Chris Saribay

“In the big blue world, I’m going to go explore... In the big blue world that I’ve never seen before… so many creatures- swimming ‘round the sea… in the big blue world, and all of them are waiting for me!”

As part of the Year of a Million Dreams, one of the newest attractions at Walt Disney World is Finding Nemo - The Musical. This production is a first for Disney Parks in a couple of ways- it’s the first time Disney has adapted a screenplay for a musical that wasn’t originally commissioned as such, and it’s the first time a Broadway-class and style show with puppets has been brought into the fold at the Walt Disney World Resort. With its spectacular effects and the performer’s amazing puppetry, the show plays out to full crowds at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. I saw it for myself during one of my first weeks on the program, and it’s definitely a must see!

Growth is a good thing.

I’m sure this crowd is plenty familiar with the story behind Finding Nemo, so I won’t rehash that for you. Suffice it to say however, I think one can draw certain parallels from this Disney/Pixar production to the Disney College and CareerStart Program experiences. While I don’t think anyone is truly “lost” in any part of the program, there’s definitely a lot of self discovery that takes place during the program, and it’s filled with ups and some downs. When you realize that you’ll be spending the next five months with complete strangers from all parts of this country in an unfamiliar environment for most of us: Central Florida and the Walt Disney World Resort, you start to realize that this is like nothing else you’ve experienced.

What I’m getting at here is that the programs offer a tremendous growth opportunity for anyone accepted. Sure, there’s a bit of uncertainty involved here (just like any other new experience), but a literal world of opportunity awaits you- whether or not you’re looking to work for Disney in the future. The transferable skills gained by participating in the program are great, and the prospect of having The Walt Disney Company on your resume makes you that much more of an attractive candidate when it comes to careers. Disney was recently rated the “Number One Best Place to Launch a Career” by BusinessWeek magazine, and I think that assertion is spot on. Working for Disney has opened my eyes in a couple of ways, and definitely has opened doors for me that I wouldn’t have imagined.

If you’re on the brink…

...of deciding whether or not this is for you, or perhaps having a bit of post-interview remorse, consider what this could do for your future. Yes, for many of you this means taking off an entire semester from school, but where else can you have such a rewarding experience and opportunity for personal growth? From my experience, you can’t go wrong.

Coming up next week: Inside the Roles I, The Large Envelope

Note: The photo above is by Flickr user hyku, used under the “CC By/SA” license.

Labels: Background Info • College and CareerStart Programs •