Book Review: So Good They Can't Ignore You

When people ask me to recommend a book about careers, I typically mention So Good They Can’t Ignore You, by Cal Newport. I wish this book had been around when I was younger and still trying to wrap my head around the concept of finding a fulfilling career.

Many of us encounter the phrase, “Follow your passion.” So Good They Can’t Ignore You convincingly argues that following passion is actually a bad idea.

Newport demonstrates that many people who have followed their passion actually end up disillusioned and frustrated, rather than happy or fulfilled in their work. Ultimately, Newport concludes that while passion sounds great, it’s a poor starting point in the search for a career.

Instead, Newport suggests that fulfillment in work comes from finding a job that offers three qualities: skill, control, and mission. The quality of skill means that an individual feels accomplished at what they do for work. Fulfillment comes naturally when we are good at our job. Control in a career means that the worker has a certain amount of autonomy in what they do. When a job allows the individual to make decisions and assert their opinions, that person tends to be happier in their work. When a career has mission, a worker can find satisfaction knowing that the daily effort contributes to something bigger in the long run. Newport spends most of the book presenting examples from the careers of real people to demonstrate how these three qualities ultimately determine an individual’s satisfaction in a specific line of work.

Newport stresses the importance of building skills. He refers to the amassing of valuable work skills as “career capital.” Rather than chasing the fleeting sense of passion in one’s work, Newport suggests that it is actually the cultivation of proficiency in a fulfilling job that brings real happiness. He also argues that the ability to change a less fulfilling career for one that’s more fulfilling hinges on those skills (hence his calling it “capital”). Newport advocates the pursuit of valuable skills throughout a career to create opportunities and increase satisfaction.

So Good They Can’t Ignore You earned a permanent spot on my shelf. If you’re thinking about how passion fits into the career quest, I strongly recommend this book.