Not passion should be the driving force in career planning, but the opportunity and the will to constantly develop one's skills – passion will then come all by itself. At least this is Cal Newport's central thesis in "So Good They Can't Ignore You".
Newport calls the skills acquired over time – especially through "deliberate practice" (see Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by K. Anders Ericsson) – "career capital." Without rare and valuable skills, he says, there is virtually no chance of finding a job that rewards you with self-determination, success, and recognition.
And only when you've reached the top – through countless small steps (and setbacks) – when you've mastered your field – will you find compelling life missions in the "adjacent possible".
As alleged evidence for this fascinating thesis, the author provides numerous examples of successful dream careers – of authors, musicians, scientists, and managers. These are not convincing proofs, though, as no statistics show that there are not at least as many (or even more) counter-examples.
In me, the author would have found one. I worked in various management positions for two decades and became neither successful nor happy with them. It wasn't until I refocused on my passion, programming, that I became more successful and happier than ever. But who knows – maybe that was only possible because I had accumulated enough career capital.
I can't advise anyone to follow the book's approach unreflectively. The same goes for the certainly more widespread "Follow your Passion" guides.
Nevertheless, the reading is rewarding: You'll learn about a radically different approach to career development that will enable you to face life-defining decisions more consciously.
🎧 Suitable as an audiobook? Yes.
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