A sky full of stars and opportunities for Peter
Peter Setumu says nothing should stand in your way of reaching your dreams.
POLOKWANE – High above the clouds is where Peter Setumu believes he found his passion in life. Peter is a third year student at the Paramount Aviation Academy in Polokwane where he was given the opportunity to get involved with aircraft.
He says that he got the opportunity after an instructor introduced him to an engineering course in aviation, where he was taught to service and maintain all electrical components of an aircraft. “There is no better feeling than seeing a plane go up into the air and coming back safe, knowing that part of it was because of you,” Peter says. He adds that he loves to learn new things and this is a job where he can do exactly that because he is challenged every day.
Peter says you never know what you are going to find and getting to the bottom of the issue is not always easy but he loves every minute of the process.
He says that it is important that young people believe in themselves and have knowledge about the various opportunities which is available to them in aviation. “Make sure that you pass your Gr 12 maths and science and then start knocking on all the doors until you find the one that will help your dreams come true,” he says.
Peter says someone in his line of work needs to be a leader and take responsibility for mistakes and speak up when there is a problem. “My experience has taught me to be a better person and understand that this is much more than just a job. It is about loyalty and honesty and hard work which pays off in the end,” he adds.
He describes himself as a person who always looks for the difficult and challenging things in life as well as someone who is always willing to learn something new. His plans for the future include qualifying and then looking for the next challenge in his line of work. Peter would like to do more courses to keep him equipped with the necessary information in various fields.
His message to young people is to take on every challenge in life. “As long as you have an interest in something, knock on every door. I would say that aviation is the way to go because I believe that you will always have a job because people will always fly. You may have the opportunity to go and see other countries so do not let anything, including yourself, stand in your way.”
