Career-Establishing Scholarship: Read Sivan Sehgar’s Road to Success as an IJM Scholar

My name is Sivan Sehgar, and I am 25 years old. I hail from Cameron Highlands and pursued my tertiary education at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). As I was in the midst of pursuing my education, I submitted numerous scholarship applications to different institutions, with IJM being one of them.

My fascination with construction and high-rise projects led me to choose Civil Engineering for my tertiary education. The main reason I applied for the IJM Scholarship was because of the history behind the well-established company. They have managed an impressive number of successful projects with finesse throughout the past few decades.

Apart from academic performance, IJM also takes extracurricular performance, interpersonal skills, and critical thinking into account. I was astonished by the notable twist IJM unravelled during the interview process.

Candidates were handed LEGO blocks to create wacky LEGO structures that would put our creative side on display. Apart from some general academic questions, some rounds examined us on challenging yet intriguing topics. The questions revolved around the role of youths in the future world of construction, how the industrial revolution will enhance the current proceedings of construction, as well as the impact of a good leader and listener on the well-being of a workplace. Those questions really picked my brain. Overall, it was a fun and proactive interview session that filled me with a sense of enlightenment.

My interview session with IJM was a memorable experience, one that I’ll keep down the road. When I received the news that I was selected to be an IJM scholar, I was overjoyed and thus began my journey with IJM. This opportunity with IJM enabled me to focus on my education and career instead of worrying over student loans.

The development and engagement of the scholars were integral throughout the scholarship period. We were all assigned a mentor each. These mentors are IJM Scholars who have stayed on with IJM all these years as well as experienced professionals to support us, be it in our academics or other inquiries. Besides that, we also participated in a few volunteering programmes such as educating children at school, fundraising for the under-privileged and being volunteers at marathons and runs organised by IJM. These activities have well taught us the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

My internship with IJM was exhilarating and gripping as I spent my time in different departments that were working on various construction projects. It allowed me to have an early hands-on experience of the complete cycle of a construction project as I picked up on new knowledge of different trades and departments. I completed my internship with two individual projects under IJM – Equatorial Plaza and HSBC Catalyst. My internship programme with IJM served as an advantage in my professional development and prepared me to adapt to IJM’s working culture within a short time.

Upon accomplishing our tertiary education, scholars of the Graduate Associate Programme are assigned to ongoing projects to be part of the team and build on our expertise and career.

With successful career pathways already paved for us as IJM scholars, worrying about securing a stable job was out of mind and out of sight. Presently, I hold the position of a Graduate Civil Engineer and I work alongside a team of young and energetic individuals for the Imazium @Uptown 8 project. Apart from my blessed career at IJM, I have a tonne of opportunities to explore various sports activities and leisure time to indulge in, which offers me a healthy sense of work life balance.

I am truly grateful to IJM for providing me with an endless array of opportunities that have shaped me into the professional I am today. Remember, at the end of the day, you are your biggest asset. Stay true to your goals and strengths, and let those achievements and traits speak for themselves.

For more details on IJM scholarship as well as application procedure and general requirement, click here.