Book Highlight — So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport
Should the pursuit of “passion” define your career?
Many people would say yes. There’s a common belief that you should “pursue your passion”. It’s that idea of “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” As good as it sounds, however, that may not actually be the case.
According to Cal Newport, taking that approach to your career will quickly lead to burnout and job-hopping. He details a better way to go about it in his book So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love.
In this book, Newport gleans insight from professionals in a range of industries and from a range of backgrounds. The one thing they all have in common is their immensely high rate of job satisfaction.
Newport posits that job satisfaction comes from being good at what you do, instead of simply loving what you do. Having a passion for something you have no skill to which you can apply will quickly lead to a life of frustration.
