Sam Hall

Watch Sam’s student interview below: 

A Working Life That Began in Construction 

Sam moved to Australia at 18 after finishing high school to live with his father. His first job was in the family’s construction business, helping build sheds, garages, warehouses, and patios using structural steel and sheet metal. 

He earned his trade certificate in roof plumbing and spent years working in construction. His experience eventually extended beyond the building site into sales and project management, giving him a view of both the practical work and the planning behind it. 

After exploring other roles in the construction industry, Sam joined Alcoa as a process operator in Pinjarra, Western Australia. It was there that he began considering what an engineering qualification could mean for his future. 

Seeing the career paths of people around him, he initially viewed engineering as a way to open opportunities for progression into management. 

Fitting Study Around Shift Work

Continuing to earn an income whilst studying was an important consideration for Sam. His roster included night shifts, so he needed a study arrangement that could work around changing hours. 

“One of the primary drivers for choosing EIT was its online capability,” he says. 

Studying online allowed Sam to keep working full time while completing his degree part time. He used his days off to work through his studies, building a routine around his roster. 

That arrangement also required him to take responsibility for organizing his time and completing tasks. Looking back, he sees value in the independence he developed through online learning. The ability to get started, research a problem, and keep working without waiting for direction now helps him in his engineering role. 

Recognizing the Theory at Work

Sam brought years of practical experience to his studies, which helped him connect engineering concepts with things he had already seen. 

One example came during hydraulics lessons involving Reynolds number. As he studied fluid behavior, he pictured a particular drain at work and how it behaved differently depending on the season. Having that familiar example in mind helped him understand the theory. 

Soil mechanics, hydraulics, and drainage also stood out because of their relevance to tailings facilities. In his current role, Sam reads technical material, including stability and hydraulic reports, and draws on the mathematics and theory covered during his degree. 

Finding a Different Career Direction

Although Sam initially pursued engineering with management opportunities in mind, his ambitions changed as he progressed through the course. 

“I find myself more motivated having done the engineering degree to stay within engineering,” he says. 

He now hopes to pursue a master’s degree by research, potentially drawing on projects from his workplace, and eventually move into a senior engineering or geotechnical role in the tailings field. 

For others considering a similar path, Sam encourages combining academic learning with practical experience. His own journey shows how years spent building, operating equipment, and understanding a workplace can provide useful foundations for the next stage of an engineering career.