thejackattack21
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2007
- Messages
- 88
This is my personal response to "The Good, The Bad, and the Downright Ugly" by Tide27. He (I presume...please forgive me if I'm mistaken) wrote an insightful and thorough thread about his negative experience on the CP (one that I have found to be pretty common). I, however, had a very positive experience on the CP (also common) and thought I'd share my (not-nearly-as-detailed) thoughts. Please be sure to read Tide27's writing in order to get a good contrasting view...and because the format of the thread is pretty much stolen from his.
_________________________________________________________________
Apartment Complexes: You have two to choose from, Chatham and Vista Way. Both are pretty much equal in terms of amenities (gym, pool, etc...) except that Vista has a brand-new wireless lounge and some offices. I lived at Chatham, and the rooms there were MUCH nicer! However, Vista is considered to be more sociable (probably because people don't want to hang out in their rooms!). So, it's really all about what you want out of your living experience. The rent is pretty steep for the quality, but you're certainly not living in a dump either way.
Transportation: Bring a car!!! You can get around with just the buses, but if you can bring a car, DO IT! You will get to work faster (bus service is slow, circuitous, and crowded), and you will have the freedom to go places in Orlando other than the parks and Wal-Mart, or even to take road trips to other parts of Florida.
Advantage or not?: There is no reason to do the advantage program. If you love your program so much that you want to stay, you can extend at the end of a regular program. You cannot (without extenuating circumstances) cut an advantage short.
Jobs, Schedules, and Money: The jobs here are incredibly diverse, but you don't have too much of an initial choice. I worked in Main Street (Magic Kingdom) operations and loved it; some people hated their jobs. Know yourself; if you are offered a job in Quick Service but hated your summer job at McDonald's, DON'T ACCEPT! The people I knew who were most dissatisfied with their jobs were the ones who knew coming in that they didn't like the job responsibilities. Disney is not so magical that it makes a job you hate instantly better. That being said, if you find you don't like your job once you're there, you can change it; two of my roommates switched positions, and I never heard of a reasonable request being denied.
Your schedule will vary as much as your job does. I rarely ever had more than 30 hours a week; one of my roommates who worked in merchandise generally worked 50 hours a week. You can pick up extra shifts, but it's hard to reduce your hours.
Now, as for money: IF YOU ARE DOING A CP TO EARN MONEY, YOU ARE DOING THE CP FOR THE WRONG REASON! You are earning minimum wage and your rent is relatively high. The biggest complaints I heard were about money, but, again, I think this was a problem of people not knowing enough coming into the CP. If you don't have any other means of financial support, you will be picking up lots of extra shifts. And no, Disney does not pay less than every company in Florida. They pay minimum wage, just like many other companies. I grew up in Florida, and all of my jobs paid the same rate. This problem seems to be most prevalent for people coming from the Northeast, where the minimum wage is higher. A lot of money complaints begin with "But if I were at Company X, I'd be doing the same thing for $9 an hour..." Well, yes, you're right. But unless Company X is something like Coca-Cola or Microsoft, you are not going to get the same perks and networking opportunities as you will at Disney. If you work at Universal Studios, there's nowhere else to go. But at Disney, you could move to ABC or ESPN or Imagineering...just consider that you are being paid in experience, in addition to money.
Can you move up in the company?: Yes and no. If you barely put any effort into your job, don't take advantage of networking opportunities, call in a lot and get reprimands, then no, you will not move up in the company. However, if you make it a point to be the best at your job that you can possibly be to get great reviews from your managers, and take advantage of the classes, networking events, etc...that are offered to you, then you can make a name for yourself in the company. I've heard stories of people who had tyrannical managers who gave them unnecessary reprimands, but you have to remember that, even in that worst case scenario, there are people above your immediate manager. If you advocate for yourself, you will get noticed. Otherwise, you won't. One caveat: don't expect to be promoted during your CP. Some people are, but most aren't. You are not going to leave as an executive; however, you might have met an executive who can hire you in the future...
Basically, my point is this: Your program is exactly what you make it. If you want to slack off, party, and enjoy the parks, that's your business, but you will not move up in the company and might get fired. On the other hand, if you want to make a good name for yourself in one of the world's largest companies and take advantage of the unique opportunities afforded to CP's, you can do that through hard work and self-advocation. The CP is not for everyone. Party-only seekers, money seekers, people with unrealistic expectations about the workload or job description, people expecting an instant seat on the board and people who hate Disney or children (you'd be surprised...those people do, in fact, apply for CPs) will be disappointed. Even people who don't fit into any of those categories sometimes don't have a great experience. But because I advocated for myself with my superiors, went to classes, made friends and enjoyed every minute of my time on and off the clock, I had an amazing, life-changing experience...and, if you apply for the CP, I hope you do too.
_________________________________________________________________
Apartment Complexes: You have two to choose from, Chatham and Vista Way. Both are pretty much equal in terms of amenities (gym, pool, etc...) except that Vista has a brand-new wireless lounge and some offices. I lived at Chatham, and the rooms there were MUCH nicer! However, Vista is considered to be more sociable (probably because people don't want to hang out in their rooms!). So, it's really all about what you want out of your living experience. The rent is pretty steep for the quality, but you're certainly not living in a dump either way.
Transportation: Bring a car!!! You can get around with just the buses, but if you can bring a car, DO IT! You will get to work faster (bus service is slow, circuitous, and crowded), and you will have the freedom to go places in Orlando other than the parks and Wal-Mart, or even to take road trips to other parts of Florida.
Advantage or not?: There is no reason to do the advantage program. If you love your program so much that you want to stay, you can extend at the end of a regular program. You cannot (without extenuating circumstances) cut an advantage short.
Jobs, Schedules, and Money: The jobs here are incredibly diverse, but you don't have too much of an initial choice. I worked in Main Street (Magic Kingdom) operations and loved it; some people hated their jobs. Know yourself; if you are offered a job in Quick Service but hated your summer job at McDonald's, DON'T ACCEPT! The people I knew who were most dissatisfied with their jobs were the ones who knew coming in that they didn't like the job responsibilities. Disney is not so magical that it makes a job you hate instantly better. That being said, if you find you don't like your job once you're there, you can change it; two of my roommates switched positions, and I never heard of a reasonable request being denied.
Your schedule will vary as much as your job does. I rarely ever had more than 30 hours a week; one of my roommates who worked in merchandise generally worked 50 hours a week. You can pick up extra shifts, but it's hard to reduce your hours.
Now, as for money: IF YOU ARE DOING A CP TO EARN MONEY, YOU ARE DOING THE CP FOR THE WRONG REASON! You are earning minimum wage and your rent is relatively high. The biggest complaints I heard were about money, but, again, I think this was a problem of people not knowing enough coming into the CP. If you don't have any other means of financial support, you will be picking up lots of extra shifts. And no, Disney does not pay less than every company in Florida. They pay minimum wage, just like many other companies. I grew up in Florida, and all of my jobs paid the same rate. This problem seems to be most prevalent for people coming from the Northeast, where the minimum wage is higher. A lot of money complaints begin with "But if I were at Company X, I'd be doing the same thing for $9 an hour..." Well, yes, you're right. But unless Company X is something like Coca-Cola or Microsoft, you are not going to get the same perks and networking opportunities as you will at Disney. If you work at Universal Studios, there's nowhere else to go. But at Disney, you could move to ABC or ESPN or Imagineering...just consider that you are being paid in experience, in addition to money.
Can you move up in the company?: Yes and no. If you barely put any effort into your job, don't take advantage of networking opportunities, call in a lot and get reprimands, then no, you will not move up in the company. However, if you make it a point to be the best at your job that you can possibly be to get great reviews from your managers, and take advantage of the classes, networking events, etc...that are offered to you, then you can make a name for yourself in the company. I've heard stories of people who had tyrannical managers who gave them unnecessary reprimands, but you have to remember that, even in that worst case scenario, there are people above your immediate manager. If you advocate for yourself, you will get noticed. Otherwise, you won't. One caveat: don't expect to be promoted during your CP. Some people are, but most aren't. You are not going to leave as an executive; however, you might have met an executive who can hire you in the future...
Basically, my point is this: Your program is exactly what you make it. If you want to slack off, party, and enjoy the parks, that's your business, but you will not move up in the company and might get fired. On the other hand, if you want to make a good name for yourself in one of the world's largest companies and take advantage of the unique opportunities afforded to CP's, you can do that through hard work and self-advocation. The CP is not for everyone. Party-only seekers, money seekers, people with unrealistic expectations about the workload or job description, people expecting an instant seat on the board and people who hate Disney or children (you'd be surprised...those people do, in fact, apply for CPs) will be disappointed. Even people who don't fit into any of those categories sometimes don't have a great experience. But because I advocated for myself with my superiors, went to classes, made friends and enjoyed every minute of my time on and off the clock, I had an amazing, life-changing experience...and, if you apply for the CP, I hope you do too.
