Would I be crazy?

[Amandas4]

I am in my 40s. I’m married and have 4 kids ages 11-19.
It’s always been my dream to work for Disney in the costuming dept. so, on a whim, I applied for the college program. I shockingly got in.
My question: Would I be totally crazy to do it? Are there others like me who do it? Would I make it weird for other participants? Does anyone know of others my age I could talk to, or blogs or Facebook pages I could follow?

Thoughts? Ideas? Opinions?

 

[Mle8308]

I remember years ago I worked with a woman in her early 60's who was on the College Program. She went back to school after her kids were on their own and it was her dream, too. She loved it and her much younger roommates loved her, as well! The only caution is you currently have zero say in the role you are cast. Costuming is not likely and the majority of current costuming roles are working to get operations cast their costumes, not characters/the zoo. But if you are open to other roles, do it! Don't let your age stop you - best of luck!

 

[Narcoossee11]

It will be like going to college... YUCK!!
In your Case, it will be like living in your 19 year old room + 2 more 20 somethings.....

What is happening with your other kids ?
Will you be OK not seeing your family for 6 months ?

You will loss weight and get in great shape though.

 

[RoseGold]

I mean, you can always leave right? It's not like you're captive? You could try it.

 

[rdaky]

Personally, and I say this because I know a lot of CPs, I think it sounds like a terrible idea.

Especially if you're going to live in CP housing. Just like college, you could have gems as roommates. You could also have roommates who drink all night, have their significant others spending the night, have emotional support dogs and cats, have opposite schedules and you don't sleep at the same time, etc.

You are not going to be in costuming. There is just no way. Almost every single CP is in food & beverage, attractions, merchandise, custodial, etc. Basically roles where they need a lot of people. CPs often work 10-12 hour days, 5-6 days per week. Do you want to work in fast food for 50 hours per week or work until 2am only to be scheduled at 11am the next morning? These are common shifts for CPs.

What does your family think? My kids would be absolutely devastated if I left them for 4-6 months. I don't want to sound condescending, but this isn't the military or something to provide service or provide extras for your family. It's a low wage job at Disney that will basically be enough to cover your housing and your very basic needs. I don't think it's worth the strain on your family especially with the youngest being only 11. I knew someone who was a CP who was married (which is also rare) but didn't have children and it was incredibly stressful for them. She couldn't go back to see him as often as she thought she would, and it was too expensive for him to come to visit her even once a month, and even when he did come to visit, she couldn't get the day off to actually spend with him.

I think being a CP is a great opportunity if you have no other major life commitments and you have the time and energy to do it. So I'm not bashing the program. But I don't think it's for everyone.

 

[Karin1984]

If you want to work in Costuming (and I hope you have experience in this field) you'd better check the Disney career site.
If you are feeling adventurous and don't mind to relocate, there are costuming jobs on the Disney Cruiseline, in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Although you do need to speak Cantonese / Mandarin for some of these.

If this is your dream, go for it. It's better to have done it and come to the conclusion it's not for you, than to always keep wondering 'what if'.
If you do not have the experience in costuming, get the skills you need and start trying.

But to also give you a reality check, below the profiles for a costumer and an costumer assistant at Hong Kong Disneyland (I am going to assume these roles are the same in all Disney parks) If you want to be working in the day-to-day costuming (repair and clean), it's the assistant's position you are looking for. If you want to be the designer, then you are looking at the Costumer role. However with this, designing is at the bottom of the list of responsibilities, so this is going to be a small part of your job.

Costumer

Responsibilities:​

• Work closely with vendors and suppliers to obtain bids, estimates and work plans for costume projects/manufacturing
• Coordinate the acquisition and delivery of raw materials from the suppliers and make sure they are delivered to the garment manufacturer in a timely basis
• Prepare project budgets and cash flow plans, monitor spending against plans providing reports to management as necessary, and meet all financial targets
• Identify ongoing costume improvements which will improve Cast comfort and the Costume Distribution Department efficiency
• Create production and manufacturing plans that provide adequate time for work flow and maximize the use of existing resources while reducing the need to deploy additional resources at a premium
• Design and Image outfits for the new projects/events and execute all new designs to become products for performance and operation needs

Costumer assistant:

Responsibilities:​

• Responsible for costume issue operation, including registration arrangement, inventory control, distribution, cleaning, ironing, repair
• Maintain day to day operations on distribution floors or theaters (depending on assignment)
• Handle cleaning detergent and possibly costume materials such as fur, suede, feather and etc.
• Provide the costumed Cast Members/performers with quality costumes

 

[warrenz1963]

I am in my 40s. I’m married and have 4 kids ages 11-19.
It’s always been my dream to work for Disney in the costuming dept. so, on a whim, I applied for the college program. I shockingly got in.
My question: Would I be totally crazy to do it? Are there others like me who do it? Would I make it weird for other participants? Does anyone know of others my age I could talk to, or blogs or Facebook pages I could follow?

Thoughts? Ideas? Opinions?

I did the DCP in 2015 at the age of 52, I had just gotten my undergrad degree. I always wanted to see what it would be like to work at WDW and thought this would be a great opportunity to help me decide if I should move to Florida just for Disney.
Full disclosure: I did not complete my program, I just found it too hard to adjust to the living conditions. It was also torture for me to be there and not be able to "play" whenever I wanted to.

Here's my take on the experience.

During my interview I inquired about people my age or older doing the DCP, and was reassured that many had. Also, I have a cousin who lives and works there full time, and she also assured me she'd worked with a couple of people "of a certain age" that were DCP.
I too was worried it would be "weird" because of my age, but every young DCP I interacted with acted totally fine with it, it was a non-issue.

Work: be prepared to be assigned wherever they need you most at the time of your program. Even if they assign you to one role before your program starts, you could arrive to find you've been reassigned. During my interview, the interviewer focused her questions on my interest in attractions and guest relations, but I was assigned to custodial. Don't get me wrong, custodial was great, getting to walk around sweeping streets gave me the opportunity to interact with lots of guest which was very enjoyable for me, honestly.
All that being said, one of my roommates was assigned to entertainment costuming, so you never know...

Money: you will barely cover expenses on what Disney will pay you, and that's living on campus without your own car. Be prepared to dip into your personal savings if you want to have your own car, buy lots of mementos, eat in the parks, etc. I tried to live like I was on vacation and quickly started running up my credit card balance, so beware.

Housing: unless you're willing to pay outrageous rent living off campus (and this was discouraged by the program administrators) you'll be in dormitory-like housing. I had 5 roommates, total of 6 of us, 3 to a room. I think it's much different now, many participants get single rooms, but as other folks have mentioned, it's a crapshoot as to who you'll room with and how you'll all get along.
Of my five roommates:
-one, 23 yrs old, appointed himself leader of the apartment and literally harassed me when I made it clear I'd be doing my own thing concerning groceries, cleaning up after myself, etc. No bueno. This guy also hung up lots of political material in common areas of the apartment; make of that what you will.
-one, 21 yrs old, constantly ate my food without replacing it. Seemingly petty on my part, but when I want my Cinnamon Toast Crunch I don't want to find an empty box in my cupboard! lol
-one, 35 yrs old, was the messiest person I'd ever lived with, seriously he lived like a hoarder leaving trash everywhere, I had to step over his piles of clothes just to get to my bed...
-one, 22 yrs old, was totally chill. No worries.
-one, the costumer, 21 yrs old, kind, respectful, mature, we got along famously and remain friends.
Undeniably it was a challenge for this old dog to learn again how to get along and share a space with so many people. YMMV
There were many Facebook groups set up to help people find roommates before their program began, and there are systems in place to make sure you were assigned to the same apartment. It took some effort, but I found an older guy like me, and we became roomies, but he turned out to be the messy guy... so again, it's a crapshoot.
To solve all of my control freak, old-man tendencies I spent as little time as possible in the apartment, going to the parks almost every day I had off, exploring Orlando, day trips to the beach, "me time." It really helped.
The housing complex security was amazing, very efficient and thorough, but they kept close tabs on everyone, which may or may not feel like an invasion of privacy. When I spent extended time off campus with my husband, security constantly kept tabs, calling to make sure I was okay, etc. Again, very thorough and comforting for some, a pain in the neck for me.

Being away from family: this was very hard. even for the few short months of the program. And when my other half visited, he was not allowed to stay with me in my apartment, and just to visit me during the day we had to jump through some security hoops. It can feel lonely, even with so many other DCPs around you.

Wow I have a lot to say! LOL If you have any questions I'm happy to share more of my experience, just send my a message.

All in all, I say "nothing ventured, nothing gained." Go for it!! If it's not for you, there's no shame in leaving early, IMHO.

 

[_19disnA]

It seems like applying through the Disney website for a specific job opening would make more sense for your situation and job skills. Not sure where you live, but do you & your family intend to relocate to Orlando (or wherever the job is) if you were to get full-time job? Isn't the Disney college program intended more as an internship for those primarily in college and considering their options for what to do following graduation and getting an entry-level job?

When you read job requirements on any posted website, the order isn't necessarily reflective of where you will spend you time. All of the things listed as 'responsibilities' would be part of the job.

 

[stephk1981]

I don't know that it's a ' bad idea. I agree with other posters, the living situation might not be ideal. On top of that if you don't live locally, it seems like a great deal of work to make sure everyone in your family will be taken care of for the time you will be gone. As in, childcare for the youngest, who will be cooking meals, driving the children where they need to be etc....assuming your husband will be working.
I think if you have a plan for these things, plus can handle the college type living situation then go for it. Our neighbors across the street have a 23 year old in the CP here. She hates the living situation, and often comments she wants to leave the program. If you decide to try it, you can always leave if it isn't to your liking.

 

[HeyItsMeeTee]

I am in my 40s. I’m married and have 4 kids ages 11-19.
It’s always been my dream to work for Disney in the costuming dept. so, on a whim, I applied for the college program. I shockingly got in.
My question: Would I be totally crazy to do it? Are there others like me who do it? Would I make it weird for other participants? Does anyone know of others my age I could talk to, or blogs or Facebook pages I could follow?

Thoughts? Ideas? Opinions?

Not weird at all!!! I met a super nice man who was doing his CP in his 40s and was a chef and was trying to get FT in the culinary department! I believe he got the job after his CP! Follow your dreams momma!!!

 

[Narcoossee11]

I think the original question person thought it would be like family camp.
She was going to have the WHOLE family stay in her apartment, work then go to parks after work.
Kind of like a summer vacation.