Vijetha Seelam

Biomedical, Penn State

- What does your role entail, and what drew you to this field?
My role consists of working with multiple backgrounds from quality engineers, regulatory, etc to launch medical devices/combination products to market. I always had an interest in medical devices, math, physics, and engineering so reading up on articles in this field drew me to be a part.

- What are the top opportunities and trends in your industry over the next 10 years?
The drug device and combination product market is expanding especially into more digital or sustainable products. Demand for home based care is another area within medical devices.

- Which technical skills should students learn now for your domain?
Design controls, risk management, usability/human factors, regulatory documentation skills, design verification and validation

- What transferable skills (e.g., communication, problem-solving) stand out most?
Cross-function collaboration, problem solving, documentation writing

- How can students prepare during high school and early college for success here?
Seek exposure in projects through internships, shadowing, read up on articles in the field of interest to know the current events of your field, look into summer programs for high school students offered at universities, find research opportunities in college to get project experience, build a portfolio of your projects

- Where should students search for internships or entry-level experiences?
Company job board, Linkedin, Handshake

- What makes a strong internship application beyond grades?
Projects in the field of interest to express passion or knowledge (capstone project, personal interest project, research), leadership skills

- How can high schoolers start building a professional network in your field?
Making connections with parents’ friends in similar careers, creating linkedin to stay connected, being curious about what fields there are

- What red flags or mistakes should students watch for in opportunities?
Make sure you are doing technical (not admin) work to gain real experience, ensure access to a mentor, keep a lookout for team culture

- What one piece of advice would you give a student interested in your industry?
Don’t take opportunities for granted or just to add to your resume. Take advantage about learning about other fields or go deeper in your interests even if your opportunity isn't exactly what you wanted