How did you get this job and how does it relate to your studies?
This is a very large international company that operates all over the world. I did not know anyone involved here in any way who could give me some clue as to how to enter, so I simply put my resume online and after a while they contacted me. I had to go through several job interviews to become responsible for maintenance. Having studied engineering makes me eligible to access higher positions where I can fully take advantage of my knowledge, resources and experience.
Did the Cirque du Soleil highlight skills related to your academic training?
I believe that without the degree, knowledge and professional skills that university gave me, it would not have been so easy to get into this world, and it would have been impossible to reach the position of designer or technical director. Here you really need to learn quickly and the skills acquired during university years become, suddenly, more useful than we originally thought.
What is the relationship between engineering and the circus world?
The technological needs that arise when a world such as the Cirque du Soleil wants to push itself to the limits of what can be done on a stage involve technologies of all kinds, which are usually not related to the circus or show business. Therefore, engineering plays a key role in the fact that ideas are put into practice and, in our case, require specific projects that need to last for about 12 years during which the structures are assembled and taken apart countless times.
Which specific aspects of the circus are related to engineering?
There is a very direct and easily identifiable relationship in the field of automation. Large engines are used to move stage props, structures, backdrops, and of course the athletes who carry out the acrobatic stunts; and all this must be checked to ensure it is easy to use by the technicians and, at the same time, made safe and robust.
