Trending blog post: "What it's really like working at Walt Disney World"

Laura Ellen

Member
It seems that you are getting the education you are choosing to get because you have a vision and/or dream for your future. You have an idea of what you want to do with the education you are getting and will contribute in that way. You are pursuing what you love, right?

However, there are many young people who go to college and spend tons of money to get some general liberal arts degree just to say that went. The what? What will they do with that. Do they have a vision for their future where they can use this degree to pursue what they love? Many do not...many

I think alot of people go to university because they think they should. That is a problem. However, there are many skills you get from an arts degree that can be applied to many jobs. I personally know many people who have gone into many different jobs with their arts degrees - librarians, teachers, Business Heads. I also know alot of people who did a law degree or an engineering degree and are now re-training for other jobs cause they hated doing law/engineering and hated the jobs they ended up with.
 

Andrew C

You know what's funny?
I think alot of people go to university because they think they should. That is a problem. However, there are many skills you get from an arts degree that can be applied to many jobs. I personally know many people who have gone into many different jobs with their arts degrees - librarians, teachers, Business Heads. I also know alot of people who did a law degree or an engineering degree and are now re-training for other jobs cause they hated doing law/engineering and hated the jobs they ended up with.

Or they could go my route. Started as a computer science major, then geosystems engineering, then geology...and finally business. I am the only person in my office who can talk about rock formations. :oops::confused:
 

Chef Mickey

Well-Known Member
Wow...i am actually pretty offended you think Arts degrees are useless. I have a MA in Film and media studies and am doing a PhD, so i guess by your logic i do not contribute to society at all?

You don't have to give up your dreams and your free will and do a law/medicine/economics degree to make money. I'd rather be penniless than work at a job i hate just because i would be rich.

Sorry, but your comment has angered me alot. I see many students at the university i work at graduate with Law, Finance or Engineering degrees and they can't get work.
Nothing is an absolute and their are many exceptions to what I said. However, I do stand by that there are far too many kids studying subjects that will not give them the best opportunity for sustainable, high earning careers. I'm glad your film and media degrees are working out for you, but you're an exception to my rule. Of course you can make money in an arts field...we need them and me saying companies don't was too much of a blanket statement. However, you'll have more opportunities with a more technical degree.

Let's face it...many kids pick those degrees because the classes are easier and the schools are easier to be accepted. A degree that spans multiple industries like business, math, engineering, computer science, Finance, accounting, or even Law and medicine will open more doors and demand higher salary on average than their non technical counterparts. Even degrees like biology and most educational fields are useless unless you're going to higher education like a phd to be a professor or study medicine to be a doctor.

If you do have a technical degree and can't get a job, you're probably just not very good at what you do.

You are obviously biased due to your degree but I'm also biased because I went to 2 of the top business schools in the world for my masters and MBA. Most of my classmates make 6 figures right out of school not just because they're smart, but because of the opportunities the degree from Wharton and U of Chicago lend them.
 
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Chef Mickey

Well-Known Member
I think alot of people go to university because they think they should. That is a problem. However, there are many skills you get from an arts degree that can be applied to many jobs. I personally know many people who have gone into many different jobs with their arts degrees - librarians, teachers, Business Heads. I also know alot of people who did a law degree or an engineering degree and are now re-training for other jobs cause they hated doing law/engineering and hated the jobs they ended up with.
Also may be true but you won't even get a call from my company without an MBA or Finance degree from a top school. You have to somehow get yourself in before you can be successful.
 

Laura Ellen

Member
Nothing is an absolute and their are many exceptions to what I said. However, I do stand by that there are far too many kids studying subjects that will not give them the best opportunity for sustainable, high earning careers. I'm glad your film and media degrees are working out for you, but you're an exception to my rule. Of course you can make money in an arts field...we need them and me saying companies don't was too much of a blanket statement. However, you'll have more opportunities with a more technical degree.

Let's face it...many kids pick those degrees because the classes are easier and the schools are easier to be accepted. A degree that spans multiple industries like business, math, engineering, computer science, Finance, accounting, or even Law and medicine will open more doors and demand higher salary on average than their non technical counterparts. Even degrees like biology and most educational fields are useless unless you're going to higher education like a phd to be a professor or study medicine to be a doctor.

If you do have a technical degree and can't get a job, you're probably just not very good at what you do.


Sorry but i completely disagree, mainly because money, at least to me, is not the be all and end all of life. Just because a technical degree may get you more money does not mean its a better life choice. Money cannot define a person's worth.
 

Chef Mickey

Well-Known Member
I get it...you want some fulfillment out of your job.

For me, money and work are simply tools to allow me to do the things I actually want to do. My job is challenging and I suppose I get some intellectual satisfaction fro, it, but I'd rather make a lot of money so I can truly do the things I want. Go to Disney, travel around the world, and enjoy time with family and friends.

If you're working so much to get those things, you're in the wrong job. I have a balance.
 

Chef Mickey

Well-Known Member
Then that is a company i certainly do not want to work for.
Confused by what you mean. They won't call you because you're not qualified, not because it's a bad place to work. We have tons of fun...

I'm simply pointing out that many of the high profile firms won't even call people without certain credentials. You need a solid degree to cast the widest net.

Sure, you have to be qualified for film jobs too, but those are still more specialized jobs and even artsy professions need business guys like me to run things. Disney is a perfect example...above all, it's a business.
 

Siren

Well-Known Member
http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/16/technology/theranos-elizabeth-holmes/

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Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of college at 19 years old -- she is now America's youngest self made female billionaire at 30. She started her own medical lab to create an alternative for the excessive use of needles in blood tests and never looked back.

I'm not implying that everyone should drop out of school, but some people have a clear vision and passion for something and they're in a position to just go for it. Some people will never be content working for others or slowing climbing their way up to middle management. Some people don't have a choice and some people truly love it as long they can pay the bills and go to Disney. Different strokes for different folks.

There are many different ways to become successful. And, how many people stumble into great success only to lose it all and never recover? When you reach a certain level of success you have to fight like a lion to keep it -- everyone will be coming for you from every which way and you can't trust anyone.

An Ivy league education doesn't guarantee success. It can certainly open doors but that will only get you so far, you still need to be unique, creative, passionate, a trailblazer & possess a strong work ethic. I don't care what anyone says, who you know matters, too. Knowing how to network can get you just as far, it's just as important unless you are an irreplaceable genius or phenom of some sort.

I've come across my fair share of jaded MBA's, PhD's, JD's, MD's, DO's -- they are totally unhappy and in the wrong field and it reveals itself in their shoddy work performance. The most menial of tasks are daunting for people who enter the wrong field for money -- they go crazy and snap, too. I have yet to meet a bitter dentist or veterinarian though, lol.

I feel like truly, gifted creative types will suffer by getting a degree that does not foster their gifts & talents. With that said, I do know people who left high paying careers only to start a cupcake shop or grilled cheese truck and make ten times as much money with more time for themselves. So, to each their own.

In regards to the OP, I feel bad for the former CM. He seems so jaded to an extent but hopefully it was a rewarding learning experience for him. It appears that he idealized Disney and went in with some highly unrealistic exceptions. His accounts remind me of Rodney Copperbottom from the movie "Robots." Poor Rodney was crushed when he found out what Robot City was like, lol.
I've seen several comments from guests who loved Disney until they saw the reality backstage, some of them took this really hard, lol.

It would be really insightful to know if he was terminated or if he resigned voluntarily. Without that information, I can't comment any further. The service industry is very, very tough. With that said, there was a guy who shared his experiences as a CM at AK and it was the polar opposite of the OP's feelings.
 
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stevehousse

Well-Known Member
Wow...i am actually pretty offended you think Arts degrees are useless. I have a MA in Film and media studies and am doing a PhD, so i guess by your logic i do not contribute to society at all?

You don't have to give up your dreams and your free will and do a law/medicine/economics degree to make money. I'd rather be penniless than work at a job i hate just because i would be rich.

Sorry, but your comment has angered me alot. I see many students at the university i work at graduate with Law, Finance or Engineering degrees and they can't get work.

This is exactly what I meant by my statement. It's not about getting a worthless degree and not being able to find work. It's about getting ANY type if degree. You are considered lucky today if u can get a job straight out of college in your field of degree...
 

DisneyKiwi

Active Member
I think regardless of how much a person gets paid, everyone should be treated with common courtesy.

I was at a gas station the other week and it was a busy day and a lot of people were waiting at the counter as the store appeared to be rather short staffed. One customer got angry and started abusing one of the staff members and the staff member in question politely asked him to calm down or he would be asked to leave. This made the customer more angry and threatened physical violence; upon hearing this the duty manager came out of his office and proceeded to reprimanded the staff member followed by apologising to the customer and let him have his gas for free.

I don't believe that sort of behaviour should be rewarded nor should that staff member been scolded for having to deal with angry customer. So I wrote a complaint to the store manager about the way that the duty manager had handled that situation and stated that I will buy my gas elsewhere if I see it happen like that again.

At the end of the day they can choose to keep allowing bad customers to rule, or they can put a stop to that sort of behaviour. I will choose to not spend my money at a place where I see bad behaviour is being rewarded.

Just my 2c.
 

rct247

Well-Known Member
For those of you nit-picking the blog post or say it is primarily a rant an not always true... this much is true:

-A portion of guests that visit Disney and any other business for that matter can make your job hell sometimes. Entitlement and rudeness are encountered every hour.
-Maintenance is struggling to keep things working, running, and good quality and it comes down to time, budgets, staffing, and passion.
-Not all Cast Members enjoy their jobs or should be Cast Members as show by the rant itself down to the person on the bus that stole the iPod.
-Overall, in a company as large at Disney, it is easy to sometimes feel like a number rather than a person. College Program kids can usually feel this the most.
-Hours can be long and pay is low. Most believe they deserve to be paid more primarily for the working conditions and the rude guests.
-Disney's hiring, firing, rehiring, and disciplinary practices are good, but not perfect and there are many many stories and situations of CMs getting screwed over.
-Last but not least, in general coordinators and managers can be "push overs" and often shower guests with guest service recovery that they do not deserve because it is easy, it makes people happy, gets them out of their hair, and makes them look good. The logic is that often times it costs the company little or nothing to do it and it is better than an upset guest. However, this practice does have it's flaws.

Some positives to combat these negatives are:
-Cast Members usually have a sense of family with a few of their coworkers as they bond over all the good and bad they go through (and the holidays they spend together.)
-Being a Cast Member can be fulfilling enough to make the long hours and low pay worth it.
-There are some great Cast Members, Coordinators, and Managers out there that do care about their cast and guests, but also aren't afraid to put their foot down if needed, including with guests.
-There are maintenance people who are very eager and passionate to fix the parks if given the resources.
-Cast Members do get some great perks from time to time in addition to admission and discounts. There are backstage tours, ice cream parties, cast gifts, and lots of services to promote healthy living, volunteering, community, and pride.
 

Laura Ellen

Member
Must be nice to have so many options as a film major.
Like seriously? I have a MA in my field how dare you judge my line of work. What do you do? What makes you so special. I'm not simply a film major, I am a teacher and a researcher. Don't you dare put someone down for being a film major, we know more philosophical, sociological, psychological and political theory than you could even imagine. Go ahead, explain to me Focualt, Freud or Plato.
 
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Laura Ellen

Member
Confused by what you mean. They won't call you because you're not qualified, not because it's a bad place to work. We have tons of fun...

I'm simply pointing out that many of the high profile firms won't even call people without certain credentials. You need a solid degree to cast the widest net.

Sure, you have to be qualified for film jobs too, but those are still more specialized jobs and even artsy professions need business guys like me to run things. Disney is a perfect example...above all, it's a business.
No I mean is I would never want to work for a place that looks for people based on the supposed "quality" of their university. Going to an Ivy does not mean you are any more qualified than a person who went to a community college.

Spending is being cut at most universities, while costs to students continue to rise. It's sad that universities are run like businesses - of course things cost money, but when a vice-chancellor owns two luxury yachts and a house in Hawaii...that's not right, especially when students face a 1K hike in fees so he can have his porsche.
 
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Laura Ellen

Member
I want to apologize to the other people on this thread for this semi-argument about professions. I realize some people value money more than happiness. Won't be taking this thread over anymore.
 

flynnibus

Premium Member
The reality is that when dealing with large amounts of people, many are rude and some are abusive. The pay is low, the hours are long. Colleagues and managers are a mixed bag, and personnel quality tends to go down as numbers go up, because they're just trying to fill the spots. Tourists can afford to leave their good manners at home because there are very few consequences for being terrible to people you'll never see again, and the more money a person is spending the more entitled they feel to having anything they want whenever they want it.

Just because it happens doesn't mean we should tolerate it.. or in Disney's case ENCOURAGE it. That's the problem in this context... Disney in a misguided vein of 'customer service' always rewards horrible guest behavior and virtually always punishes CMs who do anything but play the punching bag.

It's not a topic of 'well this happens everywhere'.. no, Disney as an employer makes it worse in both breeding this behavior and by failing to apply any common sense to it's CMs caught in bad situations.
 

flynnibus

Premium Member
Also I would agree that the problems & societal observations mentioned in the piece are more indicative and reflective of what American society has become rather than a Disney-centric problem. IMO.

The difference is if you do that crap in your local McDonalds they'll throw you out. At Disney they'll give you a plush and free tickets and apologize for your inconvenience. So what do we believe their behavior will be with the next CM??
 

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