Matt Pettit ‘11 Takes Engineering and Hoop Dreams to Norway

When Matt Pettit put his Carnegie Mellon basketball jersey on for the final time last winter, he thought it might be his last chance to compete on a big stage. While Pettit will no longer wear the cardinal and gray of his alma mater, he will continue to play the sport he loves at a high level, as a member of the BK Miners club team in Norway.

A civil engineering and public policy major at Carnegie Mellon, Pettit joined his classmates in looking for job openings across the country last year. Following graduation, Pettit was contacted by Houston-based FMC Technologies, which does a lot of international business in the oil industry. FMC was interested in Pettit's engineering background, but it was his basketball skills that helped him lock up the position.

Pettit was recruited to interview for the job with FMC after a representative from the BK Miners thought he would be a good fit for the team. After interviewing and being offered the job, Pettit decided to pack his bags and head to Europe for a new professional and athletic adventure.

"I've never been out of the country except for Canada. I never really had the chance and I'm definitely looking forward to it," Pettit said. "The club recruited me and got me the interview. When this opportunity came about to go to another country, it all fell into place. It's hard to imagine not playing basketball. It seems that it will be a really competitive opportunity."

Just as academics were his first priority at Carnegie Mellon, Pettit's greatest responsibility in Norway will be his role in the engineering training program with FMC. He will participate in a two-year program and then consider his options to come back to the United States for a job or graduate school.

Pettit remained in Pittsburgh for a couple of months following graduation to complete the senior project for the Civil Engineering department. The construction foreman for the project, Pettit and his classmates created a deck near Scaife Hall. The team worked through Spring Carnival and Commencement, but Pettit is grateful for the practical engineering experience.

"I thought it went very well. You always run into rough patches along the way," Pettit said. "It was a lot of sacrifice, but the end product was worth it."

Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Pettit arrived on the Carnegie Mellon campus in 2007 and knew few people in the Pittsburgh area. He believes his experience as an undergraduate will aide his transition to a new country.

"I didn't really know anyone but I got to meet a whole new team and get to know them," Pettit said. "Basketball makes me fairly confident I'll be able to handle working and playing on a team. This is the next step – I went out of state for college and out of the country for a job.

Carnegie Mellon men's basketball coach Tony Wingen has no question that his former captain will make his mark in Norway – both professionally and athletically. Pettit was a second-team all-UAA honoree his senior season and led the team in field goals made, rebounding and blocked shots.

"Matt was the epitome of a student-athlete at Carnegie Mellon. I know he will have a tremendous career as an engineer and it means a lot to all of us that he will continue to lace up his sneakers," Wingen said.

Pettit is excited to get started with the new phase of his life and knows that this type of opportunity became available because of his experiences on and off the court at Carnegie Mellon.

"I wasn't seeking out this opportunity, but I feel lucky to have it," Pettit said. "It's definitely important for me to get back in shape and be able to compete with the team. They've done a lot for me and I feel obligated to give them my best effort."