Voyage into your purpose - internship at Atlantis Television in Paris

 There’s an ancient Japanese concept that I really like and which is called Ikigai.  It sort of means "a reason for being". It’s in fact a formula for understanding your purpose in life, and is made up of four components:

1. What you love
2. What you are good at
3. What the world needs
4. What you can get paid for

Taking a pen and paper and jotting down your answers to these questions can help you to start to discover what could be your passion, mission, vocation, and profession could be.

This exercise brought me to the place where I am now:  still not too sure of what I want do when I grow up  But I have kind of narrowed it down to something in the cinema world, or architecture but with a sustainability twist and historic preservation angle.  

And after the Ikigagi exercise, the next best thing to further explore your purpose is to talk to people in the profession and do “observation” internships.

Thanks to a friend back home, I was lucky to meett, while in Paris, with a lecturer from La Femis, which is one of the world reference in terms of film and television school.  And then, thanks to my Lycee des Mascareignes super engaged CinemaAudiovisuel teacher, I recently did a mega interesting internship at Atlantis Television in Paris, a huge TV production company, that is “the first show maker in Europe”.  I totally loved the idea of helping behind-the-scenes of some of the TV shows I watch in Mauritius, and this is exactly what that internship allowed me to do.  It was my first "real" glimpse into the TV shows and media industry complex and fascinating world.

Atlantis TV has an amazing technological platform, with 450 editing rooms, and 16 mixing studios.  They produce most of the shows we watch back at home on the French TV channels – from 50Minutes Inside, to Un diner Presque parfait, to 4 marriage et 1 lune de miel or Danse avec les stars.  On my first day, I got to observe some part of the making of a show I watch with my granny, Les Reines du Shopping.  And it was indeed a magnifyyyyyyque experience.  I witnessed the making-of the voice-off segment for some shows, the post-production montage, the making of a set and so much more. Looooooved my time there!

My advice to those finishing school soon:  be curious and discover as much as you can about your possible future career.  And do internships.  You mostly observe and don’t get involved, but you do get a far better insight that any book or blog could bring you by being in immersion in the world that could be yours later on.