Young, driven and on the rise at 23, Junias Diinineni Set, or just Set as he is popularly known to his friends, is making his mark in the engineering industry. Hailing from the village Onandjaba Okalongo in the Oshikoto region, he comes from a family of ten with six sisters and three brothers. Set started his primary schooling in the north until grade three before moving to Windhoek.
At eight years old he moved in with his uncle to attended school in Windhoek enrolling with the at Peoples Primary School where he finished his primary education before moving to Concordia College. Set describes himself as naughty during his primary schooling but at high school being with elder boys calmed him down. “I was kind of a quiet guy in high school as most of the guys where older than me. I played soccer and was often deployed on the right of midfield as I had pace and could be a tricky customer. I also took part in athletics and ran the four metre race. I also played volleyball and made it to the regional team, with trials where held in Keetmanshoop, it was an awesome experience in 2004.”
Set always wanted to do engineering, and when he finished his high school in 2006 at only 15 years, when turning 16 he had to make a choice between the University of Namibia only and The Polytechnic of Namibia. He was advised to enroll at with The Polytechnic of Namibia. Set applied in 2007 and started his course and he recalls his studies being a challenge then. “I think people when they hear engineering they are frightened but I took it in my strides and completed my course. It was not easy but the passion I had for it made it easier. I believe a good balance between social life and studies helped a lot, and although I wanted to I could not play soccer anymore as I was pressed for time.”
Unfortunately his uncle he had been staying with all along passed on in 2008, and Set went stay with his sister. With hard work and dedication Set finished his course in 2011 with a Degree in Civil Engineering, specialising in transport and completed his internship with Lithon Consulting Engineers in Swakopmund. “Coming from a theory based environment to working on the ground was a challenge which I believe every profession has its challenges, and in engineering the trust one is entrusted to oversee projects is huge and instructing people as old as 40-50 years old can get tricky at first but with great communication skills should this should not be a problem.”
Civil engineering is a broad concept with choices to specialise in Structural Engineering; Geotech Engineering and Transport Engineering. Set had his sight on Transport Engineering that has to do with the design and construction of roads. In 2012 Set landed a job at Element Consulting Engineering, a leading firm in the Transport Engineering field. “During my time at Lithon Consulting Engineers doing my internship, I had the opportunity to visit Germany for a month whereby I learned about their advanced transport networks and road infrastructures. It was an eye opener and it will take Namibia many years before we can compete with European countries on this front.”
Set is current working for Element Consulting Engineers as a trainee engineer and is planning on working towards a registered engineer, which the Engineering Council of Namibia oversees. He plans going back to studies to finishing his masters degree in civil engineering, specialising in transport. “If you do not try you will never know, and hard work is a fundamental part of success. Education is key and follow you passion,” is his advise to fellow youth.
By Kevin Kamati