Here is my official post-college job announcement: I have accepted a job with the Disney College Program as a retail sales clerk at Disneyland, CA! Honestly, I couldn’t be more excited. This may be temporary and completely out of my career field, but there is nothing I would rather do. While most students graduating from college are hoping to make the first real leap into their careers, I’m going back to my roots, taking a temporary, part-time, minimum wage job in retail.
You may be wondering: “Jamie, why the heck would you do this... you could do WAY BETTER.” And truthfully guys, I really could by the standards that we all have strived to live up to for our entire lives. But those aren’t the standards that I’m choosing. I am choosing to set my own course, and choosing a job that makes me HAPPY rather than WEALTHY.
Here are some of the ways that I believe the Disney College Program will do just that.
1. I miss having magical moments.
I feel like I have been missing these in my life recently. As we grow up, we stop looking for those moments that make our eyes sparkle in awe and wonder. I miss being excited and surprised, and I can’t wait to have those moments again and bring those moments to others.
2. I’m exhausted.
I have been hustling for years now, doing things that will advance my career, make me money, and make me “successful.” I’m ready to spend more time with my family, take care of my emotional health, and SLEEP when I’m not working so I can be happier and healthier.
3. I want time for myself.
My hobbies have all gone to the wayside in the last year. I used to paint, play the ukulele, write, and read so much until I started overbooking myself. And once you enter the corporate world, those moments become smaller and smaller. I want to form strong habits now, while I have time, so I get better at engaging them later.
4. I LOVE DISNEY!
This is why I chose Disney rather than any other company. When I was little I aspired to be a Disney princess, but now I love the company and its mission. Disney is a for-profit company — one of the most successful in the world — that profits off making people happy. Plus, the benefits (park admission, discounts, etc.) of working for a company that I will buy stuff from anyway is pretty helpful for my bank account as well.
5. Networking opportunities.
Surprise, surprise, I’m not just working here to enjoy the moment and stop thinking about my life past January. The Disney College Program connects you to people who work in Disney at a corporate level, and meeting leaders of the Fortune 100 at this stage in my career is invaluable.
6. It’s a dream.
Anyone who grew up in Southern California wanted to live in/work for Disneyland at some point, and this is my way of doing so. It may not be a dream job to some, but getting paid to go to the Happiest Place On Earth every day is a dream to me. Plus, I’m still convinced that I’m a long-lost Disney princess, so now’s my chance for them to find me.
