The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google

by Scott Galloway

Sexy Job vs. ROI Sectors are asset classes—the cool ones are overinvested, driving down returns on human capital (compensation for working there). If you want to work for Vogue, produce films, or open a restaurant, you had better get immense psychological reward from your gig, as the comp, and returns on your efforts, will likely suck. Competition will be fierce, and even if you manage to get in, you’ll be easily replaceable, as there are always younger, hipper candidates nipping at your heels. Very few high-school graduates dream of working for Exxon, but a big firm in a large sector would give you a career trajectory with regular promotions a sexy industry won’t. Job stability counts if you want to have kids. You don’t want to be forty-five and worried about your prospects. Join a band on weekends. Learn photography at night. Work on it a little at a time, until you have a nest egg to unleash it fully. The sooner you start earning good money, the less you’ll need to earn, thanks to compound interest. In a sexy industry, rent due can drive you to desperation, and you’ll have neither a career, a stable future, nor recognized genius.