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.