I've been neglecting this blog again and for that I do apologize.
I've been in Walt Disney World now for a little over three months and a lot has happened in that time. I've met a lot of people, made some really good friends, and worn more costumes than I ever thought I would. The experience of the Disney College Program is one that I will never forget. I find that I've been fundamentally changed, not only in how I work, but in how I view guest service. I always understood that Disney holds their cast members to a higher standard than anyone else, but I never really took the time to think that it only takes a minimum of effort to go from McDonald's service to Disney service. I find myself now looking at every encounter with a service provider in terms of how they stack up against Disney's guest service and I know that I always will because now I completely understand that great guest service is not a chore, and providing service at a high level actually makes work that much more fun!
I've also developed a love for creating magical moments and I go out of my way on a daily basis to try to create those moments for my guests. Whether it's writing them a fast pass or giving a family a ride in their own private van to the park of their choice, there's nothing like giving a family a memory that will last a lifetime. I've also started doing chalk drawings at the bus stops I'm assigned to, but that's going to be a completely different post because there's a pretty good story that goes along with the drawings. Suffice it to say, though, that I'm getting quite a bit of positive attention because of those drawings, and anyone who is friends with me on Facebook has been able to watch them evolve over the last few months. With all of this positive stuff going on there has to be at least one negative. In actuality there's quite a bit of negative and it all comes in the form of misconceptions about the Disney College Program and what it actually is.
Before I move into this part of the post, please let me say that my opinion of Disney, and of Walt Disney World, has not been tarnished at all. What has changed, however, is my understanding of the inner workings of Disney as a company and exactly what it is that Disney does provide to its College Program participants. I use the word participants rather than cast members for a very specific reason. That reason is that we really are only barely cast members, our status listed as "Casual Limited." This is the lowest level of cast member in the Disney system, and as such, we are also in many ways considered to be second class citizens. The reality of the situation is that we are here to provide Disney with a way to staff their parks and resorts without having to pay overtime to their regular cast members. Because of this, many CPs are harassed and looked down upon by full-time cast members who are upset because they're losing their overtime to these "interns." On top of this, the chances for overtime for CPs in many roles are almost nonexistent, and the scheduled hours are often under those promised when we accepted our program invitations. Speaking from my own personal experience, making anything over 30 hours in a week is a struggle every week. This is not very helpful when you actually have real bills to pay, and many people in my role have second jobs outside of Disney just to make ends meet. Every day is a constant storm of checking the hub to see if extra shifts have opened up that don't require any special training, another thing that Disney fails to inform us of when we accept our invitations. You see, I was told in my interview that there would be constant opportunities to make extra hours, and my decision to participate in the program was largely based on that assumption. The truth of the matter is that you are only allowed to pick up extra shifts in areas that you are either trained for, or that do not require any training at all. As far as shifts that I'm trained for, all that I'm trained for is bus operations, and resort bus greeters only have one shift available, and that one goes from 6:45am to 12:45pm. Any additional hours have to come from Parade Audience Control shifts that are released by Magic Kingdom or Fantasmic shifts released by Hollywood Studios. The problem with this is that you never really get more than a day's notice that you'll be working, and normally you'll have only a few hours because the shifts release at odd times during the day. The end result is that it's a constant struggle, not only to get to 40 hours, but to actually get into overtime and make something that resembles a real paycheck because these shifts are not often released because Magic Kingdom wants to fill them with their own people. Outside of the work issues, there are also the "networking" opportunities that Disney says they provide for CPs.
Let me be straight before I continue. This is not intended to be a rant or just me blowing off steam. The intention here is to provide a very real view of what we go through on a daily basis from both a work and a networking perspective. I'm not being biased and I'm not exaggerating, just presenting things as they have shaken out for me over the past three months.
In terms of networking, Disney does not take an active approach at all. They told all of us that there would be ample opportunities to network with people who could be instrumental in the advancement of a career with Disney. This is just not true at all. If your major is hospitality or hotel management or something similar, then yes, there will be opportunities presented in the form of speaker series and other such presentations. If, however, your major area of study is outside of those, you can expect a whole bunch of nothing in terms of networking. As an art graduate I can tell you with complete confidence that you have to make your own opportunities. I have met people and I have gotten my work looked at, but this is all through my own work, basically cold-calling and talking to sketch artists and such while they work. This is not what I was expecting nor is it what was promised to me when I accepted my offer.
In the end, what I've found is that if you are a college student, not financially independent, and don't have any real bills or career aspirations with Disney beyond the end of your program, then this is most definitely the program for you. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world, especially not the guest interaction and the fun of working in Walt Disney World. If I was still 20 or 21 years old and living with mom and dad, I wouldn't have a complaint at all. As a 35 year-old with real bills and no financial assistance available to me, however, this program has been nothing but a daily struggle to keep my head above water, and I'm not 100% sure that i would have made the decision to come here if I had known exactly what to expect from this experience in terms of career opportunities and money. I know this post is going to come off as incredibly negative and anti-college program, but that's not how it is at all. I believe that the Disney College Program is a great idea, just not the right idea for me. As it stands, I'm going to see this through to January and then head home to Louisiana, hopefully to find a career as a teacher.
