No Fears, No Excuses: What You Need to Do to Have a Great Career

Smith, a consultant and adjunct professor of economics at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, believes that everyone can feel a sense of passion about work. He uses the book as a platform to address the many questions that have arisen from his much-watched TEDx video, “Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career.” His advice, distilled from around 30,000 career statements collected through the years, centers on discovering one’s passion. This can be difficult, but Smith offers up a series of steps to help, such as recognizing the distinction between passions and interests and initiating the “great sampling”—a process that includes reading widely, talking with people with varied interests, and thinking rigorously. Smith also shows how to draw up a career plan, prepare for the job market, and “sell yourself by selling your ideas.” He concludes with a transformative section on confronting the titular fears and excuses that is challenging and highly valuable. Smith convincingly shows how individuals of any age and in any industry can chart a course to a great career by drawing on prior success stories. Agent: Carly Watters, P.S. Literary Agency. (Apr.)