Is the College Program a good thing?
It seems like 8 out of 10 CMs in the parks (and resorts) are in the college program. This appears to be a double-edged sword:
Pros - they are insanely upbeat, enthusiastic, bright-eyed, and bushy tailed. They are too new on the job to be cynical and jaded. They are just so happy to be there, no matter what it is they are doing.
Cons - The reliance on this near slave labor allows Disney (I am assuming - I've never been on the inside) to keep "regular" cast members to build long, lasting (i.e., more expensive) careers at Disney. So you have fewer CMs there who are dedicated to the company for life. Also, the CP CMs sometimes just don't know stuff. Like, basic stuff. And I've gotten wrong information more than once.
Thoughts?
Good thing for who? ...
- Disney? yes
- CPs? yes if there for right reasons
- For Guests? yes and no
Your Pros is correct ... they only have to put in 4-5 months so if they went for the right reasons, they should be upbeat the whole time. They fill undesirable hours the full timers often don't want.
Your Cons is wrong and correct ...
Correct in that they often don't know their stuff, even basic stuff and give wrong info. Why? They only have days of training, any given shift may result in managers of differing opinions, many have never been to Disney so have no base with which to work on and honestly just because you are in college doesn't mean you pick up fast or are a hard worker. 4-5 mos is might not be enough incentive to learn especially if you are the group there just to have fun.
Wrong in that it is not slave labor. CPs earn enough money (if they don't give up shifts) to pay their rent and have plenty of money left for food and fun. Housing provides furnished apartments, cable, internet, pools & recreation and transportation. Is it all the best, no, but it is certainly nicer than many folks live. Does it mean dining out or steak dinners, no but you certainly can treat yourself sometimes. You have total access to Disney parks, and many get APs for Universal. It is a great learning experience into living with others, compromise, responsibility, working hard, budgeting, customer service ....
DD was raised going to Disney, three visits by time she was 14 months old. Her entire college planning was around working for Disney long term. She applied and went after graduation. She spend at year there, working 3 different DCP jobs. She took some of their "seminar" classes. She worked under and had great interactions with managers. Between what she saw, experienced and what these managers told her about working for Disney ............. she decided it was not for her and applied to grad school. Having Disney on her resume helped getting in to grad school (tells them she is a hard worker, puts in the hours), get a few jobs (customer service, hard worker) and continues to be a plus on her resume. It was one of the best years of her life (even with the negatives) and she had a great time in Orlando. It helped her on her journey.