Yes, you heard me right — eighteen.

 

Welcome to the happiest place on Earth. A lot of us are too young to remember our first trip to Walt Disney World. Some of us were fortunate enough to return. Others continue counting down the days until the next annual vacation — or semester.

 

Since the first time I heard about the Disney College Program (DCP), I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it. DCP is a semester-long paid internship where students participate in a front-line role within the parks –– all while taking collegiate courses.

 

Many students who have come out of this program have advocated for how the program enhanced their leadership skills, taught them how to work many different roles within a major corporation, etc. Personally, I think I gained better skills as a Sandwich Artist at Subway.

 

You spend a semester essentially working at a food court for minimum wage, according to GlassDoor.com, just to get Disney on their resume. If I wanted Disney Corp. on my resume, I’d spend some time hoping not to get laid off at ESPN.

 

Now don’t get me wrong, if your major is corporate communications like Ashley from the DCPInterns Youtube channel and you’re taking classes to understand how corporate businesses work, I vow to give you my support, but if you’re studying sports management, I don’t exactly see how washing bumper boats gives you an insight to the wide world of sports.

 

Introduce yourself to your local minor league team or — here’s a crazy idea — ask your advisor for the hookup. Working for a lollipop cart just doesn’t seem like the best internship if you’re going into the medical field.

 

This isn’t where you learn customer service responsibility or time management skills, this is where you pass the time to try to pretend you’re not about to go into the real world.

 

If you want to be just another number in a major corporation, Disney College Program is the place to take your money, but if you want to be at the top of that corporation, I suggest spending your time elsewhere.