DCP Tip 1 (Do it)
Tip the first. Well, it is super hard to pick the first tip because there are so many thoughts I could put down. However, after thinking about it I decided that tip 1 should be “do it.” Now, I don’t immediately mean the program, I’m not saying do the program. What I mean is apply for the program. I thought tip 1 should correspond to the first thing you need to do if you are considering applying for the program.
If you are considering applying go ahead and apply. You lose nothing by just applying. “Do it.” The application is free and regardless of the outcome (at any point in your application journey) you don’t lose any money. I think of it as a win-win because if you apply and get accepted you get to do the program, if they say not this time, you don’t miss any part of your higher education, and you don’t have to move to Florida or California which is costly and could be very costly depending on how you get there. If you get rejected, it’s ok to feel bad, especially at first. DO NOT GIVE UP HOPE! Apply for the next round ASAP. I know I’ve already talked about this a bit in my blog but, I had a friend who applied four times for the program and got rejected three of the four. Don’t stop because the next time could be your time. The moment you quit you will not be able to go back because your mentality will be all wrong and you have given up hope that you will ever be able to do the DCP.
On the flip side (because balance is very important)
Do not apply if you know you are not mentally capable of working 30+ hours a week and ~50+ during the holidays where there is extremely high capacity all the time. Do not apply if you would have to stretch the truth or lie during your pi (phone interview). The recruiters know when you’re doing this, and if by chance you do get hired, you will be 1) in for a very rude awakening because as awesome as the DCP is, it is not Mickey Mouse and sunshine and flowers all the time. Sometimes it is getting yelled at by a guest for something you didn’t do or can not control, staying in the park until several hours past close because it was such a mess and now it has to be cleaned. It is roomate problems sometimes because we are all human and make mistakes. But 2) you will also be taking the place of someone who is willing to work those long hours and just genuinely wants to make magic and be there. Personally I got “upset” when I would work with any CP who complained the whole time they worked and complained all the time after work. When they applied they may have thought it was going to be going to the parks every other day and hanging out with your friends, but it is not. It is hard work no matter what role you end up getting. There are aspects of each that are challenging and can be even more challenging when you have hot and angry guests yelling at you. I’ll just mention it here but I’ll do a whole other post on this one. When you get hired, go into the program with the mentality that this is first and foremost a job. You moved to California or Florida for the purpose to work and Disney (your leaders, coordinators, trainers, and fellow cm/CPs) expect you to work.
I don’t want to end this on a negative so I’m going to do a quick bounce back to the “Do it” mentality. If you can mentally handle the responsibilities of living and working on your own, I say apply because you have nothing to lose! Do some research on the roles you want to make sure that is what you actually want because every role you check is a role you’ll be considered for. After you decide you want to do the program, go ahead and apply. Pull a Nike and just do it.