Who would like to work for Disney Corporate?

[Fingal O'Flahertie]

I am just wondering how many people on here are actively pursuing (with an advanced degree in a specialized field or the hope for the same) a career with Disney Corporate? I read so many great ideas on this website (from some very intelligent people) and I hope that can continue that great trend on this thread. I know it has been covered before but please feel free to post whatever ideas you have to better our parks or the structure of our corporation.


I am certainly hoping for posts that tell the truth about Disney or big business. To answer some questions that have been asked (I am asking about any type of work from corporate to parks and resorts). I like to study the career paths of those who are in charge now and I am modeling my experience off of those. I have a BS in English, an MS in financial management, and my MBA. My hope is to take charge of the company some day. So your insight, dreams, and knowledge of the company (although I know that I have a vast understanding and knowledge base of my own) can help garner new and better ways to give Disney back to the public for which it was meant. So anything anyone has to offer to this thread will be read and incorporated into my understanding of what the future needs at Disney. (I do certainly want to avoid what happens to most threads though as I would like this thread to remain as neutral towards the ideas and opinions of others as possible)

 

[Tom]

Are you talking about The Walt Disney Company, or Walt Disney World?

 

[wm49rs]

I'm sure you'd find many like-minded people in this forum:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/forums/employment-college-program-international.36/

 

[WDWoptmist]

Who wouldn't want to work for Corporate Disney...just graduated and that's my end goal

 

[relots]

I am just wondering how many people on here are actively pursuing (with an advanced degree in a specialized field or the hope for the same) a career with Disney Corporate? I read so many great ideas on this website (from some very intelligent people) and I hope that can continue that great trend on this thread. I know it has been covered before but please feel free to post whatever ideas you have to better our parks or the structure of our corporation.

I recently changed majors to Advertising/Public Relations and my career goal is to work for Disney either WDW or in Burbank. I visited there last year and got to take a few pics, one being my avatar for this site

I know there are a lot of people that like to bash corporate but I've learned with all of my jobs that everyone has to complain no matter what. I just want to get on the inside to see what is actually going on and work my way up the ladder. Pretty much up and until this point for the past 5 years everything I've done I have done with the interest of getting a job at Disney. I currently work as a Director of Auditorium Operations and Technology along with working as a IT Technician, I drove a school bus last year (in PA you have to be 18 to be qualified which I was 19 at the time), along with several other things to help get myself more prepared to work for Disney.

Say what you must but I'm preparing myself to get the job and even if I have to start as a bus driver I'm willing to start at the bottom and work my way up, that's how I got most of my jobs I have now.

 

[copcarguyp71]

I would not like to work for DIsney or any other major corporation.

I am sure we all romanticize the utopian offices of corporate Disney where all is right with the world...I, however envision a faceless juggernaut of a machine where you are an expendable number occupying 64 square feet of cubicle and are overworked, underpaid and quite frankly afraid for your job most days and on those rare occasions that you are not fearing for your job you loathe your conniving backstabbing coworkers. Corporations are corporations regardless of the polish they put on for outsiders IMO. Sorry for doom and gloom but it is why I started my own business 14 years ago and never looked back.

 

[Nubs70]

Just like your most revered restaurants, as a customer it is an exquisite experience. Actually working in the kitchen, you see the mess and cockroaches. The revered restaurant becomes not so revered, more reviled.

 

[Fingal O'Flahertie]

Thank you for the response. No need to apologize! Congratulations on your business.

 

[PigletIsMyCat]

corporations are corporations. they have a bottom line, they fire people, they hire people. when you work for disney, you're just a number - like at any large corporation. at wdw alone, they employ like 60,000 people. add in the other parks, the other subsidiaries of disney, etc. and you can kind of see why employees are just their id number.

having said that, there are some great benefits to working for larger corporations. the health related benefits are often EXCELLENT. the perks working for disney (park passes, etc.) are awesome. depending on the departments you work with, pay and hours can be very good. the big difference is IT'S DISNEY! in theory, you'd have a hand in making magic happen daily. in reality, you'l be doing something like serving popcorn at the parks, cleaning bathrooms in the resorts, working as a concierge... doing accounting at a desk, working at an inbound reservations center, or moving up toward advertising or marketing. as an employee or cast member of disney, you may not experience the magic every day because, after all, it is a large corporation.

my mother and i loved working for disney. the pay wasn't always great (hell, it wasn't always decent) but the benefits were amazing. the work environment was often very good and occasionally kind of sucky. i think it depends where you want to go. with any corporation - if you have an end goal, it's about getting in there and plotting your path to that goal.

 

[Master Gracey 5]

I would love to work for Disney corporate, my brother and I like to say that it takes two brothers to run Disney correctly and that we could make a differenct in the company. We both have strong financial backgrounds in business and I've got a creative streak and engineering degree that would be a great fit for parks. Alas I chose a different career path and that kind of of a major career change would be too difficult to manage now in my life. Still I can't help but wonder every time that I visit whether it would be worth setback such a career move would require in the short term for a chance to help improve the company and places I love so much.

 

[thomas998]

If you weren't going to be stuck in California I would consider it... but they don't pay enough to make living in that overpriced nightmare of a state feasible compared to other areas of the country... Call me old fashioned, but money is my motivator and Disney doesn't pay enough.

 

[BrittanyRose428]

I would love to but I don't have the correct education for it. I don't think they'd pick someone who went to school for History over some form of Business.

 

[KeithVH]

As has been said, it depends on how much you value yourself. Disney is around the 50 percentile for pay. You don't go there to make the big bucks. And Disney knows that so they can continue to run cheap on salaries. If you have throwaway skills like thousands of others, you will get paid accordingly. If you have unique skills and abilities (and especially knowledge or experience), you stand a much better chance of an offer and being able to negotiate.

 

[Nubs70]

Some additional thoughts,

When you graduate, you will be full of lies and vinegar and will be ready to change the world. This is not a bad thing as you have just navigated 4 - 5 years of college. However, it would be best to temper this drive and focus this drive on the tasks you are assigned. When your opinion is asked, freely share your input and respect the input of others. Do not think you will change the world, in time, you may only be able to influence outcomes and directions as you gain credibility. This is because of the culture in which you will find yourself working. You cannot fight the culture unless you have the direct and unquestioned support of the CEO.

If you try to change the culture without support, you will be singled out and ultimately seeking a culture in which you fit. You may learn that the consequences of being 100% can be the same as being 100% incompetent. You are hired to work within an established culture not to create a culture for you to work within.

This applies to wherever you start your career, either Disney or any other company. At your first job, keep your head down, work hard, and gain credibility. Then you can begin to influence outcomes.

 

[ford91exploder]

I recently changed majors to Advertising/Public Relations and my career goal is to work for Disney either WDW or in Burbank. I visited there last year and got to take a few pics, one being my avatar for this site

I know there are a lot of people that like to bash corporate but I've learned with all of my jobs that everyone has to complain no matter what. I just want to get on the inside to see what is actually going on and work my way up the ladder. Pretty much up and until this point for the past 5 years everything I've done I have done with the interest of getting a job at Disney. I currently work as a Director of Auditorium Operations and Technology along with working as a IT Technician, I drove a school bus last year (in PA you have to be 18 to be qualified which I was 19 at the time), along with several other things to help get myself more prepared to work for Disney.

Say what you must but I'm preparing myself to get the job and even if I have to start as a bus driver I'm willing to start at the bottom and work my way up, that's how I got most of my jobs I have now.

These days at large corporations you pretty much stay where you start unless you are hired as a 'management trainee', The starting at the bottom and working your way up pretty much went out the door when HR departments began implementing PeopleSoft and similar systems. HR automation systems pretty much guarantee this because promotion decisions are largely automated at companies like TWDC system spits out a list of 'promotable' candidates and managers choose from a list. The ONLY exception is Sales a good sales rep can basically write their own ticket, The promotion considerations are somewhat based on perfomance but they tend to metrics ie are there enough of a given type of person in that classification.

The only places where you can work yourself up these days are small/medium organizations and ironically Government especially Federal.

 

[Nubs70]

These days at large corporations you pretty much stay where you start unless you are hired as a 'management trainee', The starting at the bottom and working your way up pretty much went out the door when HR departments began implementing PeopleSoft and similar systems. HR automation systems pretty much guarantee this because promotion decisions are largely automated at companies like TWDC system spits out a list of 'promotable' candidates and managers choose from a list. The ONLY exception is Sales a good sales rep can basically write their own ticket, The promotion considerations are somewhat based on perfomance but they tend to metrics ie are there enough of a given type of person in that classification.

The only places where you can work yourself up these days are small/medium organizations and ironically Government especially Federal.

Unless you are determined to be "high potential", your opportunity to move higher is very limited. Promotion comes from changing organizations.

 

[ford91exploder]

Unless you are determined to be "high potential", your opportunity to move higher is very limited. Promotion comes from changing organizations.

True, But for the OP their best bet would be to get the job they want somewhere other than Disney and attempt a lateral move after they have a track record. Or get into the Disney management trainee program and/or professional internship.

 

[Nubs70]

True, But for the OP their best bet would be to get the job they want somewhere other than Disney and attempt a lateral move after they have a track record. Or get into the Disney management trainee program and/or professional internship.

I would target the management trainee/professional internship route. Then keep nose to grindstone and complete projects consistently delivering a few days before deadline. While not trying to save the world in a short period of time.

 

[KeithVH]

Jeez, we're a negative bunch, aren't we? Downtrodden by the man, I guess.

But I also see a lot of experience talking too. I also think things have changed from the "work up from the mailroom to the boardroom" type of mentality. In big corporations, I don't see that happening anymore. HR is even worse when it comes to yearly review models, especially the zero-sum type where some people get put into the fail bucket because stats say not everyone can perform optimally. Microsoft just got rid of theirs but it has decimated their corporate culture and lost them hoards of good people. Other companies are in similar conditions.

I would also suggest starting at a small/medium company. Project mgmt is definitely the place to be. In smaller groups, you have a better chance to stand out and be known as a top performer. Building experience is key. At least in the past, Disney has been known to seek the top talent in a given field. This means exposure on social media and such. Maybe delivering presentations on experience and learnings at local symposiums. Then, from a position of skill and knowledge, seek a more advanced position within Disney. But, like I said, be ready to compromise on pay.

And I hate to say it to the OP, but unless your MBA is Ivy League, it won't count as much as you might think. I can't hurt but, in the case of project mgmt, I'd be more concerned if someone was PMP certified rather than an advanced general degree. The specialty certs showing deep knowledge in a specific discipline are much more in demand.

 

[Nubs70]

Jeez, we're a negative bunch, aren't we? Downtrodden by the man, I guess.

But I also see a lot of experience talking too. I also think things have changed from the "work up from the mailroom to the boardroom" type of mentality. In big corporations, I don't see that happening anymore. HR is even worse when it comes to yearly review models, especially the zero-sum type where some people get put into the fail bucket because stats say not everyone can perform optimally. Microsoft just got rid of theirs but it has decimated their corporate culture and lost them hoards of good people. Other companies are in similar conditions.

I would also suggest starting at a small/medium company. Project mgmt is definitely the place to be. In smaller groups, you have a better chance to stand out and be known as a top performer. Building experience is key. At least in the past, Disney has been known to seek the top talent in a given field. This means exposure on social media and such. Maybe delivering presentations on experience and learnings at local symposiums. Then, from a position of skill and knowledge, seek a more advanced position within Disney. But, like I said, be ready to compromise on pay.

And I hate to say it to the OP, but unless your MBA is Ivy League, it won't count as much as you might think. I can't hurt but, in the case of project mgmt, I'd be more concerned if someone was PMP certified rather than an advanced general degree. The specialty certs showing deep knowledge in a specific discipline are much more in demand.

Have to deeply agree about specialty certifications over advanced degrees.