The Problem with "Follow Your Passion" Advice

I believe adding a non-clinical role—something outside of day-to-day patient care—can be a game-changer for healthcare professionals.

For me, it’s been writing and speaking. These roles help me develop new skills and express my creativity.

When you follow a genuine interest, work starts to feel less like a task and more like play.

But there’s one response I hear often:

“I don’t know what I’m passionate about.”

And honestly, I get it because I've been there.

Most of us were put on a very structured path: get into school, pass boards, and find a clinical job. We become highly skilled clinicians—but many of us have never been exposed to the wide range of non-clinical opportunities that exist within healthcare.

And here lies the biggest problem with the "follow your passion" advice.

Before you can discover what you like (or don’t like), you have to try it yourself. Simply put: you don’t know what you don’t know.

That’s why passion isn’t found through deep thinking in a quiet room. It’s uncovered by trying different things.

The Question

Ask yourself:

"What part of optometry energizes me the most?"

Be specific.

Is it solving complex medical cases?
Educating patients?
Building relationships?
Leading a team?
Growing a business?
Learning about new technology?

Once you identify what gives you energy, think about how you could do more of that.

For example:

• Building relationships → industry roles like medical science liaison, recruiting, or professional relations
• Educating patients → lecture at CE events, mentor students
• Leading a team → join your provincial association board or volunteer with non-profit committees like VOSH
• Specialty → speaking, writing, delivering lectures, industry talks, etc. Specialty can be so much more than just clinical work.
• Growing a business → become a practice consultant or start a practice owner group
• Learning about new technology → write about emerging technology or work with industry partners.

Take The Pressure Off

These opportunities don’t need to start big.

One article. One conference. One chat with a colleague in that niche.

Treat it like career experimentation—not a permanent identity shift.

You’re not looking for a second full-time job. Embrace a portfolio career: your clinical work pays the bills so that your non-clinical pursuits are solely driven by curiosity and fun.

What Fills Your Cup?

If you're not sure what you're passionate about, that's okay – most of us aren't either! Instead, identify which aspect of optometry fills your cup, and try to do a little more of that.

Start small and try one new thing this week.

Transform your work from task to play, one step at a time.