Our Graduate Remediation Engineer, Sam Laliberte has been at Soilfix for almost a year! As Sam is always out on site, I took the rare opportunity of catching up with him this week at our offices in Rayleigh to ask him about how he has found his first year.

What surprised you most about coming into the world of remediation after university?
I did not realise that remediation would be so multidisciplinary. To really understand what is going on in the ground you have to be aware of chemical reactions and also the geotechnical properties of the ground.  

What have been your best parts of the job in your first year here?
I think one of my favourite parts is seeing the importance of data collection in action. While I have done a lot of ground water monitoring at our site in Cambridge, it has been really good to understand why we need data. Then to see all the data analysed on graphs is really satisfying!

A year on, in what ways have you grown in knowledge and experience?
Interpretation of optimum moisture content ranges was something that seemed really daunting, but after a good explanation on what it is, now they are really easy. But also just the basics of being an engineer – like when you need to sample and why, then how to sample properly (soil and water).

What advice would you give to either the ‘you’ a year ago, or new graduates coming into the industry?
Keep an open mind while asking lots of questions, even if you think it is a bad question. One you have a good understanding, you can then try and seize any opportunity to take responsibility and use your own initiative.