College Experiences That Helped a Learning Technology Support Engineer at Amazon Robotics Succeed
To set up for career success in college, Matthew emphasizes getting involved on campus to build connections, noting, "you never know what your connections could do for you in the future." Matthew also underscores the importance of being open to opportunities and leveraging professors' office hours for career advice, because "if you don't have a clear path for where you want your career to go, be open to opportunities because you never know where they could lead."
Networking, Campus Involvement, Mentorship, Learning Technologies, Career Flexibility
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Matthew Bamonte
Learning Technology Support Engineer
Amazon Robotics
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Bloomsburg University | Major: Instructional Technology
Computer Science
Technology
Cyber Security and IT
Honors Student, Took Out Loans
Video Highlights
1. Get involved on campus through student organizations and on-campus jobs to expand your network and meet people from diverse backgrounds.
2. Take advantage of professors' office hours to seek advice on career paths and gain insights from their experiences.
3. Be open to opportunities and don't be too picky about your career path, as unexpected connections and experiences can lead to unforeseen and rewarding directions.
Transcript
What did you do in college to set you up for success in your career?
Immediately, the first thing was to get involved on campus in some way. For me, it was getting involved with student organizations and taking jobs on campus. These opportunities allowed me to meet more faculty and students than I otherwise would have.
As the marketing coordinator for a web organization, I met students from a wide variety of programs and majors. I'm still friends with many of them to this day, connections I wouldn't have made otherwise. As your career progresses, being open to making new connections will carry you a long way.
The reason I even considered applying to Amazon was when I attended a learning conference in Las Vegas during my graduate degree at Bloomsburg. I met an alumna who worked at Amazon and she helped open the door for me. You never know what your connections can do for you in the future, or how you might be able to help them.
So, I'd say being involved on campus, and being open and available to making new connections is important. Especially in school, take advantage of professors' office hours. If anything is on your mind, related to their class or their specialty, they are a wealth of knowledge about career paths and life experience.
I decided to go to Bloomsburg after graduating from PCT. I had a contract game development job, but a professor advised me to go to Bloomsburg for the adult learning theory path if things didn't pan out. What we learned in GNS is a specialized skillset in the learning industry.
Knowing how to code sets you apart from those interested only in learning theories or curriculum design. It gives you the ability to have a bias for action, like knowing how to code a training module and then doing it. It's a specialized skillset in this industry.
If you don't have a clear career path, be open to opportunities because you never know where they could lead. When I graduated from Penn College, I never thought I'd get a job with Amazon or be in my current position. I can stay in the learning and documentation space, or pursue a software developer background through work-sponsored classes.
If I wanted to switch gears and return to game development, there's a games group at Amazon where I could look for a position. All of this started by not being picky about how my career progressed. I just let it flow, and that's where it took me.