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.



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