Printable View
That's awesome that you saw Marty Sklar! I worked at Safari's at Animal Kingdom and he came through with some family and friends for a grand gathering (waaaaay back in 2004) and no other fellow CPs working that night knew who he was, boo! Still cool though :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparrowni2010
I've been determined to be an Imagineer since I was 8 and I have pretty much been researching Imagineering since then. . . If you're set on being an Imagineer the Imaginations project (open to college juniors and seniors) is a must and basically you do all the set work and music and story writing for a ride you design and send it to the Imagineers (it's like a contest/ some kind of strange internship). Also, for some reason Disney really likes double majors (maybe it shows your versitility? I probably spelled that wrong) and also Georgia Tech offers a secific program in roller coaster design based off of the aerospace engineering major and I'm assuming that this could be applied to any sort of themed ride. Hope that helps!
I'm a CP right now, and I've also heard from many people that imagineering isn't as exciting or glamorous as it most people think it is. Someone I know actually did a professional internship with him, and it wasn't that great of an experience. There is a very high layoff rate once an attraction is completed. Also, the job is extremely high stress. People expect the best from imagineering, and they want it as quickly and cheaply as possible. A lot of people can't handle it. In terms of engineering and the technical aspects of the rides, most of the time ride & show engineering actually knows and does a lot more than imagineering.Quote:
Originally Posted by SafariStitch
I know of the high layoff rates and budget cuts and all that jazz, but I've been wondering if they ever have picked someone up that doesn't have a 4 year degree for example? I don't plan on having that much of an education right now, maybe later when I can afford it, but I was wondering if they'd ever hired someone because they're creativity and not because they learned how to be creative through 4 years of studying it in books. I think it's possible that they have and then trained them to be brought up to speed with the rest because I've heard they've hired anyone with customer service to do photopass even though they have no camera experience because they're looking for outgoing friendly people to "help make the magic." This probably could have been in it's own thread but I'm too lazy to start one up so I'm piggybacking off this one :)
I know of several cases in which Imagineers have gotten jobs at Imagineering without a 4 year degree. However, most of these people have a great deal of experience and thus expertise in their field. There are even a few Imagineers who have risen through the ranks from the Parks to Imagineering. I met with one Imagineer who told me that, although education is valued, experience means more.Quote:
I know of the high layoff rates and budget cuts and all that jazz, but I've been wondering if they ever have picked someone up that doesn't have a 4 year degree for example? I don't plan on having that much of an education right now, maybe later when I can afford it, but I was wondering if they'd ever hired someone because they're creativity and not because they learned how to be creative through 4 years of studying it in books.
Simply put: Find something you love to do and pursue it with passion. Learn everything you can about Disney, Imagineering, and your field of choice. Do what it takes to make you the best at what you do (whether it be through education, experience, or both). Make connections with people who can help you. Be passionate and persistant. But most importantly ...
Never give up on your dreams.
Hope that helps! :mickeywav
so CAD would be a good thing to take in high school, and the CP would be a good thing to do if you would want to be an imagineer? Does anyone have a site that has most of the info you need to know to be an imagineer? If you get laid off after a project is done, is it possible to get another imagineering/disney job quickly? If you get laid off after a project, is it for a short while, or is Laid Off the disney way of saying fired?
By the books I've read, Imagineering seems like it's for me. Is this the job for a super disney geek? Where's a good place to start to work your way up in the company to be an imagineer? What (your oppinion) is the best type of imagineer? What are the most in park/magical imagineer jobs?
Sorry for all the questions, but I think this might just be for me.