Disney Parks Blog: As I look forward to celebrating my 10-year anniversary at Walt Disney World Resort this winter, I can’t help but grin from ear to ear when I look back on my Disney journey. As a child, I dreamed of dancing at Walt Disney World – The Disney College Program not only helped me fulfill that dream, but I discovered career paths I never thought possible while earning my degree from Louisiana State University.
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I have heard a lot of mixed feelings and reviews about people working for Disney but I am not sure that I have ever heard bad things from someone that was a part of the college program. I have known many people involved and they all loved it so much, they never stopped talking about it. The only rough time was all the issues with layoffs and program cancellations during covid. I personally have put a ton of thought into working for Disney myself. I can see how the program could be helpful but it seems like you would only be networking in the world of Disney, which to some people could seem kind of limiting. It does to me. I think Disney does have the mutual love of the magic going for it. It seems like they try to foster lots of learning and growth opportunities as well. My aunt worked at Disney for a long time and she loved it.
I know of a handful of people who either have been in the Disney College Program or at least have seriously thought about it. They all have had different reactions to it. It honestly depends a lot on factors you can’t control like where you are posted, what your living situation is, and who the people around you end up being. I do think these “lessons” are pretty applicable to most other things though. Being receptive of new ways of doing things or thinking about them can prove beneficial in the long run. Making an effort to solidify connections with those around you will help you later. But I don’t think you need to go to the DCP to learn all that. It sounds fun at first glance to work at Disney World but all around I have heard it’s brutal; conditions have been changing for the past few years but it’s nowhere near manageable how I see it.
I grew up in Florida and my mom likes to say I grew up at Disney. My mom raised me around Disney, all the movies, parks, and everything in between. If I didn't end up in theater I probably would have ended up in the Disney College Program. I have always been watching youtube videos about the program and have had lots of friends who have gone through the program or who are currently there. I love all the Disney parks and I feel like I could have really loved this program if theater did not exist. I feel like if you like disney park and obsessed with Disney then the disney college program is right for you. But it is definitely on the disney concentration side and could be seen as one sided. That is the reason why I didn't choose it because there was no way to do something other than Disney.
Growing up primarily on two things Disney and Youtube vlogs I learned about the Disney College Program pretty young. At first I thought this program was super cool letting college kids run around a theme park working and learning but as I have grown up in an industry that relies on manipulation to gain labor my thoughts on this program have changed. I still think there is some merit behind what is “taught” at the program and participants do have the chance to network and learn a good work life balance however, the more I look into the Disney College Program the more it gives me unpaid internship vibes and makes me think of labor exploitation. These kids are barely being paid to work long hours in a theme park with other employees and it is written off as an educational experience. I love the DCP and think it has a lot of potential. I just think the program needs to be refined to put the students first not the corporation.
Theo
This article made me want to burst with excitement. Coincidentally, I was just thinking about doing the Disney College Program the other day, until I found out that it takes up around a whole semester. Now, I’m not sure. But if that wasn’t the case (like a summer thing), I would do it in a heartbeat. I want to be a Disney Imagineer more than anything. It’s my dream. I have loved theme parks and roller coasters since I was a kid, when my brother and I would geek out every time we went to Disney or Busch Gardens. At times, I feel like I was made to work in theme parks. The idea of getting to work at Disney in ANY capacity and learn about customer service, while getting special opportunities to network and learn about the history of the park, sounds like an absolute dream. There’s going to be gripes and problems in any program. That’s expected. I would be thrilled to experience it all. I desperately want to have an Imagineering internship (they only take juniors and up) the minute I can apply. I’m kind of devastated by the fact that doing the Program would take up the amount of time it does.
I’ve always seriously considered doing the Disney college program. But I’ve never found the time in my busy schedule where I could go away for months to do it. I’ve always respected Disney as a company and the values that they hold when it comes to their customers. They tend to Hold themselves to a very high standard when it comes to interacting with customers and that’s something I’ve always really respected. I think there’s so much that one would learn from the Disney college program because you are working for such a large company that is world redound. The networking alone that you come across even for our industry is insane because so many of these people are good to go into careers where they are in hospitality or the entertainment industry which continue to overlap more and more. After reading this article I want to take a look at it again and see if this is something I would be able to do because just starting with networking that’s one of the most important things that somebody in our field can know how to do because that’s how you get all the jobs.
I think all of these tips are pretty helpful in any industry. It’s helpful to network and meet people who work in the industry. It’s a great way to learn about the culture of different companies or the industry as a whole as well as a great way to get your name out there and have people know who you are. I think that the fifth tip is my favorite. “There is excitement in discovering new dreams.” I think that sometimes there’s a lot of pressure on graduating college students to know exactly what they want to do for the rest of their lives. But I think it’s fair to say that no one knows. And being open to new paths and opportunities shouldn’t be such a scary thing. This is definitely a tip that I’m going to keep reminding myself of as I move forward in the start of my career.
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