So Good They Can't Ignore You Paperback – December 1, 2016

Very practical book with lots of info on why passion isn’t the best way to choose what to do with your life but how developing rare and valuable skills, can give you more control, and lead to a happier and more fulfilling working life

I got turned on to this book from a podcast I listen to. Struggling with aspects of my own career, I found his craftsman approach and rebuke of the "follow your passion" mantra both insightful and logically satisfying. The central themes are easy enough to grasp, but it is worth reading through the book to really understand the ins and out of this approach to your own career.It centers on 3 basic tenets:1. Great work has rare and valuable traits that make it great, and to get these traits you need something rare and valuable to offer in return.2. The passion mindset (matching your preexisting passions to the right job) is unrealistic and flawed3. the craftsman/career capital approach is superiorHe basically puts this contrarian approach into a coherent and workable logic for today's market. He uses precise language in a conversational style that makes for a fairly easy read.That said, there are a few shortcomings that became more glaring as I finished the book:-He cites a very modest amount of evidence in the book to support his points and instead uses cherry-picked narratives from (remarkable) real life people who have achieved dream careers.-The case studies he uses throughout the book are almost all on a vocational fringe that is inaccessible and irrelevant for most people. Of course, he would argue that the very reason they got to such an inaccessible career area is BECAUSE they followed this approach, but understand that these people did this inadvertently without a concept of this job-utopia formula, and there was usually some element of chance involved that they were able to capitalize on because of their experience.-He essentially ignores natural ability in the path to rewarding work. I do think that talent is overstated in many cases, but I really felt like he undermined the role of talent in people who do have ostensibly great work. Ability is not everything, but it is a factor. Newport himself showed academic aptitude and technical ability at a young age, and most of the successful individuals he cites have a lifelong pattern of high achievement.-There is a strong elitist undertone to this book, and I think his system applies mainly to the gifted and well-educated. I get the sense that Newport's academic pedigree has him pretty disconnected from the working class, and as such the approach is tailored to address the non-laboring American workforce. In the conclusion of the book, Newport reveals what I had suspected all along---that this guy has never really struggled for survival. He made thousands of dollars in web design as a high school student, achieved some notable acclaim at that age, and went on to a 4.0 undergraduate stint at Dartmouth followed by a PhD at MIT and near-immediate professorship at a major private University. Not to detract from his accomplishments---there is a lot to be learned---but hardly a story of a guy who has swung hammers and delivered pizzas to make ends meet.-As others have mentioned, the book does get unnecessarily redundant, and could be trimmed to 100 pages or so without detracting from the concepts. I think he was probably trying to write a book of publishable length.In short, Newport needs to offer a bit more perspective in his writing, but he lacks the life experience that most of the working public has---taking a job to pay the bills. His examples are a bit on the extreme side, and they tend to favor the well-educated and artistically gifted. He makes a strong case overall, but he needs to qualify his approach with more data (not anecdotes) and offer more modest examples reflective of the general population. What about nurses? Firemen? Small business owners? Teachers? How can this approach be implemented for those without PhDs and jobs with more limited ceilings?Despite all of the above, I would honestly still recommend the book. It is a fresh and rational look at the fallacies of modern career advice, what makes great work great, and how to go about building valuable skills rather than waiting for the right job. It is not a one-size-fits all approach, and it will not work for all fields; but I do think it is a superior alternative to the "follow your passions and the money will follow" garbage that permeates western culture.

In short, although I didn't agree with everything he said, especially in part four of the book, I found Cal Newport's ideas and conclusions to be extremely valuable advice for anyone, especially those starting or middling a career. Even though I disagree with part four, however, I think the rest of the advice is so valuable it trumps the one weaker section to make a solid 5-stars. I sort of hope my competition never reads this book.In length:So Good They Can't Ignore You is a fantastic little book that really surprised me on many levels. I had it highly recommended to me, but I have to admit I was a little skeptical--Cal seemed a little young and early in his career to be dispensing what friends told me was 'invaluable career advice'. Having read the book, it makes more sense--Cal has a lot of career capital already built up. (Read the book to find out more).Cal's central theme is that the idea that you can quit your job and follow your passions indiscriminately towards work you will personally love and find to be your calling in life is essentially bogus--good things don't come without hard work, and rare and valuable things are purchased in exchange for other rare and valuable things. After providing a series of examples of people who failed to live the 'work-passion-dream', and citing some interesting studies and articles, Cal launches into the real meat of the book--how to find work we will really love. The first step is something called career capital--making yourself valuable. The second step is understanding when and how to take control of your career--you *can* quit your dayjob and form a startup, eventually, if you play your cards right and work towards it in the right way. Finally, Cal dwells on the importance of having a mission in your career to provide focus and passion.I found the book mostly extremely well-written, with fair organization and solid logic throughout--you can see that he is a computer science professional at heart. His explanations, especially in the first sections of the book, match my own observations so well that it's hard to deny he has a good number of points well-made. I found, however, that the fourth section, about missions, was less compelling, less organized, and perhaps even less well thought through. Still, I recommend reading through that section to understand his viewpoints, even if I personally found them much less applicable than the other parts of the book.The conclusion made me love this book again, even after disagreeing with part 4. He outlines how he has used each of the sections of this book in his own career, and not only did I find it generally interesting, I actually found some of his specific recommendations to be valuable in my career. It isn't often that a book I read fundamentally changes how I look at anything, least of all my career--I'm a CPA, for heaven's sake. As a matter of habit, I dislike risk and change.

An incredible book. Cal Newport answers the questions that so many of us ask at some point of our lives. And with good examples he elaborates an alternative for those who maybe don’t feel passionate about a specific job when starting your career. I recommend it 100% specially if you’re in your 20s and entering to the job market.

Ich habe aus dem Buch viele nützliche Lektionen ziehen können, dazu wie ich mir eine Karriere aufbauen kann im Laufe meines Lebens, wo ich glücklich bin und was die Faktoren sind, die einen Beruf zufriedenstellend machen. Ebenso zum Fähigkeitenerwerb und zu alternativen zur 40 Stunden Woche werden hilfreiche Geschichten und Lektionen gegeben. Eine klare Kaufempfehlung von mir.

Attraverso una narrazione chiara e supportata da studi scientifici e casi contemporanei, sostiene che la vera strada verso il successo professionale non è seguire le proprie passioni, ma sviluppare abilità di alto livello che possono essere riconosciute e valorizzate nel mercato. Il titolo, ispirato dalla celebre citazione di Steve Martin, enfatizza l'importanza di essere così competenti da non poter essere ignorati. Newport critica l'approccio idealistico di Steve Jobs e presenta argomentazioni a favore di una carriera costruita su solide basi di competenza e capitale professionale.💭 Riflessioni: Newport solleva interrogativi provocatori sulla concezione moderna del successo professionale. Invece di inseguire la passione, come suggerito da molti guru della carriera, perché non focalizzarsi su ciò in cui si è veramente bravi e costruire una carriera su quel fondamento? Come possiamo applicare il concetto di "capitale della carriera" per migliorare le nostre prospettive professionali?🌟 Valutazione complessiva: "So Good They Can't Ignore You" offre una prospettiva fresca e pragmatica sul successo professionale, invitando a riflettere su come le competenze e l'abilità possano superare la ricerca della passione. Consigliato a chi cerca una guida basata su dati concreti per costruire una carriera di successo e duratura.

Bueno, que decir de este libro, es un básico en la biblioteca de cualquier persona con intereses en relaciones interpersonales.No se encuentra fácilmente en castellano, por lo que esta es la alternativa.

The book is so engaging, because author gives evidence to support his argument and showcases proven strategies. Engaging, eye opening and a very good read all through.