I'm in kind of a sticky situation (long)

[flyslyw]

Here's the deal:

I'm a Walt Disney enthusiast. The man is my hero, and WDW is a place like no other to me. I feel like the DCP is an excellent way to get a foot in the door at Disney, and being a part of Walt's vision. Not to mention working hard and having fun.

I've wanted to apply for the DCP for a very long time, but didn't think I would get a chance to. Then, about a year ago, a window of opportunity opened for me to apply for the program for the Spring of 2013. That gave me plenty of time to speak to my advisor (though he's no real help) and speak to a financial aid counselor and whoever else I need to speak to in order to get more info. Turns out it'll add another semester onto my schooling, but if I can find a way to pay for that extra semester then I'm fine with that. Plus I can get some elective credit for it.

So here's my real problem; my dad is dead set against me doing the program. I've only brought it up once or twice before and he kind of just didn't say anything, so I had a feeling he wouldn't be on board. So yesterday I finally brought it up and said "If I can make it work with my schedule for school, I'm going to apply for the Disney College Program this fall." And boy was he upset. He went into this whole tirade about how I need to grow up and how he doesn't see the point in me going to Florida to "push a button on a roller coaster". He really went off on how I'm a 22 year old man and how could I be interested in something so stupid. After working for over a year at seeing if I could just apply for the program, my dad spent 60 seconds telling me how it was ridiculous, and a waste, and how I WONT be applying for it. If he wasn't paying for tuition, I wouldn't care so much what he says.

I love my dad, he's done a lot for me, but I simply cannot give up on this just because he says so. It's way too important to me. But I know if I even bring it up again, it's really gonna set him off. Btw, I have full support from the rest of my family and friends, they all say "That's awesome, go for it!".

So anyways, I was wondering. Has anyone else gone through something similar? Has anyone who's done the program done so against their parents wishes? Has it led to an argument?

Any feedback or stories would be nice to hear. And if you took the time to read all of that, Thanks

 

[mom2cookies]

read your post, but idk if i can help.. I'm a 41 year old mom, never been to college. I would talk again to your dad, and if it doesn't cost him any more than what he is already paying ( tuition ) and it doesn't affect your grades, then i would just do it. Is it possible to talk to your mom or dad's parents, siblings? Get some examples of things he went for when he was young, remind him what it means to strongly desire to persue your dream. Good luck

 

[tikistitch]

First off, I would print off the parents pages on the CP website, and prepare those for your father to read. If you have long term career plans for Disney, the CP is one of the very best ways to get your foot in the door. After your CP and you graduate, you can do a Professional Internship in the field you're most interested, or a Management Internship and then you can try to get hired on the company. Even if your father is paying your tuition, you need to remind him of your personal career goals and gently point out that just because he sees something as a waste of time doesn't mean that it's not good for your long term plans and your dreams.

Many parents have this idea that the CP is an excuse to escape down to Florida and party all semester and get out of classes and never work and just spend all your time in the parks. And when we are working, they think we're not learning anything at all! I would find as many testimonials as you can about how much hard work the College Program is, and how even if most ofy our job can be "pushing a button on a ride", there are so many roles you can have and SO many opportunities to meet people from all over the world and learn great guest service, which is an area that you can use in any career field. You will learn to be more independent by being on your own so far away from home, and you will have so many amazing opportunities to network with people within the company, especially if you're taking one of their classes that they offer. You will also be presented with an opportunity to earn and save money, which maybe you can make a bargain with him saying that if he allows you to do this program to get your foot in the door with the company, you promise to save a certain amount of money that could go toward your tuition once you return home to finish school?

Another option is to wait and apply the semester you graduate, for the following semester. It's what I ended up having to do. I graduate this summer, and applied this semester for the Fall program. I'll be there from August until January and plan on either extending or interviewing for a Professional Internship while I'm there. My big goal is to get hired on by the company in the end, and my parents are pretty unsure about what a college graduate is going to get out of this program at all. But in the end, parents have to realize they need to step back and let us live our dreams the best way we can.

 

[ZeroToHero]

*waves* Hi there. I pushed a button on a roller coaster from August 2010 - January 2011 (literally, I worked at Space Mountain), and now I'm two weeks away from graduating Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in History. I've had to turn down three real job offers in the past month because I'm moving back to Florida to do another College Program. Possibly a ridiculous choice? Maybe. But I'm also graduating debt-free and it's doing Photopass, which I really wanted to do my first college program.

If this is what you want to do with your life, it's a fantastic first step in the door. If you just want experience, it looks amazing on a resume. Every single job I have applied for has asked me about Disney. And I've gotten almost all of them. I've been promoted in other jobs because of my experience there. Yes, that experience pushing buttons. Oh, and you know, providing amazing Guest Service. It's a Fortune 100 company for a reason.

If you're 22, it's your choice. If you really want to do it, go for it. Tell him it means a lot to you, it's your dream, and you want to do this. Hasn't he ever wanted anything so much he'd fight for it? And, if you go the route that I'm going (and others suggested) and apply your last semester of college to do the program right after you graduate, it's an automatic job out of school, which is not something a lot of people can say right now.

Good luck.

 

[Mama Who]

Tough one. At 22 you can make your own decisions but at 22 you're no longer entitled to his financial support unless it suits him to give it. Can you afford to finish school if you tick him off and he cuts you off? That would be a large factor to consider.

I think you've got to make a grown up choice about what you want more- the Disney CP or his money to finish college. I can't presume to tell you which to choose because that's really a personal decision.

 

[WDW_lover_in_SC]

Here's the deal:

I'm a Walt Disney enthusiast. The man is my hero, and WDW is a place like no other to me. I feel like the DCP is an excellent way to get a foot in the door at Disney, and being a part of Walt's vision. Not to mention working hard and having fun.

I've wanted to apply for the DCP for a very long time, but didn't think I would get a chance to. Then, about a year ago, a window of opportunity opened for me to apply for the program for the Spring of 2013. That gave me plenty of time to speak to my advisor (though he's no real help) and speak to a financial aid counselor and whoever else I need to speak to in order to get more info. Turns out it'll add another semester onto my schooling, but if I can find a way to pay for that extra semester then I'm fine with that. Plus I can get some elective credit for it.

So here's my real problem; my dad is dead set against me doing the program. I've only brought it up once or twice before and he kind of just didn't say anything, so I had a feeling he wouldn't be on board. So yesterday I finally brought it up and said "If I can make it work with my schedule for school, I'm going to apply for the Disney College Program this fall." And boy was he upset. He went into this whole tirade about how I need to grow up and how he doesn't see the point in me going to Florida to "push a button on a roller coaster". He really went off on how I'm a 22 year old man and how could I be interested in something so stupid. After working for over a year at seeing if I could just apply for the program, my dad spent 60 seconds telling me how it was ridiculous, and a waste, and how I WONT be applying for it. If he wasn't paying for tuition, I wouldn't care so much what he says.

I love my dad, he's done a lot for me, but I simply cannot give up on this just because he says so. It's way too important to me. But I know if I even bring it up again, it's really gonna set him off. Btw, I have full support from the rest of my family and friends, they all say "That's awesome, go for it!".

So anyways, I was wondering. Has anyone else gone through something similar? Has anyone who's done the program done so against their parents wishes? Has it led to an argument?

Any feedback or stories would be nice to hear. And if you took the time to read all of that, Thanks

Here is the deal your dad is right you are a 22 year old man. Therefore you can have any interest and dreams you choose to have. I would tell your dad straight up and face to face. Not rudely but just man to man...I'm going to work at Disney you can either help me out because I'm your son and I need help or you can make this harder on me than it really has to be. I'll pay for the program myself and won't expect you to help me with anything. I'm just asking that when I return you help me with my tuition again. If this is going to hurt our relationship I will just apply my senior year and do it when I no longer need tuition money. So will you help me out please?

If that doesn't work...well sometimes you got to make a choice for yourself and your own life. Best of luck to you. My situation is different my parents don't care about Disney but they love that I love it and want me to work and live there. I hope you and your dad get it worked out!

 

[Caitlin1990]

My parents weren't dead set against me doing my first program, but they were hesitant about it. My dad was surprisingly easier to persuade, but for my mom, I had to walk her through the (old) website and showed her all the benefits to doing to the program. For one, it is a full-time job; you do get paid, and paid enough to last on (unless you're paying for a lot of stuff, for whatever reason...). Two, your parents don't have to pay for your school housing while you're there because they'll take your Disney housing fee out of your paycheck every week (you don't really notice that much), so they save a little money on that. Three, it's a great experience to have on your resume and can be a beneficial tool for you in the future.

Luckily, I was also able to acquire a whole semester's worth of elective credit without having to add another semester onto school. I know this doesn't happen for the majority of people; I just really lucked out on that one.

I've also always wanted to work for Disney; I was constantly trying to find ways when I was younger to work at Disneyland (I live in Arizona, so I thought it was possible lol).

All of these combined convinced my mom enough to let me go for it and apply. When I got in, she decided it would ultimately end up being a good opportunity for me and gave me her blessing to go. I ended up having the most amazing time on my program; so amazing that I've worked it out with my school credit-wise/class-wise to be able to go again this upcoming semester--hopefully for a PI instead of the CP, but I did get into the CP again as a backup. I knew as soon as I left Florida at the end of my first program that I wanted my career to ultimately be with Disney and I would do whatever it took to get there. Both of my parents, but especially my mom, are both really excited for me and fully support me in this. They both believe these internships are amazing opportunities and, while they're sad that I have to move across the country again for another 8 months, they're thrilled that I've found a way to really chase my dreams.

Maybe try explaining this to your dad? I mean, truly, doing a CP is SO much more than "pushing a button on a ride".

 

[figmentfan6]

While I agree that this is ultimately your choice, I think there's more to this than your dad not wanting you to do the CP period. For one, you'll be graduating late. That may or may not effect your future, but at my school the thought of graduating late on purpose is equivalent to suggesting that drinking acid might be a fun hobby. This is certainly not true of all schools by any means, but I think it represents the generation our parents grew up in.

Two, the CP is not cheap to do. Yes, you make money, but it's not much and it's not cheap to fly back and forth to Florida, move into an apartment, etc. I'm assuming since you're not paying tuition, you won't be able to afford to do all of that on your own. Also, to get credit, many schools require you still pay money to them, even if you're off campus. If you can afford to do that without your dad's help, ignore that one!

Three, still on the money thing, your dad will have to pay college tuition for another semester. I know he won't be paying it for a semester, but he may want to get it all over. College is a scary amount of money and he may want to be done with it in four years flat.

Personally, I would not have gone on the CP if I didn't have an extra semester of credits already. It's a great program, but your dad might have some good points about why he doesn't want you to do the program. Just sit him down and ask him "Why not?". Get all the reasons. Don't get defensive, just listen and take what he says into strong consideration. Parents do often know what's best for us! And remember that you can do the program right after you graduate!

 

[Joanna71985]

Could you possibly apply to do the CP your last semester? That way you would be done with school, and not relying on your dad to pay for tuition

 

[flyslyw]

Just wanted to say thanks for all the comments and feedback from you guys. Also, my dad has since decided to listen to my proposal and hear what the program is all about, so we'll just see how it goes.

 

[TheChosenCheif]

Just wanted to say thanks for all the comments and feedback from you guys. Also, my dad has since decided to listen to my proposal and hear what the program is all about, so we'll just see how it goes.

Good luck!

 

[DISshopkeeper]

Good luck to you! I hope your Dad sees it your way. My DD has SO enjoyed her 2 semesters there... They were post-grad for her. I pick her up on May 11 to come home.

 

[gis]

You may also want to look at the Professional internships available through Disney. They don't involve the 'button pressing' but actually will put you into the workplace to give you experience or even place you into a position. (Disney is not the only company that does this..) But it seems like Disney is where you want to land - and if so, this could be a great opportunity through the door.

 

[vickalamode]

I suggest applying for the program while you are in your last semester of school-that way it won't add any time onto your schooling because you will be DONE with school and you won't have to worry about your dad not paying your tuition because it will have already been paid That's what I did-I applied while I was in my last semester at school and did the CP a month after my last semester. It worked perfectly and I didn't have to worry about any school stuff coming up.

 

[khancock]

You may also want to have him read a few of these testimonials that are on the blog. I've got a feeling that they feature these from time to time to address the "what could this possibly lead to?" question.

http://www.disneyprogramsblog.com/?s=journey+that+changed+me

I wouldn't just give him the link, though. Print them out and give them to him that way.

 

[The_Aviator]

Sounds like your Dad's position is very different to my Dad. He is begging me to go and even willing to help cover costs.

Disney is just about the best work experience you could ever find to put on a resume, regardless of what field of work you want to go into after college. Perhaps you should show your Dad the website and explain to him ways in which going would assist you in the rest of your life. I'm sure it would be a very useful experience for you

 

[PrincessDream]

Oh boy, have I gone through a similar experience!

Every time I try to talk to my dad about doing a CP, he discouragingly tells me that I won't like it and will get sick of Disney, even though I am the biggest Disney fan I know! My situation is a bit different because my dad has some unaddressed psychological issues so he is one of the most critical, negative people in my life, but I am grateful that he also financially supports me. I am taking three courses this summer so that I can hopefully do the CP for spring 2013 as well! Maybe we'll meet! However; I am only about to be a sophomore, so I have more time to figure it out. My dad just kind of got used to the idea, and now goes back and forth between excitement of visiting me for free and weighing me down lol. My advice would be to let it sink in, and when the topic comes up again, I think your persistence will show him that it's something you really want and are passionate about. Plus there are people in their 30's and 40's who do the CP!

As far as making a decision goes, from reading your post it sounds like you've already decided what you want. Good luck with your future endeavors, whatever they may be!