Career Path of a Clinical Business Development Manager at InteliWound
Kayva initially pursued a pre-med track in biomedical science with a focus on neuroscience, but a high volume of humanities courses led to an opportunity to graduate early; after an unsuccessful MCAT experience, the individual decided to pivot and managed a national dance company, discovering a knack for business. This experience, coupled with the realization that "I don't wanna keep turning off the rest of the skills I have just to like silo myself into medicine," led to pursuing a master's in management and ultimately diversifying career choices while integrating client-facing and customer service skills into work.
Career Pivot, Biomedical Science, Business Management, Pre-Med, Customer Service
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Kayva Jha
Clinical Business Development Manager
InteliWound
Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University
Arizona State University (ASU) - W. P. Carey - MS in Business Management
Medical, Sciences & Related, Biology & Related Sciences
Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical, Healthcare, Medical & Wellness
Business Strategy
Disabled
Video Highlights
1. Early interest in medicine and biomedical science studies during undergraduate years, following a pre-med track with a focus on neuroscience.
2. Decision to pivot away from medicine after realizing testing doesn't always reflect a person's abilities and recognizing broader applicability of her skill set, leading to managing a national dance company and taking it online during COVID.
3. Pursuing a master's in management to diversify career choices, combining passion for medicine with client-facing and customer service skills acquired from previous experiences.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Did you have any internships or jobs before your current role?
I always say I was pre-med since I was 10. I was always really into medical science and very inspired to pursue that route. I understood the sacrifice and everything that went into truly practicing medicine.
I entered my undergraduate years in biomedical science, on a typical pre-med track with a focus on neuroscience. I was so interested in psychology classes that I ended up taking many of them. One day in my junior year, my counselor told me I had enough credits to graduate early if I wanted to because I took so many humanities courses.
From there, there was a big pivot. In my sophomore year, I decided to take the MCAT early to get ahead with applications. I applied to one school, and an admissions representative called me. She said my application was perfect but asked what happened with my MCAT.
I had to explain that even though you can put in all your work, testing doesn't always speak to who a person is. I realized my place might not be in medicine right now, as there's more I can do with my knowledge base.
I ended up inheriting a dance company. I was supposed to be an instructor, but they needed a manager in Arizona for their national company. I spoke with the founder, and we hit it off. I basically became her right-hand person.
We took the business online during Covid, and it really took off. I started to understand that I had skills and could be good in this area. I didn't want to ignore the rest of my skills just to focus on medicine.
So, I decided to graduate early. I then pursued my master's in management in my fourth year, which would have been my senior year. This fit perfectly with my time at school and was one of the best decisions I ever made.
It really diversified my career choices. I'm now in a career I'm passionate about, in a field I've always loved. I also get to use skills like being client-facing and in customer service, which I've always enjoyed in my other jobs.