Too "old" for Internship?

[melisandre]

Hi DISboarders,

I'm a life long Disney fan, never thought of applying for CP during undergrad. Recently moved to US and I'm finding it extremely difficult to start over my career/find a decent job. I'm in the process of applying for Grad school for HR even though I understand it's gonna cost me a lot. But my BA in Communication hasn't helped me much and I feel like I'm running out of time. I have a lot of experience in sales and customer service and a little experience in training and development/recruiting. As you can sense, I hated my previous job/work field. I'm already looking into internships so I won't make the same mistake again like I did during my undergrad.. as in focus on relationships rather than career and miss out opportunities. The thought of Disney PI came to mind and I wanted to ask your opinion. I'll be turning 28 this year and by the time I get into Grad school, IF (fingers crossed) I get into Grad school I'll be 29. I moved to Texas from Canada last year.

- Is that just too sad and pathetic to apply for Disney PI at this point with perky teen/early 20s people?
- Is that even going to help me expand my career?
- Do Grad school students even apply for PIs or is it common for undergrad/college students only?
- Are they just going to look at my resume and throw it out or am I going to feel ridiculous in case I do get selected.
- Is it possible to live alone in CA/FL with the kind of pay Disney offers for PIs? If not, is it possible to find other Disney people who'd want to share an apartment with a 29 year old for 6 months? I really don't want to share a room.. Is it possible to even find apartments that offers 6 months lease.

To be clear, I'll be applying for internships everywhere, so no, I won't be focusing just on Disney PI. I'm just wondering if I should even consider it. I'm in Texas right now and plan to continue Grad school part time if I can't find a full time job. I'm thinking of multiple internships throughout the year. According to University advisor it could take me 2-3 years to finish the Master's program and I just can't wait for thing to happen for me anymore. I'm extremely unsatisfied and in a really bad place in life right now, possibly going through a quarter life crisis. Except it's not just in my head, it's real.

 

[wilkeliza]

I met a 50 year old woman on my CP who was on the program and working as a character attendant. I was 25 myself when I did the program.

I don't think you are ever too old to learn a new skill and do internships to help do so.

 

[bluezy]

I used to follow the blog of a woman who was probably in her mid 40's (she had 3 teenage/young twenties daughters at the time) and went back to school to finish her degree. Her dream was to work for Disney. She did the CP program; an internship; and now she works full-time for Disney. She took the blog down a year or so ago or I would link you to it.

I don't think *anyone* is too old to do a PI at Disney (or anywhere). And I'll bet you would find out that you're far from the oldest one there!

Good luck!

 

[SureAsLiz]

- Is that just too sad and pathetic to apply for Disney PI at this point with perky teen/early 20s people?
- Is that even going to help me expand my career?
- Do Grad school students even apply for PIs or is it common for undergrad/college students only?
- Are they just going to look at my resume and throw it out or am I going to feel ridiculous in case I do get selected.
- Is it possible to live alone in CA/FL with the kind of pay Disney offers for PIs? If not, is it possible to find other Disney people who'd want to share an apartment with a 29 year old for 6 months? I really don't want to share a room.. Is it possible to even find apartments that offers 6 months lease.

- Not at all! The internship program has a good mix of people. While many are just out of undergrad, there are also plenty who are in their grad program/out of their low-20's
-They do! There are even grad student only internships out there!
-No need to worry. On of my current coworkers who is a PI went back to grad school after a different career path, and it definitely hasn't held her back
-Not sure about California. Florida definitely depends on where you are working/looking to live. While I probably could have lived on my own as a PI it would have been tight (and I'm pretty sure I got paid at the high end of interns). There is a facebook group to find roommates and lots of sub leases out there. It's full of people of all ages - 29 isn't going to phase anyone. As for the 6 month lease, I believe many start at 7 months, but there is a premium because of the tourist tax.

 

[melisandre]

- Not at all! The internship program has a good mix of people. While many are just out of undergrad, there are also plenty who are in their grad program/out of their low-20's
-They do! There are even grad student only internships out there!
-No need to worry. On of my current coworkers who is a PI went back to grad school after a different career path, and it definitely hasn't held her back
-Not sure about California. Florida definitely depends on where you are working/looking to live. While I probably could have lived on my own as a PI it would have been tight (and I'm pretty sure I got paid at the high end of interns). There is a facebook group to find roommates and lots of sub leases out there. It's full of people of all ages - 29 isn't going to phase anyone. As for the 6 month lease, I believe many start at 7 months, but there is a premium because of the tourist tax.

Hey! Thank you so much. Would you mind me asking what field did you do your PI in. I'm trying to figure out if HR/Communications would have a decent semi high end pay. Did you live with other PIs, was there events for you to attend or is it only for CPs or PIs who live on Falcon. Would you say sharing a 2 bedroom apartment with another person would be doable and not too tight. What are the PI work hours like, do you get federal/national holidays off? Lastly, would you kindly share the name of the Facebook group? Thank you so much for your help.

 

[SureAsLiz]

Hey! Thank you so much. Would you mind me asking what field did you do your PI in. I'm trying to figure out if HR/Communications would have a decent semi high end pay. Did you live with other PIs, was there events for you to attend or is it only for CPs or PIs who live on Falcon. Would you say sharing a 2 bedroom apartment with another person would be doable and not too tight. What are the PI work hours like, do you get federal/national holidays off? Lastly, would you kindly share the name of the Facebook group? Thank you so much for your help.

I work in technology - not sure if HR would have a similar pay rate, so I can't help much there.

I lived in non-Disney housing in a 3 bedroom apartment with 2 other PI's for part of the time, and then a different 3 bedroom apartment with 2 regular cast members the rest of the time. Rent/utilities/cable came out to be about $600/month for each. Definitely doable for me, and they all seemed fine as well (technology, PR, graphic design, attractions, and Food and Beverage, so a good mix of jobs).

For the events, there was a mixup and I actually wasn't in the events system for the year, so I'm not even sure what events there were. I believe you are able to pay a small fee that allows you to join in on the different events.

My job was standard office hours: Monday-Friday, 9-5. I assume HR would be the same or similar. There are some that are different though.
We did get holidays off - the company has standard ones, and some departments have others (the day after Thanksgiving isn't a company holiday, but some organizations recognize it). As an intern though, all days off are unpaid, even if it is company sponsored. You also don't get things like sick days, vacation, or floating holidays.

"Disney World Cast Member Apartment/Roommate Finder"

If you have any more questions, let me know!

 

[MaggieBailey]

Hi! It's almost been a year since I finished my college program, and I turned 30 during it! I loved it, other than the housing. I did end up a couple terrible roommates, but the others were great. Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[Deb & Bill]

As long as you aren't looking at Imagineering/Engineering right now. They aren't hiring too many interns from what I have heard.