Goofy Money

Disney brings in millions of dollars each month.  They are a behemoth but they certainly did not get that way overnight.  If anything, this internship has taught me, its that you must believe in your own creative instincts and ideas.  Walt Disney was not in the business for money, he stated many times that he had no desire to amass a huge personal fortune.  His goal was to create his vision, and he did that over and over again.  Walt undertook great financial risks to achieve his dreams, and with his huge but calculated risks came a huge reward.  Every time he got a windfall of cash he put it right back into his investment, his passion, which was one and the same.  That is such a huge lesson to me.  I want to control my own cash register, be a true entrepreneur in every sense of the word, except I want to do it through real estate.  ASU has a Masters of Real Estate Development Program that I definitely would like to get into.  I am now looking to find the best GMAT prep course I can find so I can excel on the exam.  I believe through being an entrepreneur I can finance my own set of dreams and bring my visions to life.  I cannot wait to get started and I have to thank Walt Disney for being a creative inspiration!  

Mastering The Basics

A conventional four year degree just does not cut it anymore.  Everybody and their mama has one.  My parents generation was different since it was not nearly as commonplace to have a degree but today an education is big business.  The Walt Disney Company employs over 65,000 people but is not immune to tough economic times and weathering bad leadership.  My logic is that if you find yourself unemployed and numerous places have hiring freezes like Disney because of poor economic outlooks than your going to have to rely on a strong resume combination of education and experience.  The bottom line is that if you have a phd and a company is on a hiring freeze than your phd means no difference, but since there is a hiring freeze, there's more competition for the other top quality positions at other companies.  The goal of an education is to not just get a job, but to find a career where you can excel and build a life of stability and gratitude.  Truth is you can never stop learning, and learning is really the only way out of any circumstance.  ASU has an internationally respected Masters program so I think it only makes sense to take advantage of it.  Since education is a big business now, it only makes it easier to be accepted and pursue a masters in whatever I desire.  That is opportunity. 

Winding Down

As the end of my internship quickly approaches it leaves me some time to think and reflect on my progress.  Ultimately the little things I needed to improve on here at Disney can carry with me to my next position.  It is all in the details.  Progress is made by practicing the basics day in and day out to where it is effortless.  To do a job, any job at its best and to perform at the highest levels whether your an entrepreneur or employed by a corporation, you must consistently critique your performance to excel at the highest level of your job.  The basics always need to be worked on.  I have to always monitor my listening skills regardless if the person who is delivering the message is a bore, it is my duty to hear what they are relaying even if it seems inconsequential or something I have heard before.  Being a know it all will get you nowhere, but having a desire to learn and grow as much as possible will get you everywhere.  Constructive criticism is an opportunity and attitude is everything.  I am looking forward to taking my lessons from Disney and applying them to my next position with the most positive outlook!

Ducktorate

Advancing my education now seems more important than ever before.  The job market is tight, and the pool of looking for work people is larger than ever.  Observing the people around at Disney that are full time, it is obvious that most do not even have an undergraduate.  The managers do have degrees but no further education.  The climate of this economy almost dictates that you need experience and a masters to get a better than average paying position of employment.  Corporations do most of the hiring.  Disney for example employs over 65,000 people.  When a company becomes that big, there is a lot of menial tasks to be done at the entry level.  Corporations love to find cost cutting measures so they can get more money so they lower the quality of their workforce by paying lower wages.  It is not advantageous for a college graduate to work at a place that is really going too slow for them.  You get what you pay for, and at Disney I think it is quantity over quality as it is at most corporations.  The bottom line is that I think I need to truly invest in myself, and get a masters degree in what I am passionate about and that will be time well spent.

Corporate Workings

Disney is very similar to other corporations. They run the company based off a computer system called CDS. It basically is the auto manager of the all the parks and hotels and any other affiliation on Disney property. The human managers are basically the facilitators of the computer system. You clock in, get your assignment, and clock out through the system. There really is no managerial decisions on the park level. Anything substantial is decided by the corporate offices in California. If you need to turn in your uniform and get your new one, it is done by scanning the bar code on the uniform when you turn it in and when you recieve a new one. Therefore if you do not turn in a uniform by the required time, the system automatically tells payroll to deduct the amount from your next check. If the bus is running late and you make it to work one minute after your scheduled start time, then the system will automatically give you a half point on your record. Since it is artificial intelligence, there is no common sense involved but it is very cost effective. Understandably managers do not make a whole lot of money here, because their responsibilities are greatly reduced. I have worked at other corporations and they run very similar to how Disney does it, they just don't have the customer service.

Extension into the Future

It is in the best interest of the Walt Disney Company to retain their already trained college program participants.  Therefore I was not surprised to see the invitation to extend my internship.  The extension lasts through August 17th.  I have accepted because I am still holding out hope that the economy is turning around and Disney might be looking to hiring sooner rather than later.  Besides I do enjoy my position with the company and am pretty well saturated into the culture and the the ways of Disney.  Overall it has been a great experience that has opened my eyes to an industry that to me was largely a mystery before arriving here and witnessing the behind the scenes of one of the greatest shows in the world.  I am a little worried about the summer humidity though and the bugs because they are prevalent.  I have definitely been spoiled by the sunshine and the predictability of the dry heat in Arizona and I do miss it.  My place will be there in August, so I can hack it for a couple more months.  I definitely do want to make it back to hear Obama speak regardless so I did put in for an extra day off that week of the commencement ceremony.  I am looking forward to the future.

More than Mickey

Okay so besides Disney World, where else can you find a theme park to entertain your kids?  Well you don't have to look far.  As a matter of fact, you can stay in the same state, actually for the most part you can stay in the same city.  Orlando should be renamed the theme park capital of the world.  You have got Sea World, Universal Studios, Isle of Adventure, Aquatica, GatorLand or the FunStop.  If your hungry or want to get some drinks after a stressful day with the family you can go to downtown disney or universal citywalk on international drive and have a different place to eat for every day of the month.  As long as you got money, Orlando rivals Vegas on entertainment and accommodations.  If for some reason you get bored, you can always drive up to Tampa and check out Busch Gardens.