Alumni

Matt Bamonte

Information Technology

As a freshman, Matt was shy and didn’t talk to anyone outside of his gaming classes. Working as an on-campus computer lab assistant, he slowly emerged from his shell. By the time he earned his bachelor’s degree, Matt was managing clients and working as a freelance game designer. Today, he’s a learning experience designer at Amazon Robotics—the branch responsible for creating mobile robots that deliver products to warehouse workers.

Q&A with Matt

HOW DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED IN IT?

I was exposed to IT from a young age. Both my dad and uncle work in IT. They’ve both been integral in my fascination with computers, video games and technology. Growing up, I played a lot of Doom, which my mother didn’t necessarily approve of, but now that I’m at Amazon, I guess I turned out OK.

WHAT FASCINATES YOU ABOUT YOUR FIELD?

Even as a kid, I loved the idea of merging training or learning with video games. I love the concept of using video games, virtual reality and augmented reality to help people learn something new and help them learn it faster.

WHAT DOES YOUR JOB ENTAIL AT AMAZON ROBOTICS?

I’m part of the Learning and Development team. I create hardware documentation, maintenance procedures and e-learning for the robotic technology that goes into Amazon’s warehouses. It’s my job to create engaging training material so that the technicians and associates in our facilities can work with and around our robotic technology safely and efficiently.

WHAT'S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACE?

Keeping up with the pace and scale of advances in robotics. While I may not be creating the robots, the more that I learn about them and how they work, the better I’ll be able to create helpful training programs so that our technicians and associates can work with them safely.

WHAT GIVES YOU THE GREATEST SATISFACTION WITH YOUR JOB?

The thing I love most about working for Amazon Robotics is the fact that I’m part of a team that is directly helping to make other people’s jobs easier and allows for our customers to get their packages faster.

WHAT IMPRESSED YOU ABOUT YOUR PENN COLLEGE EDUCATION?

The diversity and range of what we were taught. Penn College started at the foundation of IT and allowed you to learn the core concepts of IT, including security, networking, website development, etc. It allowed me to be a lot more marketable to prospective employers upon graduation. I wasn’t in a box. Instead I had foundational understanding of the entire range of IT applications.