Dreaming of the Disney College Program

I'm excited to share that this fall I've decided to put my full efforts into applying for the Disney College Program, Spring 2014.

Believe me, I understand that the program is an opportunity for Disney to get extraordinarily cheap labor (considering we'd get paid nearly minimum wage and from that Disney pulls out their criminally expensive rent for the half of a room you are staying in on their property) and I get that they often work CP's more than 40 hours a week, every week (not unlike my current job), but I still want to do it. I've been kicking the idea around in my head for years and it turned from a "why should I?" to a "why not?" I mean really, as long as I'm at least breaking even financially and I still manage to have a good experience, what's wrong with me doing it if it'll make me happy?

With this being my last possible opportunity to do so, I'm going to spruce myself up and prepare to make the best impression that I can in the hopes that in January I'll be flying down to Florida, ready to take on Disney. I'm hoping that with all of my experience, I'll be offered a job somewhere that actually pertains to my potential future job opportunities. Here are my top choices:

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique/Pirate League

This one is almost exactly up my alley. It combines my years of experience in sales and customer service with my almost equal time spent working with children. It also doesn't hurt that most of my sales experience has been in cosmetics, so I'd think that that would be a bonus. Basically, to play dress up with child guests and turn them into princesses, princes, and pirates. Plus, in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, I get to be a Fairy Godmother-in-training and I get a wand that deposits glitter everywhere. What's not to love?

Merchandise

Again, puts my years in sales and customer service to good use. It's an environment that I'm already very familiar with and unlike at previous sales jobs that emphasized speed over customer service, I assume Disney will have a better appreciation for my ability to please guests and help them get exactly what they need with the treatment that they deserve. Also, I'm sure that it'd be easier to pick up extra hours here because being able to work a cach register is probably an important skill across various places in the park. Plus, on slow days, I can "shop" while I work XD

Vacation Planner

Again, sales and customer service. Unlike merchandise, however, vacation planners get to be more focused on customer service and satisfaction and while I assume upselling is still a job requirement, I imagine it's more important for park guests to have a great experience and vacation planners are vital to making that happen. This one would probably be the most useful to my potential future goals as well, since it will require levels of book keeping and customer service that translate better than customer service in retail to jobs involving guest relations.

I'm also interested in being a character attendant, a photopass photographer, working in attractions (I think I'd do marvelously on a spiel-ride), and hospitality. If I get offered a job in any one of these areas, I'd totally accept. If they offer to put me somewhere else, I'm going to have to draw hard line and decline, because these are the only areas I can see myself working so many hours over so many weeks. Just because I want to do the program, doesn't mean I'm desperate and will take anything that they will offer me. Besides, I have almost an equally as satisfying consolation prize: if I do get turned down, that means I can immediately move out to Portland, OR after receiving my degree and get started on building my life out there.

Both plans are ones that I can accept and be happy with.

The application process opens up in September, I'll be posting as I get more information and things start moving forward. I promise that this isn't going to turn into a DCP blog, I will continue to post about everything that's going on in my life, even if I do go and work for the Mouse.

Until next time,

♥ Princess Kisha ♥