The Disney College Program is promoted to potential participants as a resume enhancing opportunity due to Disney's exceptional reputation in the hospitality industry. The Disney College Program Blog, written by recruiters for the DCP, credits the professional development opportunities as the greatest benefit of the program. Aside for gaining experience in a Fortune 100 company, self-growth will come with the program. After working for Disney, I was much more confident in my work and easier on myself when something went wrong. I also became more outgoing and gained communication skills, which was a skill that I was hoping to advance during my program.
One major misconception of the program is that participants just take a semester off school for a Disney vacation and to spend all of their time in the parks. However, participants work long hours with strict rules in roles that aren't as magical as people may assume. Disney has strict guidelines when it comes to appearance, and they tell all trainees to dress in business casual for any event or training session that doesn't require you to be "in costume." This rule reiterates the importance of dressing professionally in any work situation, as well as states the expectations that workplaces will have to students whose first jobs may not be as vocal about their expectations.
Disney offers a variety of classes throughout the program that their participants can sign up for. Many of the professional classes are on professional development and how the Walt Disney Company operates. Some classes subjects leadership, quality of service at Disney, personal branding, training, budgeting, and resort operations. These unique classes will show participants exactly what Disney and other major companies are looking for in their employees, and what they can do to meet those requirements. There are also many networking opportunities, and opportunities for cast members to meet those that are higher up, or people with jobs that may appeal to the participants. One of my roommates during the program is an engineering major, and she was able to attend networking events at Disney, specifically for engineers, where she had the opportunity to talk with some engineers that create the rides, which is her dream job. Without the Disney College Program, she never would have been able to meet these engineers.
Finally, if you are looking to work for the Walt Disney Company as a career, the Disney College Program is the best way to start. My leaders at my work location got their start on the Disney College Program, and worked their way up. Disney has a resource for all cast members called Transfer Genie, where cast members can easily apply to a variety of different jobs throughout the company. These transfers are the first applicants considered when a new position opens. I plan to do another program after graduating in order to get my foot in the door working for Disney, and work my way into a field that is more relevant to my major.
Source: https://disneyprogramsblog.com/disney-college-program-5-reasons-to-apply/