CourtesyThis story first appeared in the Elliott School News, the official newsletter of 黑洞社区's Elliott School of Communication.
While on a vacation at Disneyworld, ESC student Lyndsay Coad told her parents that one day she was going to work for Disney. She was 13 years old.
She now has two job offers waiting for her when she graduates in May 2009鈥攐ne as an assistant director of youth activities for Disney鈥檚 cruise line, the other as an international tour guide with Adventures by Disney.
"I鈥檝e really been blessed," said Coad. "I have so many different things I could do with the company."
Coad鈥檚 adventure with Disney began when she spotted a Disney college program sweatshirt while on vacation in Florida during her junior year of college. Students participating in the Disney college program spend a semester working at Disney. Coad worked at one of the resorts helping guests plan their vacation while they were at Disneyworld.
One of the benefits to spending a semester in Florida was the opportunity to network with Disney employees.
"Networking and knowing someone is the key to that company," Coad said.
During the summer and fall of 2007, Coad was the intern for Disney鈥檚 Magic Music Days, where she assisted with planning Magic Music Days and Night of Joy, which happens once a year at Magic Kingdom. She also recruited schools, band and choir directors, and dance instructors to come and participate in Magic Music Days.
Coad was gradually discovering what type of work she wanted to do鈥攁 combination of event planning and youth activities. Her next job at Disney would only cement that desire.
Immediately following her internship Coad went aboard a Disney cruise ship, The Magic, where she lived and worked for five months designing, planning and running activities for 5- to 7-year-olds. The hours were long鈥攏ine-to-12-hour shifts. The number of kids varied from 30 to 150. And Coad never got an entire day off. But according to Coad, it wasn鈥檛 that bad.
"The children are only on the ship for five complete days," said Coad. "You wanted to be there that much so you got to know them."
Coad didn't mind the hours or the work. She even didn鈥檛 mind that her cabin was below sea level and not big enough for both her and her roommate to be standing up in it at the same time. For her, the cruise ship allowed her to do things she loves to do鈥攖ravel, plan events and work with kids.
Though she says a job on a Disney cruise ship is not the career she wants to have, it led to her two current job offers. As assistant director of youth activities for Disney鈥檚 cruise line, she would work in Disney鈥檚 corporate offices designing programming for children on the ship. And as a tour guide for Adventures by Disney, she would lead groups of people on Disney-planned vacations to destinations all over the world. Both options are attractive to Coad.
"I'm going to wait to see what鈥檚 put on the contracts, and then I'll decide which one I want to do," said Coad.
** To attend an e-presentation event with campus representatives from 黑洞社区, go to the Ablah Library basement at 4:30 p.m. Nov. 19.