When I was last at WDW it was december 2001, flew down from Alaska for two weeks, stayed at a vacation rental home. I am 46, married but may be divorcing, I have a single son age nine. My career is heavy equipment repair like concrete mixers, tractors, loaders, welding and fabrication, machine shop work, lots of 3 phase 480volt motor control work, a plant engineer which defined means I build a concrete batching facility from the ground up and integrate it to modern computer programs, been doing work like this for 30 years and even though I was a high school droput and no GED I usually get a good job because all my experiance has been on the job learning, I have credentials in certain areas but not sengineering degrees or colledge background, but yet over the years I was consistently promoted over those that did.
Why am I posting this?
Simple, I love excitement, creativity and designing new projects, its in my blood and it comes natural. A people person I am not.
During that visit in Orlando and liesurely exploring WDW it gave me the opportunity to ask CM's about work and pay, the engineer of the train at MK was impressed with my knowledge of steam, pressures, classification of the locomotive. Trains big and small has been my extreme hobby, he said Disney would hire me in a heartbeat! And also was the chief operator of the sternwheeler at MK, I was a chief engineer on a larger vessel at Lake Tahoe for two years so I guess I could understand the basics there.:animwink: He was in that position for I think 6 years, but his pay was still about what a fast food worker in Alaska makes. I also ran into some very friendly CM's at other places like at Fantasmic, HM Main Street, Astro Orbiter.
I was consistently amazed at the love of the company these employees had, in subdued tones they were aware of the pay, low morale and future uncertaities of full time employment but overall they were workers I wish I had at my job.
I wish very much for a chance or opportunity to have been part of Disney, I would pack up and leave Alaska, live in my 5th wheel trailor in a park and give it a shot, after all I usually only work 9 months a year and often my daily pay exceeds what a WDW CM makes in a week, course just for the chance to be an imagineer, installer, ride control tech or even just a person with a greasegun lubing fittings at 3AM would be enough for me, its not a pay issue.
I have other income from my inventions like the LED flashlights I design and sell.
Upcoming this next january in 2004 is my next visit to Orlando, already I have booked a rental home for a month, enough time for me to drop off a resume and scope out living arraingements if indeed I choose the path of moving there seasonally or permanently.
In summing this all up its a retirement type of job, a place where if possible I could utilize all my years of designing, extreme challenges of work from oil fields in Texas to the ski slopes of the Sierras at 8400' as a snowcat mechanic to the rugged weather of Alaska in the winter while its -45 outside and a whole lot inbetween. What I want is a job to make my mark in history, and often it bugs me to death that its Disney and not another big name corporation.
Should I even bother with this dream I am asking any knowledgeable CM here? I seriously doubt Disney could match my pay of at least the last ten years but I am willing to forego the low pay, its the challenges I want. Thanks to any CM that may be here on the board and recalls me when we talked back in 2001, you were very helpful and a credit to your company.
