.g. "I really don't care why performers adopt the craftsman mindset." I'm used to encountering this sort of defensive bantering in conversation when people are thinking in real time, but it's borderline comical to find it in a book where the author had an opportunity to put more thought into developing and revising his position. This style of argument is sloppy and suggests to me that Newport is more interested in padding his CV with books than presenting coherent discourse to the world at large.
Unfortunately, in his book "So Good They Can't Ignore You," Newport frames his advice in a disingenuous context -- he (perhaps willfully) misinterprets what I suspect a large number of people (including Steve Jobs) really meant when they use the phrase "follow your passion." Newport claims that "follow" implies identifying a pre-existing passion to match with a job. In the speech Newport claims to "debunk," Jobs tells his audience that "Much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on� you can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards." Thus when Newport writes "If a young Steve Jobs had taken his own advice and decided to only pursue work he loved, we would probably find him today at one of the Los Altos Zen Center's most popular teachers," Newport is blatantly subverting the meaning intended in the verb "to follow" -- a winding path with obscure targets can be followed. Newport ignores this interpretation. Newport also ignores a meaning often intended by the noun "passion" -- Jobs emphasized the emotional, intuitive aspect while Newport fixates on the definition related to intense conviction.
Beyond the poorly framed first rule about Passion, Newport presents examples of individuals with fulfilling careers that could just as easily be described as people who DID follow their passion, if the phrase is interpreted in the manner more likely intended by Steve Jobs. Pardis Sabeti and Kirk French both "connected the dots" as Jobs encouraged, following their intuitions to arrive at an innovative and inspiring career. The section about finding a career mission could just as easily be rewritten in terms of finding (and developing) a passion.
After reading this book, I agree with Dr. Newport's assessment that catchy phrases and slogans can be dangerous, but not for the reasons he puts forth. These slogans are dangerous because in the absence of nuanced explanation, a slogan is easily subverted and misinterpreted. I'm concerned that Dr. Newport ignores an abundance of data that don't neatly align with his thesis, e.g. "I really don't care why performers adopt the craftsman mindset." I'm used to encountering this sort of defensive bantering in conversation when people are thinking in real time, but it's borderline comical to find it in a book where the author had an opportunity to put more thought into developing and revising his position. This style of argument is sloppy and suggests to me that Newport is more interested in padding his CV with books than presenting coherent discourse to the world at large.
June 22, 2018
"Follow you passion". "Life is for the living." "Passion is the engine to living your life." "Find what you love, and then do it." "Don't settle."
The passion hypothesis is to first "figure out what you're passionate about and then find a job that matches this passion."
This is all popular advice; you hear it everywhere. And Cal Newport shows why this advice is so, so very wrong. It is more than wrong--it is dangerous. He shows how this conventional wisdom for career success is seriously flawed. Following one's passion can potentially motivate a career that is confusing and filled with angst.
The passion mindset focuses on "what the world can offer you", while the craftsman mindset focuses on "what you can offer the world." By focusing on the passion mindset, you become hyper-aware of what you don't like about it, leading to chronic unhappiness. However, Cal Newport shows how the craftsman mindset is the foundation for creating work that you will come to love. He writes about "career capital", which is a valuable skill set that one gains by devoting many hours of "deliberate practice."
The book sets up four rules that should govern how you can build up a successful career. They are:
Rule #1: Don't follow your passion.
Rule #2: Be so good they can't ignore you.
Rule #3: Turn down a promotion. (Take control over your life.)
Rule #4: Think small, act big.
These short phrases don't really sum up the ideas very well. They are shorthand for concepts that are illustrated very well in the book.
The gist of the book is that you should practice a skill set with long hours of deliberate practice. Understand your skills, and learn a new skill every day. Always challenge yourself, instead of just coasting along. Make sure that the skills are relevant to the world, i.e., that someone is willing to pay for them. Eventually you will gain a passion in what you do well. Don't branch out on your own until you have gained a sufficient amount of "career capital", that is, a valuable skill set. Make incremental steps in your career, making sure that you never overstep your actual abilities and skills.
This is an engaging book, filled with interesting anecdotes about successful careers and missteps. It is fun to read all of this evidence that the ubiquitous advice--follow your passion--can be so wrong. Cal Newport has lots of excellent advice about taking control of your career and the direction of your life. He shows how his advice has been applied to his own career, too. Highly recommended.
The passion hypothesis is to first "figure out what you're passionate about and then find a job that matches this passion."
This is all popular advice; you hear it everywhere. And Cal Newport shows why this advice is so, so very wrong. It is more than wrong--it is dangerous. He shows how this conventional wisdom for career success is seriously flawed. Following one's passion can potentially motivate a career that is confusing and filled with angst.
The passion mindset focuses on "what the world can offer you", while the craftsman mindset focuses on "what you can offer the world." By focusing on the passion mindset, you become hyper-aware of what you don't like about it, leading to chronic unhappiness. However, Cal Newport shows how the craftsman mindset is the foundation for creating work that you will come to love. He writes about "career capital", which is a valuable skill set that one gains by devoting many hours of "deliberate practice."
The book sets up four rules that should govern how you can build up a successful career. They are:
Rule #1: Don't follow your passion.
Rule #2: Be so good they can't ignore you.
Rule #3: Turn down a promotion. (Take control over your life.)
Rule #4: Think small, act big.
These short phrases don't really sum up the ideas very well. They are shorthand for concepts that are illustrated very well in the book.
The gist of the book is that you should practice a skill set with long hours of deliberate practice. Understand your skills, and learn a new skill every day. Always challenge yourself, instead of just coasting along. Make sure that the skills are relevant to the world, i.e., that someone is willing to pay for them. Eventually you will gain a passion in what you do well. Don't branch out on your own until you have gained a sufficient amount of "career capital", that is, a valuable skill set. Make incremental steps in your career, making sure that you never overstep your actual abilities and skills.
This is an engaging book, filled with interesting anecdotes about successful careers and missteps. It is fun to read all of this evidence that the ubiquitous advice--follow your passion--can be so wrong. Cal Newport has lots of excellent advice about taking control of your career and the direction of your life. He shows how his advice has been applied to his own career, too. Highly recommended.
April 11, 2025
Check out my animated summary of this book!
July 29, 2013
I really wanted to like this book, and I think that Mr. Newport has a few good ideas, which I will get to in a moment. That said, this book was disappointing for the following reasons:
1. While Mr. Newport is no doubt skilled in mathematics (his chosen field), he lacks a basic understanding of English grammar. The book desperately needed an editor, as the following phrases appeared in print: "graduated highschool" "better understand this trickiness" and "real hard time", among other cringe-inducing phrases. He refers to Esther Duflo as someone who is successful in her "ant-poverty" efforts, when clearly he should have written "anti-poverty." If you're going to be "so good they can't ignore you," you shouldn't ignore the basics of good grammar.
2. The book is highly repetitive. The central themes of the book are to "be so good they can't ignore you" - i.e., get good at something so people will pay you to do it, and "working right trumps finding the right work" - i.e., don't worry about finding your passion; get good at something instead. He repeats these mantras over and over (and over). While he's not wrong, he needs to find other material to support his argument.
3. Mr. Newport clearly has absolutely no experience in the corporate world. He does use interviews of people who work in the corporate world to try to bolster his arguments, but they lack the ring of authenticity that first-hand experience would provide. He's probably right that we could all benefit from the deliberate practice of our skills; however, how one would go about doing that when pulled in a million different directions (including by one's email) by the modern workplace is left to the reader to discover for herself.
4. The examples of careers that Mr. Newport cites are not necessarily achievable by the average Joe. For example, Mr. Newport discusses the remarkable career of Pardis Sabeti - a woman who simultaneously earned a PhD from MIT and an MD from Harvard, all after her stint in Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Dr. Sabeti now works to eradicate diseases in Africa, and sounds like a truly remarkable woman and doctor. However, most people are not going to have careers like Dr. Sabeti. I would argue that she must have had a great deal of passion for her mission to eradicate human suffering in order to achieve her goals, not just deliberate practice. However, the best that Mr. Newport can say about Dr. Sabeti's amazing career is that it was "remarkably late...in her training before she identified [her] mission." Needless to say, his arrogance here is off putting.
5. Finally, there is just too much borrowed material in this book. Even the title of the book is a regurgitated Steve Martin quote! Add the Martin quote to Marvin Gladwell's Outliers and you have the gist of the book.
All of that said, I don't think Mr. Newport is wrong in his core argument. We shouldn't necessarily wait around to try to make a living off our "passions" (in my case, my passions are reading and knitting - no one is going to pay me to do that!) and instead get better at what we do for a living. Getting better will make our work easier and more enjoyable and will open more opportunities for us, including more autonomy over our work days and careers. However, Mr. Newport did a very poor job at fleshing out his arguments, and he did an even worse job at providing examples of practical applications of his arguments for the average worker. This book would have been better as a long article or an e-book; Mr. Newport simply doesn't offer enough material to make the 200+ pages of his book compelling.
1. While Mr. Newport is no doubt skilled in mathematics (his chosen field), he lacks a basic understanding of English grammar. The book desperately needed an editor, as the following phrases appeared in print: "graduated highschool" "better understand this trickiness" and "real hard time", among other cringe-inducing phrases. He refers to Esther Duflo as someone who is successful in her "ant-poverty" efforts, when clearly he should have written "anti-poverty." If you're going to be "so good they can't ignore you," you shouldn't ignore the basics of good grammar.
2. The book is highly repetitive. The central themes of the book are to "be so good they can't ignore you" - i.e., get good at something so people will pay you to do it, and "working right trumps finding the right work" - i.e., don't worry about finding your passion; get good at something instead. He repeats these mantras over and over (and over). While he's not wrong, he needs to find other material to support his argument.
3. Mr. Newport clearly has absolutely no experience in the corporate world. He does use interviews of people who work in the corporate world to try to bolster his arguments, but they lack the ring of authenticity that first-hand experience would provide. He's probably right that we could all benefit from the deliberate practice of our skills; however, how one would go about doing that when pulled in a million different directions (including by one's email) by the modern workplace is left to the reader to discover for herself.
4. The examples of careers that Mr. Newport cites are not necessarily achievable by the average Joe. For example, Mr. Newport discusses the remarkable career of Pardis Sabeti - a woman who simultaneously earned a PhD from MIT and an MD from Harvard, all after her stint in Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Dr. Sabeti now works to eradicate diseases in Africa, and sounds like a truly remarkable woman and doctor. However, most people are not going to have careers like Dr. Sabeti. I would argue that she must have had a great deal of passion for her mission to eradicate human suffering in order to achieve her goals, not just deliberate practice. However, the best that Mr. Newport can say about Dr. Sabeti's amazing career is that it was "remarkably late...in her training before she identified [her] mission." Needless to say, his arrogance here is off putting.
5. Finally, there is just too much borrowed material in this book. Even the title of the book is a regurgitated Steve Martin quote! Add the Martin quote to Marvin Gladwell's Outliers and you have the gist of the book.
All of that said, I don't think Mr. Newport is wrong in his core argument. We shouldn't necessarily wait around to try to make a living off our "passions" (in my case, my passions are reading and knitting - no one is going to pay me to do that!) and instead get better at what we do for a living. Getting better will make our work easier and more enjoyable and will open more opportunities for us, including more autonomy over our work days and careers. However, Mr. Newport did a very poor job at fleshing out his arguments, and he did an even worse job at providing examples of practical applications of his arguments for the average worker. This book would have been better as a long article or an e-book; Mr. Newport simply doesn't offer enough material to make the 200+ pages of his book compelling.
January 7, 2015
A few interesting ideas mired in weak anecdotes and confusing arguments
I came to this book after seeing it rated very highly on the personal reading list of Derek Sivers, a blogger/programmer who I admire. Imagine my surprise, then, when I found a chapter or two of this book use Derek's biographical sketch as the backdrop for one of Newport's rules!
I find myself in agreement with most of Cal's major points, but can't in good faith recommend reading this. Many of the anecdotes were cringeworthy and writing convoluted. The passion-followers, in particular, are portrayed as such bumbling fools that it makes me suspicious of his arguments, or would have done if I wasn't already in agreement with his main thesis.
I think he could have written this book without introducing us to the professional woman who quit a good job and blew her savings to open a yoga studio after only a few weekends of yoga training, ultimately to end up on food stamps. Or the blockheaded 20-something who dropped out of college with dreams of a passive income financed travel lifestyle, only to give up after writing a few blog entries that fail to become an overnight viral phenomenon. Or the lifestyle-design bloggers who try to scratch a living out of inspiring other people to do the same useless thing they are doing.
The problems experienced by these strawman characters (if they are even real) result from a naive approach to the world, get-rich-quickism, lack of planning, and poor execution. I really think building his arguments using these figures as foils undermines the credibility of the entire work.
A lot of the negative reviews seem to focus on the contradiction between Cal's panning of the passion motive and praise for "mission". Many people seem to think these are the same thing. I don't think this is necessarily a contradiction, but Cal doesn't seem to be very clear about explaining that missions are emergent interests that arise from one's collected experiences and opportunities as a craftsman. This is similar but subtly different from passion, which is Cal describes as a kind of innate affinity for a particular topic.
I think "career capital" is a useful new piece of vocabulary, but overall I give this book a pass.
I came to this book after seeing it rated very highly on the personal reading list of Derek Sivers, a blogger/programmer who I admire. Imagine my surprise, then, when I found a chapter or two of this book use Derek's biographical sketch as the backdrop for one of Newport's rules!
I find myself in agreement with most of Cal's major points, but can't in good faith recommend reading this. Many of the anecdotes were cringeworthy and writing convoluted. The passion-followers, in particular, are portrayed as such bumbling fools that it makes me suspicious of his arguments, or would have done if I wasn't already in agreement with his main thesis.
I think he could have written this book without introducing us to the professional woman who quit a good job and blew her savings to open a yoga studio after only a few weekends of yoga training, ultimately to end up on food stamps. Or the blockheaded 20-something who dropped out of college with dreams of a passive income financed travel lifestyle, only to give up after writing a few blog entries that fail to become an overnight viral phenomenon. Or the lifestyle-design bloggers who try to scratch a living out of inspiring other people to do the same useless thing they are doing.
The problems experienced by these strawman characters (if they are even real) result from a naive approach to the world, get-rich-quickism, lack of planning, and poor execution. I really think building his arguments using these figures as foils undermines the credibility of the entire work.
A lot of the negative reviews seem to focus on the contradiction between Cal's panning of the passion motive and praise for "mission". Many people seem to think these are the same thing. I don't think this is necessarily a contradiction, but Cal doesn't seem to be very clear about explaining that missions are emergent interests that arise from one's collected experiences and opportunities as a craftsman. This is similar but subtly different from passion, which is Cal describes as a kind of innate affinity for a particular topic.
I think "career capital" is a useful new piece of vocabulary, but overall I give this book a pass.
April 10, 2013
The short version of this book is: don't do something just because you're passionate about it, do it because you're both passionate and very, very good at it then you'll be successful.
The book in summary has 3 parts:
1- debunking the passions hypothesis. Yep its as boring is "debunking a hypothesis" sounds. This is the worst and most uninspiring part. He goes on, and on, and on for 30 pages saying that the advice "follow your passion is bad."
2- introducing main the passion mindset vs the craftsman mindset. This is where he actually starts making some sense. He argues that if you give the world, the world will give back to you. However, he constantly fails at giving examples here since he gave the example of a musician, and a writer. For Cal, he never mentioned even once that passion is what makes people seek the skills they're passionate about. I'm really struggling to imagine a musician spending countless hours practicing guitar, and he hates music! At least lets give him credit that he acknowledges, although only 3 pages, that some jobs aren't worth being good at without passion.
3- the good stuff. Here's where he brings some valuable insight about building yourself career wise. This is the part everyone should read. He gives actual advice about how to build your "career capital" which are skills that you can exchange for more freedom such as being a great programmer and so on.
Be so good they can't ignore you, and then peruse your passion is a better advice, I believe.
I just want to say that part 3 deserves 4 stars, but I settled since third of the book which is part 1 and 2 were awfully written and the points made were not argued well. So I settled for 3 stars. I wish he would rewrite the first part..
The book in summary has 3 parts:
1- debunking the passions hypothesis. Yep its as boring is "debunking a hypothesis" sounds. This is the worst and most uninspiring part. He goes on, and on, and on for 30 pages saying that the advice "follow your passion is bad."
2- introducing main the passion mindset vs the craftsman mindset. This is where he actually starts making some sense. He argues that if you give the world, the world will give back to you. However, he constantly fails at giving examples here since he gave the example of a musician, and a writer. For Cal, he never mentioned even once that passion is what makes people seek the skills they're passionate about. I'm really struggling to imagine a musician spending countless hours practicing guitar, and he hates music! At least lets give him credit that he acknowledges, although only 3 pages, that some jobs aren't worth being good at without passion.
3- the good stuff. Here's where he brings some valuable insight about building yourself career wise. This is the part everyone should read. He gives actual advice about how to build your "career capital" which are skills that you can exchange for more freedom such as being a great programmer and so on.
Be so good they can't ignore you, and then peruse your passion is a better advice, I believe.
I just want to say that part 3 deserves 4 stars, but I settled since third of the book which is part 1 and 2 were awfully written and the points made were not argued well. So I settled for 3 stars. I wish he would rewrite the first part..
December 5, 2012
This book had a provocative title that I couldn't resist, but I was somewhat disappointed by the content. Cal asserts that the road to true career happiness is the steady development of rare and valuable skills that you can eventually cash in for things everyone wants in their work, like autonomy and a deep mission. I fully agree. And someone had to deflate the hype surrounding the passion theory. But the problem is that Cal never adequately addresses how the people he features in the book found their career track in the first place. He "debunks" the "follow your passion" myth in one short chapter using relative scant scientific evidence and handy examples of people who stuck with careers that they supposedly grew to love. But in each of these cases, it seems that these people already had a passion, or at the very least a sustained interest, in their general career track. So his approach is only really effective AFTER you've found a field with enough intrinsic draw that you can devote yourself to it over the long haul- some would call this a passion.
Finally, I was not a fan of his writing style. The book reads a little like a doctoral thesis or a math/logic proof, which is not surprising given that Cal is a newly graduated Ph.D in computer science. There were even times when is ego was simply grating and I had to skip over some of the bragging.
Finally, I was not a fan of his writing style. The book reads a little like a doctoral thesis or a math/logic proof, which is not surprising given that Cal is a newly graduated Ph.D in computer science. There were even times when is ego was simply grating and I had to skip over some of the bragging.
April 9, 2017
A sentence-long idea masquerading as a book.
December 12, 2019
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16/7/19
There is some good advice here and there, but there are quite a lot of things I didn't like about this book. An example of this is how eight out of the give or take ten examples were a white males, seemingly either middle class or higher - this made me feel rather cynical reading through the rest of the book - it being how people who fall outside of that category have significantly different experiences/challenges. The book is filled with anecdotes of top ivy league students and catchy titles labelling advice that left me searching for nuances that I ended up unfortunately not finding.
I also generally don't tend to look at the writing of self improvement books, but for me the style of this book made for an incredibly tedious and boring read. There is a lot of repetition of explanations, which makes me to believe that this book could have been at least 50 pages shorter than it actually is. Either way, my full review will be on my Youtube channel soon!
11/5/19
I have been meaning to read this for ages, I read Newport's book on how to do well at university about a year or two ago and it wasn't of too much help, but so I am hoping this one will be more insightful.
You can find me on
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16/7/19
There is some good advice here and there, but there are quite a lot of things I didn't like about this book. An example of this is how eight out of the give or take ten examples were a white males, seemingly either middle class or higher - this made me feel rather cynical reading through the rest of the book - it being how people who fall outside of that category have significantly different experiences/challenges. The book is filled with anecdotes of top ivy league students and catchy titles labelling advice that left me searching for nuances that I ended up unfortunately not finding.
I also generally don't tend to look at the writing of self improvement books, but for me the style of this book made for an incredibly tedious and boring read. There is a lot of repetition of explanations, which makes me to believe that this book could have been at least 50 pages shorter than it actually is. Either way, my full review will be on my Youtube channel soon!
11/5/19
I have been meaning to read this for ages, I read Newport's book on how to do well at university about a year or two ago and it wasn't of too much help, but so I am hoping this one will be more insightful.
You can find me on
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September 30, 2012
There's some really good ideas here, and the thesis at large seems plausible.
It's engaging and fun. But it smells of retrospective coherence.
It's engaging and fun. But it smells of retrospective coherence.
June 22, 2013
Newport is a persuasive guy, and he offers the sort of realist advice and impressive credentials to back up his claims. And, he has a history of being effective -- his productivity tips do help people, they are generally in accordance with classical principles of operant conditioning -- and the quora community loves him. But, I (obviously) don't agree with the thesis of his book. There's room for being good at what you do, but there's also plenty of room for caring about it. That is, I don't think the two alternatives in life are: 1) trust fund williamsburg hipster or b) soul fully wielded to capitalist machine. You can perhaps, as Newport himself seems to have done, find a balance. Work hard at what you like, and spin off a profitable side project -- be a computer scientist, and write a series of lucrative (but really, sort of uncreative don't you think?) self-help books!
December 16, 2017
Four years ago, I left a three-star rating and a lengthy review of this book. For some reason, just in the last couple of months, men started showing up and telling me I needed "evidence" to support my opinion of it.
Honestly, I barely remember reading it; it clearly didn't offer me any lasting insights. That's why I'm knocking it down to one star. If you're reading it for your Privileged Young Men's Book Club or whatever, go post your own review and leave me out of it.
Honestly, I barely remember reading it; it clearly didn't offer me any lasting insights. That's why I'm knocking it down to one star. If you're reading it for your Privileged Young Men's Book Club or whatever, go post your own review and leave me out of it.
June 6, 2020
حرف این کتاب کاملا در عنوان و جلدش خلاصه شده، اینکه دیدگاه رفتن دنبال علاقه� شدید چرا میتونه کار درستی نباشه واینکه مهارتهای� که برای یک شغل کسب میشه خیلی مهمت� از اون علاقها� و اینکه اون مهارته� هستند که علاقه� واقعی و مفید رومیسازن�. :)
من بر عکس ترتیب انتشار و بعد از کار عمیق این کتاب رو خوندم. با دانش اون کتاب کاملا میشه اشارهه� و احتمالا شروع کار عمیق رو در اینجا حس کرد. برای مثال نویسنده از دورها� که "تمرکز سختی" روی یک پروژه داشته، یاد میکن�.
مورد دیگه خلاصه� کتاب هست که در انتها نوشته شده و کامل هم هست، که من به نظرم برای مرور در صورت نیاز خیلی مفیدتر هست تا اینکه فقط اون تیکه به عنوان کل کتاب خونده بشه، چون کتاب با راهکارها و مثالها� نکات خوبی رو یاد میده.
یک ایراد کتاب این هست که مثل محققان این کتابه� آزمایشی برای اثبات حرفها� نویسنده انجام نشده و گاهی به آزمایشه� دیگه ارجاع میده و بیشتر هم با مثالها� که به صورت شخصی جمعآور� کرده و با به کارگیری در زندگی شخصی آزمایششون کرده؛ اقدام به اثبات حرفاش میکنه! که خوب خود نویسنده هم به عنوان یک دانشمند کامپیوتر میدونه که این اصلا دلیل کافی برای اثبات نیست! :) ولی خوب حرفاش رو بر اساس تجربه و تلاش خودش به صورت هیپنوتیزمگون� به خواننده اثبات میکنه و خوب جواب میده! :))
کتاب دارای یک سری نکات خیلی مثبت و مفید برای افرادی که درگیر کارهای آکادمیک یا دانشگاهی هستند، هست. چون از یک سری تردیدها و مشکلات بزرگ و مطرح در این راه،� صحبت میکن� و اتفاقا راه حلها� مناسب و پاسخگویی ارائه میده.
با همه� اینه� اگر همه� چیزهایی که بعد از خوندن کتاب میدونم رو،� قبل از شروع به خوانش میدونستم� همچنان به خودم توصیه میکرد� که این کتاب رو بخونم. یک ویژگی نوپورت به نظرم این هست که حرف تکراری نمیزنه و دیدگاهها� جدید و متفاوت از باورهای پذیرفته شده به صورت کلی هست. خودش هم با یک طنز به کتاب قبلیش درباره� موفقیت دانشآموزه� اشاره میکنه و میگه کسی کتابی که برای گرفتن نمره� بهتر هست رو نمیخونه� چون جدید نیست ولی با این تیتر که دنبال علاقههاتو� نباید برید لزوما، احتمالا عده� بیشتری جذب میشن که کتاب رو بخونن!(بماند که من جذب شدم اونم بخونم) :)) جدا از این طنز نویسنده دیدگاهها� متفاوت و جدیدش، میتونه کمک کنه که خواننده� هم مسائل رو از زاویه� دیگها� ببینه و زاویه دید جدید همیشه میتونه با ارزش باشه و در حل مسائل کمک کنه.
من بر عکس ترتیب انتشار و بعد از کار عمیق این کتاب رو خوندم. با دانش اون کتاب کاملا میشه اشارهه� و احتمالا شروع کار عمیق رو در اینجا حس کرد. برای مثال نویسنده از دورها� که "تمرکز سختی" روی یک پروژه داشته، یاد میکن�.
مورد دیگه خلاصه� کتاب هست که در انتها نوشته شده و کامل هم هست، که من به نظرم برای مرور در صورت نیاز خیلی مفیدتر هست تا اینکه فقط اون تیکه به عنوان کل کتاب خونده بشه، چون کتاب با راهکارها و مثالها� نکات خوبی رو یاد میده.
یک ایراد کتاب این هست که مثل محققان این کتابه� آزمایشی برای اثبات حرفها� نویسنده انجام نشده و گاهی به آزمایشه� دیگه ارجاع میده و بیشتر هم با مثالها� که به صورت شخصی جمعآور� کرده و با به کارگیری در زندگی شخصی آزمایششون کرده؛ اقدام به اثبات حرفاش میکنه! که خوب خود نویسنده هم به عنوان یک دانشمند کامپیوتر میدونه که این اصلا دلیل کافی برای اثبات نیست! :) ولی خوب حرفاش رو بر اساس تجربه و تلاش خودش به صورت هیپنوتیزمگون� به خواننده اثبات میکنه و خوب جواب میده! :))
کتاب دارای یک سری نکات خیلی مثبت و مفید برای افرادی که درگیر کارهای آکادمیک یا دانشگاهی هستند، هست. چون از یک سری تردیدها و مشکلات بزرگ و مطرح در این راه،� صحبت میکن� و اتفاقا راه حلها� مناسب و پاسخگویی ارائه میده.
با همه� اینه� اگر همه� چیزهایی که بعد از خوندن کتاب میدونم رو،� قبل از شروع به خوانش میدونستم� همچنان به خودم توصیه میکرد� که این کتاب رو بخونم. یک ویژگی نوپورت به نظرم این هست که حرف تکراری نمیزنه و دیدگاهها� جدید و متفاوت از باورهای پذیرفته شده به صورت کلی هست. خودش هم با یک طنز به کتاب قبلیش درباره� موفقیت دانشآموزه� اشاره میکنه و میگه کسی کتابی که برای گرفتن نمره� بهتر هست رو نمیخونه� چون جدید نیست ولی با این تیتر که دنبال علاقههاتو� نباید برید لزوما، احتمالا عده� بیشتری جذب میشن که کتاب رو بخونن!(بماند که من جذب شدم اونم بخونم) :)) جدا از این طنز نویسنده دیدگاهها� متفاوت و جدیدش، میتونه کمک کنه که خواننده� هم مسائل رو از زاویه� دیگها� ببینه و زاویه دید جدید همیشه میتونه با ارزش باشه و در حل مسائل کمک کنه.
May 15, 2016
عشرة نجوم من خمسة! يا ربي هذي الكتب اللي تخليني أندم على كرمي الباذخ بالنجوم تقول قاعدة على بسطة
هذا الكتاب دمر قناعاتي عن النجاح و التميز -و انا التي كنت اعتبر نفسي صاحبة نظرة واقعية نوعاً للنجاح! ما هو سر النجاح؟ أن تعمل بما تحب؟ ان تعمل بموهبتك؟ ان تعمل شيئاً ذَا معنى ؟ باختصار هل تعتقد بأن النجاح هو ان تجري خلف شغفك؟
أبشر بالخيبة إذن! الحقيقة هي أن معظم الناس بلا شغف و لا مواهب او ملكات جبارة في جوانب معينة.. قد يكون لديهم استعداد و لكن بدون التدريب المتعمد [deliberate practice] فلا معنى لهذه الاستعدادية الفطرية نهائياً.. يعني ممكن واحد في نظرك بليد و عقله على قده لكن بالتدريب المتعمد في مجاله يسبقك في سلم العمل و الحياة و ساعتها خلي ذكائك ينفعك :)
و المصيبة بعد ثلاثين سنة لما يسألوا هذا الشخص عن سر نجاحه راح يعطي نفس الحبتين القديمة اياهم "اعمل ما تحب، ابحث عن شغفك، الخ الخ" هو لا يكذب لكن هذا واقعه الآن فعلاً.. هو لم يكتشف شغفه بل فعلياً صنع شغفه من لا شيء
الكاتب يتابع بدايات أشخاص ناجحين و يثبت من خلال افعالهم انهم لم يكن لديهم اي شغف في مجال نجاحهم في بداية الطريق! الشغف جاء لاحقاً [قصة ستيف جوبز صدمتني بشكل!!!!]
الكتاب لامسني انا شخصياً بطريقة قوية كوني درست و عملت بما أحب و مع ذلك كنت محبطة و متعبة و مرهقة! كنت اعتقد احيانا بأنني ربما اخطأت الطريق و لو اخترت شغفي فعلاً لكانت الأمور أيسر بالذات الآن مع هبة المدربين العرب يحسسوك لو الدنيا مو بمبي و تمطر بونبون اكيد انت ماشي غلط
نقطة اخرى قربت الكتاب من قلبي و عقلي هو كون الكاتب أكاديمي و نجح في الحصول على وظيفة بعد حصوله على الدكتوراه بأشهر في ظل البطالة العالية لاصحاب الشهادات العليا في امريكا (عندنا و عندهم خير!) و خصص جزءاً كبيراً من الكتاب لما يسميه الثروة المهنية [career capital] و كيف تصنعها بطريقة تجعلك تتفوق على اقرانك الذين قد لا يكون لديهم الوعي بهذه الثروة.. بالذات اذا كان عملك في المعرفة [knowledge worker] دربك اخضر لو طبقت هذه الخطوات بإصرار.. و أضيف انا من عندي بأنه بالذات في العالم العربي حيث معظم الأكاديميين الا من رحم ربي ينام نومة أهل الكهف على رسائل الدكتوراه فبإمكانك ان تبرز بشكل غير عادي (مش) للأسف
I can go on forever بس الخلاصة الكتاب قصير و جبار اقرأوه و أهدوه لأحبابكم بالذات الشباب و البنات في أوائل العشرينات
هذا الكتاب دمر قناعاتي عن النجاح و التميز -و انا التي كنت اعتبر نفسي صاحبة نظرة واقعية نوعاً للنجاح! ما هو سر النجاح؟ أن تعمل بما تحب؟ ان تعمل بموهبتك؟ ان تعمل شيئاً ذَا معنى ؟ باختصار هل تعتقد بأن النجاح هو ان تجري خلف شغفك؟
أبشر بالخيبة إذن! الحقيقة هي أن معظم الناس بلا شغف و لا مواهب او ملكات جبارة في جوانب معينة.. قد يكون لديهم استعداد و لكن بدون التدريب المتعمد [deliberate practice] فلا معنى لهذه الاستعدادية الفطرية نهائياً.. يعني ممكن واحد في نظرك بليد و عقله على قده لكن بالتدريب المتعمد في مجاله يسبقك في سلم العمل و الحياة و ساعتها خلي ذكائك ينفعك :)
و المصيبة بعد ثلاثين سنة لما يسألوا هذا الشخص عن سر نجاحه راح يعطي نفس الحبتين القديمة اياهم "اعمل ما تحب، ابحث عن شغفك، الخ الخ" هو لا يكذب لكن هذا واقعه الآن فعلاً.. هو لم يكتشف شغفه بل فعلياً صنع شغفه من لا شيء
الكاتب يتابع بدايات أشخاص ناجحين و يثبت من خلال افعالهم انهم لم يكن لديهم اي شغف في مجال نجاحهم في بداية الطريق! الشغف جاء لاحقاً [قصة ستيف جوبز صدمتني بشكل!!!!]
الكتاب لامسني انا شخصياً بطريقة قوية كوني درست و عملت بما أحب و مع ذلك كنت محبطة و متعبة و مرهقة! كنت اعتقد احيانا بأنني ربما اخطأت الطريق و لو اخترت شغفي فعلاً لكانت الأمور أيسر بالذات الآن مع هبة المدربين العرب يحسسوك لو الدنيا مو بمبي و تمطر بونبون اكيد انت ماشي غلط
نقطة اخرى قربت الكتاب من قلبي و عقلي هو كون الكاتب أكاديمي و نجح في الحصول على وظيفة بعد حصوله على الدكتوراه بأشهر في ظل البطالة العالية لاصحاب الشهادات العليا في امريكا (عندنا و عندهم خير!) و خصص جزءاً كبيراً من الكتاب لما يسميه الثروة المهنية [career capital] و كيف تصنعها بطريقة تجعلك تتفوق على اقرانك الذين قد لا يكون لديهم الوعي بهذه الثروة.. بالذات اذا كان عملك في المعرفة [knowledge worker] دربك اخضر لو طبقت هذه الخطوات بإصرار.. و أضيف انا من عندي بأنه بالذات في العالم العربي حيث معظم الأكاديميين الا من رحم ربي ينام نومة أهل الكهف على رسائل الدكتوراه فبإمكانك ان تبرز بشكل غير عادي (مش) للأسف
I can go on forever بس الخلاصة الكتاب قصير و جبار اقرأوه و أهدوه لأحبابكم بالذات الشباب و البنات في أوائل العشرينات
May 21, 2016
كتاب رائع يقاتل الفكرة الشائعه "الحق احلامك" و انها فكرة غير منطقيه او واقعيه، و يستبدلها بما سماه "رأس مال المهنه" اذا صحت ترجمتي. و يقول بأن الدراسات تذكر بأن من يحبون و يعشقون مهنهم هم أناس في الحقيقة بدأوا بشي لا يحبوه \ لا يعلمون اهم يحبوه و من ثم تعلموه بشكل صحيح و عميق، هذا العلم و الادراك بمداخل و مخارج هذه المهنه هوما جعلهم يحبون وظيفتهم، اذا هم لم يولدوا بحبهم لهذه المهنه او شي من هذا القبيل. لذلك اح�� نصائح الكتاب الا تبدل وظيفتك كثيرا، بل استثمر وقتك و جهدك للتعلم هذه الوظيفة اللي قد تكرهها لكي تحبها مستقبلا بفهمك لها.
ايش هو رأس مال المهنه Career Capital?
- كل مهنه لها عدة مهارات تمثل ما هو معنى العمل الرائع و الخارق للعادة و هي الاشياء اللتي استطاع مبدعي هذا المجال ان يمتلكوها
- هذه المهارات غالبا تكون نادرة و مطلوبة في دائرة هذه المهنه
- مهمتك الان: ان تبذل كل ما تستطيع لكي تحصل على هذه المهارات!
لكن لايمكنك تطبيق هذه الافكار اذا:
1- وظيفتك لا تسمح لك باظهار هذه المهارا او تقديرها
2- اذا كنت تعتقد بأن ما تفعله هو شي لا فائدة له للمجتمع او حتى مضر
3- اذا كنت تعمل مع اناس لا تحبهم اطلاقا
ثم تحدث عن قاعدة العشرة اللاف ساعه -اذكر انها ظهرت في كتاب اوتلايرز- و قال انك تحتاج عالاقل عشر سنوات لكي تملك و تتقن مهارات نادرة. لكن هي لا تبنى بمجرد قدومك للعمل، اداء عملك ثم المغادرة، يجب ان تجبر نفسك على التدريب الاجباري، و هي ان تبدأ تدخل نفسك في مناطق غير مريحه لك و تطلب فيدباك من من هم اكثر خبره منك عن تقدمك و اخطائك. لذلك لا تفقد الصبر و استعد ان يكون ادائك عاديا او حتى سيئ على مدى عدة سنوات، الاهم ان لا تفقد الصبر و تكمل بتطوير نفسك في سنواتك العشر الاولى
هذا قليل من كثير في هذا الكتاب، انصح به لكل من يعمل بوظيفة ضمن شركة او من يملك عمل خاص به.
ايش هو رأس مال المهنه Career Capital?
- كل مهنه لها عدة مهارات تمثل ما هو معنى العمل الرائع و الخارق للعادة و هي الاشياء اللتي استطاع مبدعي هذا المجال ان يمتلكوها
- هذه المهارات غالبا تكون نادرة و مطلوبة في دائرة هذه المهنه
- مهمتك الان: ان تبذل كل ما تستطيع لكي تحصل على هذه المهارات!
لكن لايمكنك تطبيق هذه الافكار اذا:
1- وظيفتك لا تسمح لك باظهار هذه المهارا او تقديرها
2- اذا كنت تعتقد بأن ما تفعله هو شي لا فائدة له للمجتمع او حتى مضر
3- اذا كنت تعمل مع اناس لا تحبهم اطلاقا
ثم تحدث عن قاعدة العشرة اللاف ساعه -اذكر انها ظهرت في كتاب اوتلايرز- و قال انك تحتاج عالاقل عشر سنوات لكي تملك و تتقن مهارات نادرة. لكن هي لا تبنى بمجرد قدومك للعمل، اداء عملك ثم المغادرة، يجب ان تجبر نفسك على التدريب الاجباري، و هي ان تبدأ تدخل نفسك في مناطق غير مريحه لك و تطلب فيدباك من من هم اكثر خبره منك عن تقدمك و اخطائك. لذلك لا تفقد الصبر و استعد ان يكون ادائك عاديا او حتى سيئ على مدى عدة سنوات، الاهم ان لا تفقد الصبر و تكمل بتطوير نفسك في سنواتك العشر الاولى
هذا قليل من كثير في هذا الكتاب، انصح به لكل من يعمل بوظيفة ضمن شركة او من يملك عمل خاص به.
July 6, 2016
Another amazing book from Cal Newport which is derived from personal needs, endeavor towards addressing his need by research and a living example of the results.
Although one might be skeptical of the argue which states "following your passion is a bad advice", but the alternative he suggests is remarkable.
I really enjoyed this book and definitely going to apply the knowledge I grasped from this book.
If you are an academic, you will also find this book highly motivating and inspiring.
Loved it and strongly recommend it to anyone who desires high levels of success in her/his career.
Although one might be skeptical of the argue which states "following your passion is a bad advice", but the alternative he suggests is remarkable.
I really enjoyed this book and definitely going to apply the knowledge I grasped from this book.
If you are an academic, you will also find this book highly motivating and inspiring.
Loved it and strongly recommend it to anyone who desires high levels of success in her/his career.
March 13, 2016
"Don't do what you love. Learn to love what you do."
That is probably the best career advice I've heard.
Most books on career advice tell me to find a job using what I'm passionate about. Unfortunately for me there aren't many jobs that will pay me just to read whatever I want all day.
Learning to love what you do is much better advice if you ever want any job satisfaction.
This was a great book for most people, but especially for people who are fed up of the advice to let your passion lead you to a job. Because that hasn't worked too well for anyone I know.
That is probably the best career advice I've heard.
Most books on career advice tell me to find a job using what I'm passionate about. Unfortunately for me there aren't many jobs that will pay me just to read whatever I want all day.
Learning to love what you do is much better advice if you ever want any job satisfaction.
This was a great book for most people, but especially for people who are fed up of the advice to let your passion lead you to a job. Because that hasn't worked too well for anyone I know.
October 12, 2012
I'm split on this book. I chose it to read because a number of the writers I admire most, including Seth Godin, Reid Hoffman, Kevin Kelly, Dan Pink and Derek Sivers, recommended it (although it turned out 3 of them are mentioned in the book, so there's that). I have it 4 stars, but I'd go 3 1/2 if there wer such a rating on GoodReads.
Questioning the passion hypothesis - that you first find out what you're passionate about and then find a job that suits it - is a an excellent message. Many people may not have a passion to speak of, and even if you do, you need to be good at something to do something with it (or make yourself good at something). Sheer desire and passion is not nearly enough - something that had been nagging me a bit of late, and it was good to see it addressed in such a head on manner.
The meat of the book are ways to make this happen, and I can't say I disagree with any of them. Again, it's about trying things, continuing to get really good in a context where others notice. He talks of small bets (a philosophy I wholly buy into) and it feels like his failure stories fit into the "all -in but missed it" category too often. The failure stories feel a bit like straw-men - way too easy of examples. I'd have liked to see a bit more dissection of the intermediate cases.
However, I was not wholly satisfied, because it felt like his sample population was extremely narrow and not at all diverse. His positive examples (like a number of other of these types of books) are cherry picked from the top of the top of their fields. The folks who are Ivy-league or PhD individuals.
My big question: is it possible for the large majority of people to apply what he's talking about? Yes, there is the effort aspect, and I have no problem with the idea that no effort = no reward, and even that the effort has to be the right kind of effort (in his terms, deliberate practice, or working smarter rather than harder). But happens to the vast majority of young people who don't have the resources, the background, or the skill in a rare field. Do we just give up and them have them be the low-paid service workers? Is there enough room at the top of the pyramid that he's imagining for more people?
So, it's worth reading, but go into it with skepticism. Take what fits you, and realize that we all don't dream of being PhD track profs.
Questioning the passion hypothesis - that you first find out what you're passionate about and then find a job that suits it - is a an excellent message. Many people may not have a passion to speak of, and even if you do, you need to be good at something to do something with it (or make yourself good at something). Sheer desire and passion is not nearly enough - something that had been nagging me a bit of late, and it was good to see it addressed in such a head on manner.
The meat of the book are ways to make this happen, and I can't say I disagree with any of them. Again, it's about trying things, continuing to get really good in a context where others notice. He talks of small bets (a philosophy I wholly buy into) and it feels like his failure stories fit into the "all -in but missed it" category too often. The failure stories feel a bit like straw-men - way too easy of examples. I'd have liked to see a bit more dissection of the intermediate cases.
However, I was not wholly satisfied, because it felt like his sample population was extremely narrow and not at all diverse. His positive examples (like a number of other of these types of books) are cherry picked from the top of the top of their fields. The folks who are Ivy-league or PhD individuals.
My big question: is it possible for the large majority of people to apply what he's talking about? Yes, there is the effort aspect, and I have no problem with the idea that no effort = no reward, and even that the effort has to be the right kind of effort (in his terms, deliberate practice, or working smarter rather than harder). But happens to the vast majority of young people who don't have the resources, the background, or the skill in a rare field. Do we just give up and them have them be the low-paid service workers? Is there enough room at the top of the pyramid that he's imagining for more people?
So, it's worth reading, but go into it with skepticism. Take what fits you, and realize that we all don't dream of being PhD track profs.
May 19, 2016
I really liked this book. I wish I had read it during college. I think it would have gave me some direction when I dropped out. I was so concerned about trying to find a passion that none of my work in the last 5 years has really added up. I could have been building career capital instead of working a bunch of dead end jobs. One example of bad career planning in the book actually described my own situation pretty thoroughly.
The information I've read within it has really inspired me. I'm trying to focus on my building skills and see where that takes me. I'm also trying to adopt the craftsman mindest to show what I can do, rather than be always disappointed that people aren't throwing work at me. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to young people trying to figure out what they want to do with their life.
The information I've read within it has really inspired me. I'm trying to focus on my building skills and see where that takes me. I'm also trying to adopt the craftsman mindest to show what I can do, rather than be always disappointed that people aren't throwing work at me. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to young people trying to figure out what they want to do with their life.
April 13, 2017
Read this before you think about quitting, getting a degree, a new job (especially self-employment), or "following your bliss." The advice is particularly important in our current economic environment. Find work you can learn from ("build career capital," in Newport's terms) in order to take another step toward more desirable work. Use one foothold to reach the next, and have the humility to recognize that success takes time. Try to spend more time on activities that yield long-term rewards, rather than letting busywork fill your schedule.
The writing has minor weaknesses, including a slight egocentricity and prose that feels superficial.
May I add one insight to Newport's, and that is to begin seeing the world with more curiosity. For example, don't look at stores as merely places to buy things. Everything has a history, and that's what makes life (and business) so interesting. Next time you visit a mall, think that the neighbors likely discussed it before it was built, and so did the city council, and construction crews, developers, contractors, and retailers. There were decisions to be made about timelines, costs, revenues, traffic, parking, design, property, branding, signage, wages, taxes, lighting, law, computers, food, certifications, celebrations, holidays, insurance, maintenance, etc.--and that's just the mall, not even the retailers' products!
At corporate headquarters they thought about even more topics. And that's just retail, just one portion of all the economic activity out there! In other words, there is so much to learn, but people will pay you a lot more to do tasks that require experience and proven judgment than they will pay you to dig ditches.
You could build a career specializing in any one of those areas listed above, which is exactly why you shouldn't quit too early--because you'll be competing against people who didn't quit. As Woody Allen allegedly said, 80% of success is just showing up.
One final note: this book may make you see your weaknesses, and that's not always pleasant. It's hard to come to terms with mistakes, whether you knew better or not. As somebody who has been there, moved from place to place to find better work, and made 25,000 cold calls, I can't guarantee that everyone finds a dream job, but I can tell you there's great satisfaction in knowing you tried every day. With time and effort the days get brighter. Now here's a book recommendation and a motivational video , get out there and make something happen!
The writing has minor weaknesses, including a slight egocentricity and prose that feels superficial.
May I add one insight to Newport's, and that is to begin seeing the world with more curiosity. For example, don't look at stores as merely places to buy things. Everything has a history, and that's what makes life (and business) so interesting. Next time you visit a mall, think that the neighbors likely discussed it before it was built, and so did the city council, and construction crews, developers, contractors, and retailers. There were decisions to be made about timelines, costs, revenues, traffic, parking, design, property, branding, signage, wages, taxes, lighting, law, computers, food, certifications, celebrations, holidays, insurance, maintenance, etc.--and that's just the mall, not even the retailers' products!
At corporate headquarters they thought about even more topics. And that's just retail, just one portion of all the economic activity out there! In other words, there is so much to learn, but people will pay you a lot more to do tasks that require experience and proven judgment than they will pay you to dig ditches.
You could build a career specializing in any one of those areas listed above, which is exactly why you shouldn't quit too early--because you'll be competing against people who didn't quit. As Woody Allen allegedly said, 80% of success is just showing up.
One final note: this book may make you see your weaknesses, and that's not always pleasant. It's hard to come to terms with mistakes, whether you knew better or not. As somebody who has been there, moved from place to place to find better work, and made 25,000 cold calls, I can't guarantee that everyone finds a dream job, but I can tell you there's great satisfaction in knowing you tried every day. With time and effort the days get brighter. Now here's a book recommendation and a motivational video , get out there and make something happen!
March 14, 2022
2.5
pretty mixed about this one, didn't really enjoy reading it and had to force myself to finish it
pretty mixed about this one, didn't really enjoy reading it and had to force myself to finish it
December 21, 2013
I love the blog and his blog sized nuggets of wisdom. Unfortunately, it didn't translate into a full length book. For such a short book, he spends an awful lot of time summarizing/repeating himself. He doesn't have much data to back him up and his argument hinges on a limited amount of interviews with people who seem awfully similar to the author himself: gifted academics.
The last point is the biggest problem of the book. I was never convinced that the successful subjects of the book were successful because of the laws that the author outlines or because they are simply gifted people. The "farmer" he profiles is taking out major loans from the farm bureau as a high schooler...the professor studying African genetics was obviously going to be a success no matter what path she chose. Cal spends a lot of time discussing how people in show business don't particularly interest him with regards to his theory, yet then spends time profiling: a professional musician, a TV star, a TV script writer, and Steve Martin. Something doesn't compute here...
I wish he had taken more time to find a more diverse range of subjects instead of the gifted academics that mostly run in his circle and the generic, anonymous schmucks who represent his argument against.
It was a frustrating read because the argument he put forward is provocative, counterintuitive and true, yet the evidence and overall argument was thin and wanting.
The last point is the biggest problem of the book. I was never convinced that the successful subjects of the book were successful because of the laws that the author outlines or because they are simply gifted people. The "farmer" he profiles is taking out major loans from the farm bureau as a high schooler...the professor studying African genetics was obviously going to be a success no matter what path she chose. Cal spends a lot of time discussing how people in show business don't particularly interest him with regards to his theory, yet then spends time profiling: a professional musician, a TV star, a TV script writer, and Steve Martin. Something doesn't compute here...
I wish he had taken more time to find a more diverse range of subjects instead of the gifted academics that mostly run in his circle and the generic, anonymous schmucks who represent his argument against.
It was a frustrating read because the argument he put forward is provocative, counterintuitive and true, yet the evidence and overall argument was thin and wanting.
February 29, 2016
Only good thing about this book is the title, which is a quote that is not by the author, which is pretty representative of how I feel about the rest of the book. It's a collection of some other people's good ideas, but wrapped together by statements specifically meant to sound more polarizing then they are. The one idea in the book (that skill is important, not just passion) is valid but did not require a books worth of words to stand behind it. And it especially didn't need what the author calls "research", i.e. cherry picked anecdotes people have told him. That's probably my biggest beef with it, along with the terrible and flat writing.
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