This post has been floating around in my head for literal months.
I’ve been wanting to find a way to summarize the 10 months that I spent in Florida for a while now, but I’ve quickly realized that there is no easy way to do that.
Originally, I was going to make a blog post called “My Complete Experience on the Disney College Program.” The problem is, that’s a lot to cover, and it’s so vague that I didn’t even know where to begin.
So, as I’ve been thinking back on my time at Disney, I’ve found that what stands out to me is not the details of my program–my role, my room assignment, my day to day life, etc.
Instead, it’s the things I learned, and the ways that I grew. And so, instead of this being a typical: “Here’s everything I did on my program and why you should do the program too” post (I’m getting tired of seeing those on Instagram), this is going to be a post about what I learned about myself, about Disney, and about the world on my Disney College Program.
But first, I am going to just give some basic information, just so that we’re all on the same page.
My Role: Merchandise
My Location: Disney Springs Marketplace Village
- Goofy’s Candy Co. (Candy store)
- Disney’s Days of Christmas (Christmas ornament store)
- The Art of Disney (Art Store)
- Disney’s Wonderful World of Memories (Embroidery store)
My second location: EPCOT Festivals (Festival of the Arts) ← best part of my program
Ok, now we’re jumping in.
What I Learned About Myself
- I’m capable of more than I think I am
I tend to minimize my strengths–sometimes when I’m talking to others, but most of the time when I’m just thinking to myself. I tend to ignore or not pay attention to good opportunities because I’ve convinced myself that I would obviously fail at whatever it is.
Well, one thing about the DCP is that you really don’t get much choice about…anything. You don’t choose your role, you don’t choose your room type, and you don’t choose your roommates.
You pay $400 in fees and you go in blind. (Literally. Like, you meet your roommates when you walk in the door on the first day. Are they 20 years old? 30? 40? Did they bring a cat? Do they keep the thermostat at 80 degrees?)
So, instead of having time to think about the things that I would be good at and apply to specific roles or opportunities, I just had to hope that I was cut out for whatever circumstances I found myself in.
During my time on my program, I learned that I can:
- move across the country (with some help from my parents)
- make my own food (mostly stuff with rice)
- budget (Did I make a budget? Yes. Did I follow it…)
- and apparently get all the childhood illness I never had (Hand, Foot, and Mouth; Strep Throat; Ear infection…)
Mostly, I learned that I can make decisions. I can decide how I want to spend my time, spend my money, and spend my energy without getting someone else’s approval.
I learned that I have good ideas that are different from other people’s ideas. I learned that I can trust my judgement in situations where everyone else seems to have a different opinion than me.
- I thrive on chaos
I had a lot of chaotic days as a cast member. My schedule changed every week, and I worked a variety of shifts at a variety of stores. Every day was different, and I could never really predict what was going to happen.
And…I kind of loved it?
I’ve always thought I was a creature of habit. I make routines, schedules, lists, and plans. I think about every possible outcome in every situation that I’m in.
But I realized I enjoy something about the unknown. I also enjoy solving problems and having lots of tasks.
There’s not enough time to get all the tasks done?
We’ll see about that.
My favorite positions in the stores that I worked at were the ones that were the most chaotic, like the personalization register at the Christmas store. At Goofy’s, my favorite days were the ones where there was a line stretching across the whole store. I always hated when I was just standing at a register with nothing to do.
Chaos is fun like how a workout feels good: only afterwards. During the chaos, I’d often be a little bit overwhelmed, but after it was over, I’d always think, “That was kind of fun!”
- I enjoy solo activities
I think I’ve always known this about myself, but my time at Disney really confirmed it. Some of my favorite days on my program were my solo park days, where I could just wander through the World Showcase, stroll down Main Street, or get lost in Galaxy’s Edge.
One of my absolute favorite days was a day at EPCOT.
The previous day, I was working a FOTA shift, and I saw, like, six people wander past my art tent with baguettes from France, and I thought “I want to walk around the World Showcase with a baguette!”
So, the next morning, I went to EPCOT, got a baguette from the France Pavilion, and walked around the World Showcase while looking at art.
Bliss.
- I hate the monorail
Just speaking my truth. I think I would stay on property just to avoid having to go through the (*shudders*) TTC…
If I never see the monorail again, it’ll be too soon.
What I learned about Disney
- Storytelling is taken very seriously
This one is pretty obvious, but I never realized the full extent of it until I was literally working at and visiting the parks almost every day. Every single detail has a purpose, and every design is intentional.
In one of the storytelling class sessions I attended, we heard from an Imagineer whose job was to basically design, build, and gather props for different lands and attractions at WDW. Hearing the thought behind every object that is placed in the parks really gave me a new appreciation for Disney’s commitment to storytelling.
- The company is its people
Disney is a company of creatives. If you try to blend in and “fit in” with the company, you won’t contribute anything to it. As much as Disney has their own policies and procedures, nothing would be possible without the ideas of innovative people who challenge the system.
All of Disney’s best movies are the ones that reject the status quo of the previous ones (Anna not marrying a man she just met; Rapunzel realizing she never needed Eugene to rescue her; Tiana working to achieve her dreams instead of just waiting around for them to come true).
Similarly, through listening to different people talk about their careers at Disney, I realized that these were all people who weren’t afraid to make their voices heard and shake things up. They got to where they are today because they took risks and spoke up, even if it wasn’t technically “the way things were done.”
These are the people who have made Disney what it is today.
- You can’t buy the “Disney Magic”
The “Disney Magic” doesn’t come from low wait times. It doesn’t come from aesthetic food, magic bands, deluxe resorts, lightning lanes, personalized ears, birthday buttons, or (gasp) a $50 bubble wand.
It doesn’t come from the perfect itinerary, a VIP tour, a limited edition pin, or a passholder discount.
The “Disney Magic” isn’t a thing you can buy; it’s a choice you can make.
When my family took a trip to Disney World when I was nine years old, I’m sure that there were things that went wrong. I’m sure that rides went down, I’m sure we missed a chance to meet a character, and I’m sure we had to wait in a bunch of lines. But I don’t remember any of that.
I also don’t remember much about the resort we stayed at or which rides we had Fast Passes (RIP) for. And I don’t think I even have any of the souvenirs I bought anymore.
The magic, for me, wasn’t anything that we bought, it was my belief that I was in a fantasy world. And, when I was older, the magic came from my choice to have fun, to buy into the world, to ignore small problems that I would forget about tomorrow.
Experiencing the magic at Disney World is a choice you can make. Believe it or not, you can still have a good day at Disney, even when Cosmic Rewind is down for six hours.
- The location of Walt’s frozen head
I would tell you, but then I’d have to make you prick your finger on a spinning wheel.
What I learned about the world
- Every individual is unique, but we all have similarities that connect us
Every DCP participant is on a different path in life. There are some who do the program while they are in college, some who do it shortly after they graduate (me!), and there are some who do it later in life.
During my DCP, I had 8 roommates (and like a million coworkers). Some were from Florida, and some were from the other side of the world. All of them were people I never would have met if I hadn’t decided to do the DCP.
We were all unique human beings, but we had at least one thing in common: a connection to Disney–whether that was the movies, the parks, the Disney Channel shows, etc.
Even if we spoke different languages, we loved the same stories.
- There is no “right path”
Everyone is just figuring it out as they go, and taking the opportunities as they come.
During my program, I had many opportunities to listen to different people speak about their careers at Disney. One thing that stood out to me was that most of them found their way to the position they were in by accident. They were pursuing one thing, and then found themselves doing something completely different in the end.
Of course, having career goals is good, and sometimes things will go as planned.
But a lot of times, the opportunities that we take are the ones that we would have never even considered in the first place.
It’s kind of exciting not having a map to follow.
- Everyone has a different version of success
One of my coordinators at my location said something to me once, along the lines of: “If you want to have a successful career at Disney, you should never stay in the same position/location for more than 5 years.”
It is super common for people in the company (and especially for cast members) to switch roles and move around a lot.
At the same time, I also had many coworkers who had been in the same role for 20 years.
So, who’s more successful? The coordinator who has moved locations 12 times and networked themselves into a leadership role? Or the cast member who has stayed in their role their entire career–who cares about their location and knows it inside and out?
To me, the answer is both. Everyone has different goals, and not everyone’s goal is to advance up the career ladder. At the same time, there is a lot of fulfillment that can come from a career-focused life. It just depends on what you’re looking for at the time.
- People really don’t like to wait in line
Like, at all.
Conclusion
Overall, the main thing I learned on my program is that opening yourself up to new experiences and new opportunities is one of the best things you can do. There’s always time to settle down, to get a “real” job, to (gag) nEtwOrk.
But my favorite experiences in my 22 (almost 23–yikes) years have been the surprise ones: travelling to Spain, moving to Disney World, starting a blog…
The other most important thing I learned is this:
The cheeseburger spring rolls are over-hyped.
