Admitted Helicopter Parent Stressing Over Daughter's PI status...

[Fargoman2]

Yes, yes, I admit it. I am a helicopter parent, trying like heck to let go, let God and let the chips fall where they may. But man is that HARD! (If you've read recent threads I initiated you know what I'm talking about--I was appropriately taken to task for my meddling questions.)

In a nutshell, here's the situation:
* My daughter, a former DCP participant, graduates from college in May.
* She applied for another DCP program in Feb. but to her absolute SHOCK she somehow "failed" the WBI--meaning the DCP ship has sailed--FOREVER.
* She subsequently applied for several DCP alumni only Professional Internships.
* She has made the modest advances of passing the resume and initial phone screen, which virtually everyone gets and passes. So she remains "in consideration" on her dashboard
* She appeared to get some more modest good news last week when she was asked to complete a secondary application (for the standard background check). This, at least SEEMED like a somewhat encouraging sign.
* Today, however, there is a wave of fresh reports of DCP alumni getting "drop down" menus on their dashboards--which, from researching boards from years past--is most often a critical prerequisite to getting an additional interview or offer. If you fail to get these drop down menus, it seems that the common reality is that you are left to slowly die as "in progress" until the bitter end of the search. Of course, my daughter has not received any drop down menus and remains "in progress."

I am trying to stay positive for her...and yes, I know there are and will be many things far more disappointing in her life than not getting selected for an internship at Disney. And yes, she will be FINE regardless. It's just going to make for a rather subdued graduation if she goes NLIC right around commencement day--without that DCP backup plan everyone else seems to have. Oh how I wish she had that DCP in her back pocket again; it's still a mystery how she didn't pass the WBI after having such a great performance in her first program.

In any event, thanks for allowing me to share my anxiety about my daughter. I know many many others are facing similar stress. And I know I know I need to step back and let it all happen one way or another. Thanks in advance for not judging my glaring weakness in letting go like I know I should...

 

[mobish]

the alumni PIs can go to the very end. My daughter's roommate got one a few weeks before the start date so don't give up hope and good luck!

 

[wvjules]

Have her join the Fall 2014 PI group on Facebook and ask her quesitons there. And since she is going to be a professional, I suggest you let her do the talking and not you.

 

[Fargoman2]

Have her join the Fall 2014 PI group on Facebook and ask her quesitons there. And since she is going to be a professional, I suggest you let her do the talking and not you.

wvjules. Thanks for the info and mini lecture. I can assure you she does indeed do her own talking i did not ask for any help or to fight her battles for her. i was simply sharing my angst thinking perhaps other parents might relate to . maybe when you are a parent of a young adult you might understand thx

 

[touchthesky]

I just wanted to chime in and say that the drop downs aren't necessarily the end all be all when it comes to PIs. Some PIs don't have drop downs, especially if the PI is for a specific, individual job. And sometimes, you get the drop down and still end up getting NLIC'd (happened to me with Guest Relations).

My best advice, honestly, is to stay out of all the facebook groups. In my experience, while they did kind of give an idea of where you might stand, they honestly caused more stress and heartache, at least for me.

 

[wvjules]

wvjules. Thanks for the info and mini lecture. I can assure you she does indeed do her own talking i did not ask for any help or to fight her battles for her. i was simply sharing my angst thinking perhaps other parents might relate to . maybe when you are a parent of a young adult you might understand thx

I am a parent of an 18 year old and I can't understand why you are the one asking all of the questions for her. She should be doing that. What happens if she does get an internship? Are you going to call her bosses if she has a problem?

 

[flyslyw]

Have her join the Fall 2014 PI group on Facebook and ask her quesitons there. And since she is going to be a professional, I suggest you let her do the talking and not you.

The OP wasn't posting on her daughter's behalf but rather her own, just sharing her feelings of anxiety over the whole PI process for her daughter (which is stressful as I'm going through it right now myself). This is an online forum intended for such use and in no way did the post indicate she was doing all the talking for her daughter.

As to the OP, I'm currently IP for non-alumni roles which don't seem to have the drop downs so I'm afraid I can't offer much insight into that. I'll also be graduating this May and have decided to relocate to Orlando and start a career regardless if I get the Disney PI or not and I couldn't be more excited

Good luck to your daughter, hope she gets what she wants!

 

[wvjules]

You are correct this one wasn't on her daughters behalf. The one about who to contact because she failed the WBI was though. I was doing a general answer instead of responding directly to this post. IMO this parent needs to step back a little and let things be.

 

[LiveYourLife]

Yes, yes, I admit it. I am a helicopter parent, trying like heck to let go, let God and let the chips fall where they may. But man is that HARD! (If you've read recent threads I initiated you know what I'm talking about--I was appropriately taken to task for my meddling questions.)

In a nutshell, here's the situation:
* My daughter, a former DCP participant, graduates from college in May.
* She applied for another DCP program in Feb. but to her absolute SHOCK she somehow "failed" the WBI--meaning the DCP ship has sailed--FOREVER.
* She subsequently applied for several DCP alumni only Professional Internships.
* She has made the modest advances of passing the resume and initial phone screen, which virtually everyone gets and passes. So she remains "in consideration" on her dashboard
* She appeared to get some more modest good news last week when she was asked to complete a secondary application (for the standard background check). This, at least SEEMED like a somewhat encouraging sign.
* Today, however, there is a wave of fresh reports of DCP alumni getting "drop down" menus on their dashboards--which, from researching boards from years past--is most often a critical prerequisite to getting an additional interview or offer. If you fail to get these drop down menus, it seems that the common reality is that you are left to slowly die as "in progress" until the bitter end of the search. Of course, my daughter has not received any drop down menus and remains "in progress."

I am trying to stay positive for her...and yes, I know there are and will be many things far more disappointing in her life than not getting selected for an internship at Disney. And yes, she will be FINE regardless. It's just going to make for a rather subdued graduation if she goes NLIC right around commencement day--without that DCP backup plan everyone else seems to have. Oh how I wish she had that DCP in her back pocket again; it's still a mystery how she didn't pass the WBI after having such a great performance in her first program.

In any event, thanks for allowing me to share my anxiety about my daughter. I know many many others are facing similar stress. And I know I know I need to step back and let it all happen one way or another. Thanks in advance for not judging my glaring weakness in letting go like I know I should...

Take your own advice: Let. It. Go.

Especially if you say your Daughter will be FINE regardless of the outcome.

Hang in there!

 

[JillyBean1899]

You mentioned that graduation would be "subdued without DCP in her back pocket" if she gets denied for the PI, but you don't mention any other opportunities she is looking into. Is Disney the *ONLY* place she has applied to? If so, I'd be encouraging her to apply other places. Yes, Disney may be her dream, but ask all the college football players that don't get drafted into the NFL how well "dreams" always work out.

 

[joybeth]

I know how hard it is as a parent to watch our children make their way on their own and face disappointment. Last fall my daughter was in her last semester of her bachelors degree with just her internship to go. She is also a DCP alum with a stellar record and applied for PIs as soon as they posted. She also applied for DCP as a backup plan with the thought of networking and looking for an internship in Orlando during the spring. Although she got "drop-downs" for Alum positions, she did not get an internship. When she went NLIC for DCP for spring she was crushed and confused.

Now she has a wonderful internship in Michigan that she loves and is getting wonderful experience. She has an apartment on her own and is living a real "adult" life. We never how or where their path will take them. I just wanted to say that although your daughter is struggling right now, the struggle will build character. My daughter is going to do DCP in the fall after she is done with her internship and will try to network to find a position in Orlando after her graduation in December. Hang in there. It isn't easy for us parents, but we have prepared them well and they will make their way just fine.

jb

 

[Fargoman2]

I know how hard it is as a parent to watch our children make their way on their own and face disappointment. Last fall my daughter was in her last semester of her bachelors degree with just her internship to go. She is also a DCP alum with a stellar record and applied for PIs as soon as they posted. She also applied for DCP as a backup plan with the thought of networking and looking for an internship in Orlando during the spring. Although she got "drop-downs" for Alum positions, she did not get an internship. When she went NLIC for DCP for spring she was crushed and confused.

Now she has a wonderful internship in Michigan that she loves and is getting wonderful experience. She has an apartment on her own and is living a real "adult" life. We never how or where their path will take them. I just wanted to say that although your daughter is struggling right now, the struggle will build character. My daughter is going to do DCP in the fall after she is done with her internship and will try to network to find a position in Orlando after her graduation in December. Hang in there. It isn't easy for us parents, but we have prepared them well and they will make their way just fine.

jb

Thanks for sharing your story and words of support/encouragement! It's good to see that there might be a couple people out there anyway who can relate to these feelings.

As I tried (rather poorly, I guess) to state in my original post, I KNOW what I am SUPPOSED to THINK and FEEL. And I understand the realities of the world--totally get it on an intellectual level. Emotionally, however, it is incredibly heartbreaking to watch my daughter suffer this series of disappointments. For me, "letting go" is a process, not a light switch.

As a graduating senior, she is now all but out of Disney options. As such, the finality of losing her Disney dream is indeed a tough pill to swallow. Another DCP or PI were realistically her only way of networking and/or establishing any kind of work record that could help her even eventually fight the long odds of landing a Disney career. (Coming in "cold" as a general applicant competing against people who have done the PI, etc., will put her at even steeper odds than what she is going through now.)

I think what makes this a bit tougher is that Disney's process calls for apparently a very large number of applicants to remain "in progress" even as and after many others are actually advancing to semifinal or final hiring stages. My understanding is that most of these "in progress" folks will stay that way until a mass series of NLIC notifications go out at the end of April. That's why I expressed my concern that the celebration of graduation stands a great chance of being marred by NLIC news so close to that time. Even though she knows this is the likely outcome, it will still be tough to see those 'NLIC" letters at that time. It would be better, if this is truly the reality, to get that news now so there would be time to recover emotionally. This, by the way, is not Disney's fault--in fact, many/most? companies don't give you the courtesy of an application dashboard. Disney need not make any apology for its processes; it's just that it unfortunately has a difficult duration and timing element to it.

OK, I'm sure you are all quite weary of my ramblings on this topic. Moderator, feel free to close this thread and move on--I know I'm supposed to

 

[disneymom99]

Thanks for sharing your story and words of support/encouragement! It's good to see that there might be a couple people out there anyway who can relate to these feelings.

As I tried (rather poorly, I guess) to state in my original post, I KNOW what I am SUPPOSED to THINK and FEEL. And I understand the realities of the world--totally get it on an intellectual level. Emotionally, however, it is incredibly heartbreaking to watch my daughter suffer this series of disappointments. For me, "letting go" is a process, not a light switch.

As a graduating senior, she is now all but out of Disney options. As such, the finality of losing her Disney dream is indeed a tough pill to swallow. Another DCP or PI were realistically her only way of networking and/or establishing any kind of work record that could help her even eventually fight the long odds of landing a Disney career. (Coming in "cold" as a general applicant competing against people who have done the PI, etc., will put her at even steeper odds than what she is going through now.)

I think what makes this a bit tougher is that Disney's process calls for apparently a very large number of applicants to remain "in progress" even as and after many others are actually advancing to semifinal or final hiring stages. My understanding is that most of these "in progress" folks will stay that way until a mass series of NLIC notifications go out at the end of April. That's why I expressed my concern that the celebration of graduation stands a great chance of being marred by NLIC news so close to that time. Even though she knows this is the likely outcome, it will still be tough to see those 'NLIC" letters at that time. It would be better, if this is truly the reality, to get that news now so there would be time to recover emotionally. This, by the way, is not Disney's fault--in fact, many/most? companies don't give you the courtesy of an application dashboard. Disney need not make any apology for its processes; it's just that it unfortunately has a difficult duration and timing element to it.

OK, I'm sure you are all quite weary of my ramblings on this topic. Moderator, feel free to close this thread and move on--I know I'm supposed to

My daughter also was a CP alum who did not pass the WBI after a stellar program, so trust me, your daughter is not the only one. She was also NLIC after applying for her first PI last year. That came at 11:58 on the last day! (Nov 28). Now, she graduated on Dec. 15. If anything could have ruined her graduation, that would have been it. But, we were all determined NOT to let anything ruin that day that she worked so hard for.

She is in the process of applying for another round of PIs. She's had a couple of interviews and is hoping for the best. I don't know if you were aware that there are PIs for grads up to 6 months after graduation. So, this may not be your daughter's last chance if she doesn't get in this time.

I know everyone has been telling you that it will be ok. It doesn't seem like it now, but it will.

 

[Fargoman2]

My daughter also was a CP alum who did not pass the WBI after a stellar program, so trust me, your daughter is not the only one. She was also NLIC after applying for her first PI last year. That came at 11:58 on the last day! (Nov 28). Now, she graduated on Dec. 15. If anything could have ruined her graduation, that would have been it. But, we were all determined NOT to let anything ruin that day that she worked so hard for.

She is in the process of applying for another round of PIs. She's had a couple of interviews and is hoping for the best. I don't know if you were aware that there are PIs for grads up to 6 months after graduation. So, this may not be your daughter's last chance if she doesn't get in this time.

I know everyone has been telling you that it will be ok. It doesn't seem like it now, but it will.

Thanks disneymom99 for sharing your story. Sounds like your daughter is having a great run toward a potential PI the second time around. I hope she gets it! Might I ask in what ways she's been able to strengthen her candidacy since graduating? I'm a bit concerned my daughter's resume would not be remarkably different than it currently is, given the prospects for "career relevant" opportunities in the imminent future. Again, good luck to your daughter!!

 

[disneymom99]

Thanks disneymom99 for sharing your story. Sounds like your daughter is having a great run toward a potential PI the second time around. I hope she gets it! Might I ask in what ways she's been able to strengthen her candidacy since graduating? I'm a bit concerned my daughter's resume would not be remarkably different than it currently is, given the prospects for "career relevant" opportunities in the imminent future. Again, good luck to your daughter!!

Sent you a PM

 

[figmentfan6]

As a graduating senior, she is now all but out of Disney options. As such, the finality of losing her Disney dream is indeed a tough pill to swallow. Another DCP or PI were realistically her only way of networking and/or establishing any kind of work record that could help her even eventually fight the long odds of landing a Disney career. (Coming in "cold" as a general applicant competing against people who have done the PI, etc., will put her at even steeper odds than what she is going through now.)

Out of curiosity, who told you that her coming in "cold" would put her at steeper odds? I would agree if she's looking into full time in-park / in-resort work (ie hotel manager, park manager), but if she's interested in corporate work with Disney then I think she might be going about it incorrectly. If she's interested in corporate Disney, she needs to get a career in her respective field and build a fabulous resume (unless she's aiming for a PI in her respective field, such as marketing, but most alumni only positions aren't what many would consider "corporate"). Then work towards getting into Disney.

Just because you've done a PI doesn't mean it will make a difference when you apply for a corporate job. For example, I wouldn't be any more or less interested in a candidate in my field if they said they once did an internship for a completely different department within my company. She should actually be going through her college alumni network current Disney employees in her field of interest (or a very similar field) and reaching out to them.

If she's interested in full-time in-park / in-resort work, then she should just apply to a full-time position in her respective field in Disney. Long story short, she's not even 25 (I'm assuming since she's a senior and your a helicopter parent, heaven help her if she's over 25 and you're still this involved), it's silly at best and foolish at worst to assume you'll never get a job with your dream company just because you didn't do an 8 month internship after college.

 

[LiveYourLife]

Fargoman2, I'm honestly asking because I'm curious: where is it, or what is it that your Daughter would like to do for her Disney career?

 

[Fargoman2]

Out of curiosity, who told you that her coming in "cold" would put her at steeper odds? I would agree if she's looking into full time in-park / in-resort work (ie hotel manager, park manager), but if she's interested in corporate work with Disney then I think she might be going about it incorrectly. If she's interested in corporate Disney, she needs to get a career in her respective field and build a fabulous resume (unless she's aiming for a PI in her respective field, such as marketing, but most alumni only positions aren't what many would consider "corporate"). Then work towards getting into Disney.

Just because you've done a PI doesn't mean it will make a difference when you apply for a corporate job. For example, I wouldn't be any more or less interested in a candidate in my field if they said they once did an internship for a completely different department within my company. She should actually be going through her college alumni network current Disney employees in her field of interest (or a very similar field) and reaching out to them.

If she's interested in full-time in-park / in-resort work, then she should just apply to a full-time position in her respective field in Disney. Long story short, she's not even 25 (I'm assuming since she's a senior and your a helicopter parent, heaven help her if she's over 25 and you're still this involved), it's silly at best and foolish at worst to assume you'll never get a job with your dream company just because you didn't do an 8 month internship after college.

Thank you for putting me in my place. Yes, it's very silly of a parent to be so interested and concerned about the future dreams of their children. (Not trying to control or make those dreams happen for them, mind you, but simply rooting for them and caring deeply about the setbacks and triumphs they experience in life.) How weird of me to care so much. Heaven help my daughter, indeed for this ridiculous level of "involvement"! She would be so much better off with emotionally detached parents!

For the record, my daughter has achieved every single thing in her life on her own and always will. She is extremely competent and capable; I have absolutely zero doubts about her ability to thrive on her own--and she will. But that will never stop me from being an "over involved" parent who cares and feels for everything she experiences along the way--whether she's 25 or 55!

OK, I'm ready for the next poster to put me in my place. It's getting to be a long line

 

[justwonderful]

Hi Fargoman2 -

Just a shout-out to let you know I'm 100% in your corner and totally sympathize AND empathize with your situation. The only reason I'm on this board is because my daughter applied for a PI and since there's nothing I can do to control the outcome, I can at least occupy myself with gathering information and trying to come up with a realistic assessment of her chances. My daughter, a senior in college, did the CP last spring and in her field, the best foot in the door for her dream career with Disney actually IS a PI. (Perhaps other fields might have equal footing whether they're applying within or from outside, but not hers.) In any event, don't worry about the haters -- everyone has their own way of parenting, their own way of rooting for their kids. Good luck to you and to her!

 

[Fargoman2]

Hi Fargoman2 -

Just a shout-out to let you know I'm 100% in your corner and totally sympathize AND empathize with your situation. The only reason I'm on this board is because my daughter applied for a PI and since there's nothing I can do to control the outcome, I can at least occupy myself with gathering information and trying to come up with a realistic assessment of her chances. My daughter, a senior in college, did the CP last spring and in her field, the best foot in the door for her dream career with Disney actually IS a PI. (Perhaps other fields might have equal footing whether they're applying within or from outside, but not hers.) In any event, don't worry about the haters -- everyone has their own way of parenting, their own way of rooting for their kids. Good luck to you and to her!

Thank you JustWonderful for your support--a breath of much needed fresh air! BTW how is your daughter progressing in her PI quest? Much movement these days? Like I posted previously, my daughter was temporarily heartened a ways back to get a request for a background check. But that optimism has since faded significantly in light of reports that the famous "drop down" menus have now appeared for those who appear to be most legitimately still in the running. Good luck to your daughter!! And again thanks for your support and understanding that sometimes you just need to have an outlet for the anxiety you feel for your children.