He doesn't really say anything, and he doesn't say it in a dramatically uninteresting way. Perhaps more importantly, he bases everything he says on case studies of supreme ascendancy - if you're looking for a model of a computer programmer, "Steve Jobs" isn't exactly the median. It also seems like a vague distillation of a few other like-minded books. Dan Pink. Gladwell. The former, in my opinion, is worth reading; the latter not so much. "Follow your passion" is a poetic way to say "do the shit that's fun." I have no idea why anyone would ever call that "bad advice."
Maybe I found it interesting because I didn't reflect on my skillset in combination with the goals I have before, I just followed my interests. I don't know Gladwell or Pink enough to know whether this is a rehash of them. What books from Dan Pink would you advise? What I got out of it is that I should focus on improving my skillset to achieve long-term happiness, as doing work that you're good at, that provides challenges and is fun, is the most satisfying work. Just focussing on what is fun isn't a good strategy.
I think anyone who advertises a "one size fits all" strategy is selling books, not offering advice. Drive by Dan Pink is well worth reading. Here's a taste: Beyond that, the real question is this: what do you want out of life? I wanted to be a musician, dammit. Problem was, I really like synths and piano and shit and any sort of music like that was forbidden in my house growing up. No pianos, no piano music. So I was pretty far behind to begin with. Then, while learning to mix my own synth stuff, I took a course on mixing. When I transferred down to Seattle I ended up mixing in clubs. Still not a rawk star by any stretch of the imagination, but about 50 hours a week were spent amongst those who were trying to be (and more than a few that actually were - I'n'I got stories). The most important thing I learned is that for 99% of the people who are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to be rawk stars, the best they'll ever get is "cover band." And yeah - they're making music for a living. But I bought an SY-99 off a dude with an Ensturzende Neubauten tattoo that played in a reggae cover band for a living. You think he really liked playing Marley four nights a week? On the flip side, I didn't have to make any money with his keyboard. So was I "following my passion" when I goofed around for four hours at a time on a Yamaha while also designing shock/pace leads for biomedical implantation? I say FUCK YES BITCH because A) I was having a helluva good time and B) biomedical engineering made me feel a lot more passionate than HVAC. It's all a balance. You need to focus on the shit that feeds your dreams and the shit that feeds your belly. Always try to align the two. Always figure out ways to bring them closer together. Do that and you can't go wrong. Abide by some wonk who says "don't follow your passion?" That's how tragedies happen. Like, literally Death of a Salesman and Ordinary People and American Beauty.
Will check that book out when I have the money to buy a book. Doesn't that depend on what you call passion? You could say that you didn't follow your passion (to become a musician) but found something related to it that was economically more viable. What would've happened if you followed the advice of 'follow your passion' and did become a musician? That you now ended up happier wasn't something that you knew beforehand, as far as I can tell. Any big names? Were they much different then compared to their fame now? Yeah, I think I don't agree with him that we should abandon passion altogether, nor go practical all the way. For me, I am often too passion/interest focused and might do good to improve my money-making abilities. Which is hard, but at least I'm building a nice CV.(and more than a few that actually were - I'n'I got stories)
Always figure out ways to bring them closer together.
There are libraries, you know. I recommend them wholeheartedly! It absolutely depends on what you call "passion." That said, if you haven't defined "passion" you probably shouldn't tell people not to follow it. For that matter, what does "follow" mean? You think I didn't try to become a professional musician? Back when Death Cab for Cutie was called Pinwheel I mixed their first album; I would have been the keyboardist for a band that would have given Cornershop a run for their money if my girlfriend hadn't forbid me (long story). They broke up instead. But I also "followed" other "passions."
I prefer to buy books when I can, to better support the authors and the local independent bookstores. And it's nice to have them. Maybe I communicated unclear. I didn't mean to start a definition war, neither to say that I wholeheartedly agree with the author. The way I read your comment was that you wanted to become a musician (your passion) and didn't, instead you went for engineering (as practical as it gets) with mixing as the fun part. It seemed to me like you didn't follow your passion, whatever it may mean. But a sentence or two later you say you did "follow your passion". So I thought there might be a mistake from my side, a different perspective on what passion actually means. I'm exploring what I think it means, using the not-so-invigorating talk as a backdrop. You seem filled with stories! If you ever make something like Bl00's Bedtime Stories, I'll be the first to buy.
It's all good, yo. All I'm saying is that it IS a definition war and that absolutes are stupid. And you're right - I got a practical damn degree 'cuz I didn't want to have to depend on my parents for money. And I'm down with the discussion, I just think it's important to know what we're talking about. I don't think the author knows what he's talking about. I've got a novel that's 70% edited. I was encouraged to write it by a guy who spends his days sitting on top of the NYT bestseller's list. We'll see how we do.