So Good They Can't Ignore You Summary

Few people have a passion that neatly translates into a career, and following one's passions often leads to misguided career moves. Rather, your satisfaction at work has more to do with your experience with that work rather than the type of work.

To have intrinsic motivation at work, you need:

1. Autonomy - feeling like you have control over your time
2. Competence – the feeling that you’re good at your work
3. Relatedness – connecting with other people in the process

• A "passion mindset" focuses on what the world can offer to you - what perfect job can you find to fit your passions? This often leads to confusion and wandering from job to job.
• A "craftsman mindset" focuses on what you can offer the world in whatever position you are in and offers clarity.

A job that satisfies the ingredients of intrinsic motivation is rare and valuable, so you need to develop rare and valuable skills to offer in exchange.

Career capital = the value of competencies, knowledge and individual personality attributes you have to produce economic value." (LinkedIn)

I finished reading this book two months ago but I bought it in hard copy last week because it is very good book that doesn't run along with your prejudices and strictly presents the reality; of people who ended up making a grand career for themselves which was not based on simple and manipulative advice:-

Follow Your passion and money will follow you

When Steve Jobs met Steve Wozniak and discussed the idea of making a computer circuit which was supposed to be sold at 50% profit to small stores.

They were not mesmerized by the idea of it being a big hit instead they kept their routine job along with the idea.

According to the Steve Jobs story, he was not passionate about computers or making a company from the beginning.

He studied arts and dropped out of college and ate at Hare Ram Krishna Temple and kept walking barefooted as his stress buster.

Which shows that he was not align with his intuition all the time but later on he developed an intense love for his work and ultimately when he was landed his job at Atari, he was introduced to world of technology.

Consider "So Good They Can't Ignore You" as a compass in the vast wilderness of career paths. In this wilderness, myriad trails represent different career choices and philosophies, and many travelers wander, guided only by the prevailing belief to 'follow your passion.' However, this compass—Cal Newport's book—points towards a different north: the cultivation of rare and valuable skills, or career capital.

1. The Craftsman Mindset is about building skills and mastering your craft through deliberate practice, leading to greater satisfaction and opportunities in your career.
2. Career Capital: This concept refers to the unique skills and abilities you acquire that are rare and valuable in the job market.
3. The Importance of Control: Gaining control over your work life is a key component of building a fulfilling career.
4. The Role of Mission: Mission provides a sense of purpose and direction. A mission is a higher-level goal that is discovered through the mastery of your field, not something you start with.

Imagine yourself as an artisan from the Renaissance, where your focus is solely on honing your craft to perfection, with every stroke of the brush or chisel being a step towards mastery. This is the essence of the Craftsman Mindset - a relentless pursuit of excellence in your skills, where the quality of your work is the primary driver of your career decisions, rather than a pre-existing passion or the constant search for job satisfaction.

It’s all your fault. You can get good enough

Test