Can't find friends

[WDSearcher]

Well I am gonna take the college internship program right when I turn 18 in disney world.

Keep in mind that you will need to kind of adjust your attitude to get (and keep) a gig at Disney, even an internship. Sarcasm, intense competitiveness, jokester, insults and immaturity aren't exactly going to endear you to your bosses or co-workers, and most definitely won't fly with guests. (And yes, I know that guests can be sarcastic, insulting and immature, but that doesn't mean Disney wants that parroted back from its CMs.) And if you're not in a guest-facing role (say you end up in an office or graphics area), you'll still need to lose the sarcasm, insults, competitiveness and immaturity to be taken seriously. I've seen many an intern dropped fairly quickly due to just those types of qualities -- and that's assuming they somehow made it past the interview and actually got the job.

 

[JasonBlue07]

Keep in mind that you will need to kind of adjust your attitude to get (and keep) a gig at Disney, even an internship. Sarcasm, intense competitiveness, jokester, insults and immaturity aren't exactly going to endear you to your bosses or co-workers, and most definitely won't fly with guests. (And yes, I know that guests can be sarcastic, insulting and immature, but that doesn't mean Disney wants that parroted back from its CMs.) And if you're not in a guest-facing role (say you end up in an office or graphics area), you'll still need to lose the sarcasm, insults, competitiveness and immaturity to be taken seriously. I've seen many an intern dropped fairly quickly due to just those types of qualities -- and that's assuming they somehow made it past the interview and actually got the job.

I don't think I can get rid of those things 100%. But I can choose when to use it or lower it. It's part of my personality, no one can be pure.

 

[minkydog]

I don't think I can get rid of those things 100%. But I can choose when to use it or lower it. It's part of my personality, no one can be pure.

You can change it if you want to. It's about making the right choices. You have to catch yourself before that sarcastic remark leaves your mouth. When you're tempted to make a snide reply put your hand over your mouth if you have to. Don't let it out. Once the words are out, it's like opening a feather pillow--almost impossible to take them back. Do you *like* being known as that sarcastic, immature guy who insults people for kicks? You are the only one who has the power to fix that and until you do, I predict it will be hard to make and keep friends.

Lest you think I don't understand, believe me, I do. There was a time when I couldn't resist a smart remark and it didnt' endear me to others. I made smart remarks to college professors when I didn't like them. Well, then...when I had questions or needed help, those professors weren't so inclined toward me. My big problem was very low self-esteem and it wasn't until I got some therapy that I could really see that my bad decisions to be snarky and nasty were keeping distance in relationships. I had to decide to be different every day.

You sound like a smart guy who's selling himself short by pushing people away. If you want a friend, you first have to be a friend. I find that helping others, whether it's in a job or volunteer work, is very helpful and sometimes eye-opening. Keep an open mind and a closed mouth--you might learn something from the very people you're trying to impress. You can do this. I know you can!

 

[LisaR]

Well I am gonna take the college internship program right when I turn 18 in disney world.

You know you have to be enrolled in an accredited college and you have to have completed at least one semester before you can apply.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

There's a big difference between wanting to make a friend and wanting to be a friend. If you want to make friends because that will make you happy, you risk pushing potential friends away because they are likely to feel used (someone to beat in competition? someone to listen to you ramble on?) rather than valued. Who wants that?

Other posters are suggesting that you listen more than talk - that's one way of signaling to people that you want to be a friend. But you've got to really mean it - any friend worth having will be able to sense a phony.

So my suggestion is that you sit down with yourself and decide if it's worth it to you to be a real friend to someone else. If you decide you can genuinely care about someone else the way your value yourself, you may be amazed at the people who will want to be your friend. You aren't really any different than the other kids - they all have the same need to be seen and valued that you do.

 

[WDSearcher]

I don't think I can get rid of those things 100%. But I can choose when to use it or lower it. It's part of my personality, no one can be pure.

If you go back and read the beginning of my post again, you'll see that I didn't say "get rid of", I said "adjust".

No one will expect you to be Mr. Perfect. But they don't want Mr. Sarcastic either, KWIM? Internships are very VERY competitive at Disney. There are literally thousands of people trying for every single spot. Just be careful that you don't type yourself out before you even get there.