Disney Imagineer, DCP or DPI?

[CiscoDel]

Hello everyone. I have a question about the differences between the Disney College Program and Disney Professional Internship.

My biggest goal is to become a Disney Imagineer, and I'm trying to find ways to get my foot in the door. I'm a resident of NYC and I decided to take my masters just to get an internship in Disney.

Which is a better way for me to become an Imagineer, is it through the Disney College Program or Disney Professional Internship?

 

[SureAsLiz]

In the DCP, you will be working onstage in some capacity - ride operations, merchandise sales, custodial, ticket sales, things like that. This program takes place in the parks/resorts.

A PI can be in any departments across the company. In these you will be working alongside working professionals. It is very much like an internship you would have anywhere else in the country.

Doing a PI in whatever area you want to specialize in (design, engineering, etc) will give you those transferable skills that you can take with you anywhere. This type of work will go on your resume/in your portfolio depending on the type of role.

While not guaranteed, a PI also may have the opportunity to transfer to the team they are working with full time, giving your career a start with Disney. While you can also transfer to be full/part time from the DCP, that would be in the parks, not a professional role, and it is much harder to make the jump to a professional role from there.

 

[wdw&sonny]

DCP is a prerequisite for some DPI positions. Some students choose to participate in the DCP as a "foot in the door" to DPI.

 

[HM2012Butler]

It will be easier to get a DCP which could be a benefit while applying for DPI. You don't need the CP to get the PI but it definitely helps. Gives them a way to look into you other than the information you provide them. I only have one friend who has become an imagineer and she did both. You certainly can just try to do the PI. But apply for both. If you succeed in each role, you have a chance at moving on to a full time job

 

[JakInNeverland]

I also plan on making my career with Disney, though maybe not as an imagineer, I plan on doing the CP, then a PI, then an MI and hopefully from there a full-time position. A lot of the PI's and MI's require that you have done a CP so if you don't start there, there are a lot of internships that you cannot even be considered for. Do the CP and even though you will be front line staff, you will still have plenty of opportunities to network. I plan on using my CP to heavily network and use my passion for Disney and my work ethic to make myself know to upper management. Good luck whatever you decide to do!

 

[wilkeliza]

Just know PIs and MIs are even harder to get than the DCP. I wanted to be an Imagineer as well and even took a class with parks entertainment and didn't get the PI I wanted or the 3 back up PIs I applied for. A lot of the PI positions are actually filled with people applying from specific colleges especially the tech ones.

Also as much as the rest of the company has an open door policy Imagineering is so hard to get a meeting with. I met with show runners, tech leads, had walk abouts with a bunch of people, became friendly with the fireworks manager at Epcot, met Meg Crofton, and walked the World Showcase with the VP of Epcot but never once could get a meeting with an Imagineer. Everyone I asked said it was impossible. Not to discourage you just to let you know that a CP, PI, or MI are necessarily going to get you in the door with Imagineering.

 

[SureAsLiz]

I also plan on making my career with Disney, though maybe not as an imagineer, I plan on doing the CP, then a PI, then an MI and hopefully from there a full-time position. A lot of the PI's and MI's require that you have done a CP so if you don't start there, there are a lot of internships that you cannot even be considered for. Do the CP and even though you will be front line staff, you will still have plenty of opportunities to network. I plan on using my CP to heavily network and use my passion for Disney and my work ethic to make myself know to upper management. Good luck whatever you decide to do!

This isn't true at all.

Yes, there are some internships that are alumni only (meaning you have worked for Disney prior), but that's not many compared to the total number of internships available.

I am now a statused CM after doing a PI that I got without prior Disney experience, and so is another coworker of mine.

 

[JakInNeverland]

This isn't true at all.

Yes, there are some internships that are alumni only (meaning you have worked for Disney prior), but that's not many compared to the total number of internships available.

I am now a statused CM after doing a PI that I got without prior Disney experience, and so is another coworker of mine.

I didn't say it was impossible to do a PI without doing the CP but it is a huge advantage. I guess it just depends on what PI or MI you want to do and where you want to go in the company. Thank you for your point of view!

 

[SureAsLiz]

I didn't say it was impossible to do a PI without doing the CP but it is a huge advantage. I guess it just depends on what PI or MI you want to do and where you want to go in the company. Thank you for your point of view!

You stated that many of the PIs are off limits to non-alumni, and that is what I was disputing. There are hundreds of internships posted each year that do not have DCP experience as a pre-requisite, and I was simply stating that that is not the case. Yes, having Disney experience can be a plus, but my experience in my line of business has shown me that relevant experience is more important than Disney experience.

 

[HM2012Butler]

There are plenty of PIs that don't require a CP. I haven't looked at the PIs since my CP so this is going off of what I remember from 4 years ago. BUT the best PIs didn't seem to be alumni only. I remember things like ticketing being alumni only. My point is, there are plenty of options for non alumni.

 

[Just Peachy]

My DS is finishing his degree this year and applied for both the CP and PI slots for this fall. He did get a CP slot in merchandise for Orlando and did also get interviews with 2 of the 3 PI slots he applied for. One of his interviewers for a PI slot told my DS to contact him towards the end of his CP time (before extending) and they would discuss potential PI options then. I don't know if this implied that the PI positions that he was applying for prefer Disney Alumni or what. However, I think my DS is planning on a year at Disney using whatever opportunities open up.