I'm getting outta here

[toonaspie]

Well I originally was going to extend but I decided to quit the College Program on Jan 4th. To stay here is insane in my opinion. Didnt make any money, any friends, or any good memories from this whole experience save for a few bits when I wasnt working a ridiculous high stressed and poorly trained job. Plus I was technically a college graduate when I started the program so it felt kinda demeaning for me.

I'll miss the free park admission and I regret that my parents never got to come down and visit the park (too much financial issues back home held them back). But I really dont have the means to live on my own outside of the College Program housing thus I couldnt go full time or what have you. I dont even have a car. Well, if I ever do get the means to live independently, I may consider coming back doing seasonal. But for spring I plan to do some experimental career stuff while living with the parents. It really is the lesser of two evils when finances are concerned.

Bleh.

[DisneyMan4Ever]

I'm sorry to hear that it didn't work for you. I did the CP in the Spring of '07 and extended until August. For me it was a great experience and even though the pay is horrible I completely enjoyed my time there. I am seasonal now and plan to go back for a couple weeks in the spring and once I graduate college I'm going to move to Florida, hopefully to get a better job with Disney or with a company in the area. Hope everything works out for you.

[OFTEric]

Sorry you didn't like it!

I loved my CP and it has helped me with everything in life I do. I have my job now thansk to the CP!

[nbodyhome]

I know people who really enjoyed their CP, and those who didn't. I think it's different for everyone! It doesn't sound good as far as pay, and I think it would be tough if you were trying to pay bills and such only with that money. I also talked with one girl (who was volunteering for a day at GKTW) who was unhappy due to the roommate situation. Everyone else in her apt. was a partier, she just wanted to sleep. I believe she was trying to end her CP early.

I am sorry you didn't enjoy your time in the CP. There was no college program or anything else available to me when I graduated high school, or I would have done that (I'm sure!)

[OFTEric]

Originally Posted by nbodyhome

I know people who really enjoyed their CP, and those who didn't. I think it's different for everyone! It doesn't sound good as far as pay, and I think it would be tough if you were trying to pay bills and such only with that money. I also talked with one girl (who was volunteering for a day at GKTW) who was unhappy due to the roommate situation. Everyone else in her apt. was a partier, she just wanted to sleep. I believe she was trying to end her CP early.

I am sorry you didn't enjoy your time in the CP. There was no college program or anything else available to me when I graduated high school, or I would have done that (I'm sure!)

In the end the of the CP you get what you want out of it. I do not mean to sound like a downer, but is pretty much the truth of it. I have had friends who LOVED it, and others who LOATHED it.

But best of luck to you in your future endevours!

[testudo]

I certainly understand your sentiment about hating the CP.

But I think the work location also has something to do with whether or not CPs enjoy themselves. I worked attractions at the Land pre-Soarin' when CMs still had to do the spiel on Living with the Land. There were a lot of CPs working there who really genuinely hated their job (but of course, most of us hated doing that same @#$%ing spiel for eight consecutive trips).

So in the end, I think if you had lucked up with a good location it might have made a lot of difference. But the other points like the pay are just bad regardless where you are.

[Cmash95]

I have always thought the Cpers were the bottom rung of the ladder at disney and were treated as such. Some don't mind it because they love disney and it's their dream to work there, but as a job goes, I wouldn't want to do it. You are charged way too much for houseing and paid way too little especially when starting salary is 8.00 an hour and florida minimum wage is 6.74. We joke in our house that CP is the equivilant of slave labor. I have met serveral CPers over the last few years that loved their jobs and extended their time and even a couple who did two programs before coming to work permanently at disney, but for most of the cp's I have talked to, they are glad to be able to put it on their resume but are also glad to leave the experience behind.