"Oh Gee, I wish I was back in the army..."

Well, my time with Disney is officially over. I'm a civilian.

My ex-roomie, Michelle, and I joke that working for the mouse is like working for the army. You have experiences that many people just don't get, you know secrets you're not allowed to share, and once your time is done the only people who really understand what it's like are your former co-workers. All of College Program kids are veterans of Mickey's army. (Hence the video clip at the top of this entry.)

Now, I've got to get back to civilian life.

And it's harder than you think.

I haven't worked for Disney since January, but there has always been that hope that I would get a Professional Internship and be back down there full time. I didn't get that last internship. So, now I know for sure that I will not be returning to Disney. But that's okay. Life goes on and I'll survive. It might actually be better to return purely as a guest next time I visit the Wide World of the Mouse.

In the meantime, I'm spending most of my time searching for a job. Any job, anywhere, doing anything. I mean, yes, I would love to put my degree to use, but I if I can't I will accept something else. I will work retail if I have to. I just need money coming in from somewhere. Eventually, I want something I can be truly passionate about, but for just starting out...I really just need good hours and good money. I have credit card bills to pay, a car payment I need to take over for my parents, student loans I need to start saving to take care of, and a Disney World trip to pay for and plan. Also, I would really like to be able to afford my own place.

None of this can happen, though, if I don't have a job. And, let me tell you, getting a job is harder than it sounds. I have a portfolio, I have a resume. I think both are very good, but so far they haven't gotten me much. I'm stressed out about it. I mean, to the point that I want to cry every time someone asks me, "So, how's the job search going?"

Not well, people. It's not going well. And I feel like, because of this, people don't think I'm trying. They think I'm only applying for things in my field. I'm not. I'm applying for everything. Only no one seems to feel like hiring me.

Anyone who is currently in college, don't be fooled by flowery words about how a degree will change your life. It's good to have, but it doesn't mean you'll automatically be offered a job. Yes, employer's want degrees, but they also want several years of experience to go along with it. Something a fresh college graduate can't get if no one is will to give said "fresh college graduate" a chance. So, don't do what I did in college. I waited until my second to last year to start looking for internships. Start looking right away. There are a ton out there. They don't even have to be the DCP. Just find as many as you can and apply. The more hands on experience you have the better. Trust me on this one, folks.

Alright, that's all for today. I have errands to run today, but let me tell you that over the next few weeks there will be some changes to the blog. I still have footage from the program to post, but this blog will no longer be strictly about the program. I want to offer up an insider's knowledge on Disney to anyone planning to apply for the college program or take a Disney World trip. If you have questions, ask them. I will be happy to help in any way that I can.

I will try to pay more attention to my formspring. I may just start a new one all together as my old one tends to be spammed by other users and spambots. I know I currently have a few older questions on my formspring that I missed. I apologize to those of you who asked me something forever ago. You deserved an answer before now, and you will get one soon (even if you've already gotten the answer from someone else.)

Anyways, so if you notice this blog start to look and sound different just know that I am still willing to talk to anyone about the program. It was the greatest adventure of my life, thus far, and I am more than happy to pass on any knowledge or advice that I may have.

Thanks so much for reading! Best wishes to all of you, and good luck to any future Disney College Program students!

Professional Internship Interview

Okay, so I just finished my interview for the Professional Internship Program. It was scheduled for 8:30 and I hung up with my interviewer at 8:50. I'm hoping that's a decent length for a PI interview. The questions were what I expected. A lot of them were about team work, flexibility, computer experience, etc.

She said she would forward my interview information to the managers of the roles I'm interested in and then they would decide what to do from there and that I would hear by May 1st at the latest. Keep your fingers crossed and wish me luck!

It sounded like I was being seriously considered for the Graphic Design and Creative, Inc. PIs.

I'm excited! I'll keep you guys updated! :D

I AM A TERRIBLE BLOGGER...

I'm sorry guys! I totally didn't keep you guys updated. I still have lots of home video stuff from while I was there. I just haven't edited it together for vlogs. And everything's been so crazy here since I got home...I haven't really had time to tell you guys about the end.

I apologize.

But I thought about this blog the other day. I've applied for four different Professional Internships, and I'm calling to schedule my phone interview tomorrow. I also have a friend that's in Orlando right now on the program. I'm sure she's having a wonderful time. :)

I had a great time on my college program. I made lots of good friends, worked my BUTT off, and had a lot of good times. I still love the Walt Disney World resort, and the Walt Disney Company. My goals have changed a little since I started the program though. It's something that only practical work experience could have helped me see.

Anyway, I want to encourage anyone who wants to be a part of the program to just do it. To go for it. It may not be all sunshine and rainbows, but it's well worth it. Yes, you get to make magic, and it's amazing. But that doesn't mean it's not WORK because it is. So don't go there to party. Go there to help make people's vacations brighter, and gain rewarding experiences.

I'll keep you all updated on my Professional Internship application process. Thanks for following me through my program! I had the time of my life!

Savings Update (Probably My Last One)

(11) Days until check in
(7) Days until I leave for Orlando
(2) Days until Charlie St. Cloud

Just added to my Disney savings! :)

New Total: $671.56

I deposited my last paycheck from the job in the bank the other day. I originally thought I was going to be needed next week, but I've been told I won't be. So, Friday is my last day at work. I didn't reach my goal of $800, but I'm still proud of what I did manage to save.

Tomorrow is my last day of my internship, and then I've got a farewell lunch with my cousin. Then Friday I'm working, and then Friday night after I get off work I've got two friends coming over to hang out one last time before I leave, Saturday is my family send off party, Sunday I have my cousin's bridal shower, and then all I have left to do is pack for Florida (which I've already pretty much done.)

The countdown is winding down, folks! It's very exciting!

That's all for now! Until next time, have a magical day! :)

Savings Update!

(40) Days until check in
(36) Days until I leave for Orlando
(32) Days until Charlie St. Cloud
(24) Days until Ramona & Beezus
(15) Days until Psych 

Guess what? I'm officially completely ready to go to Disney! I was waiting for the school to register me for my 6 semester hours I need. That was done last week. So, now I'm finally ready to go!

What I'm not ready to do is come back.

I still need an apartment in Boone for the spring semester. I'll be apartment hunting next week as I have three days off. So, let's hope I have that nearly done this time next week. I also have to get my car fixed. Dad's supposed to take care of it, but he hasn't yet.

Also, last week the magazine mailed out another issue, and guess who's name was in it? MINE! I was credited as a "Marketing Intern", how awesome is that?

And now for the savings update:

Credit: 434.59
Savings: 242.75

I almost have enough to pay off the balance on my credit card! YAY! I can not wait until I've got that thing paid off.

That's all for today! Until next time, have a magical day!

"I Know the Road Seems Long, but It Won't be Long till it's Time to Go."

Hey everyone!

(63) days till check-in
(59) days until I leave for Orlando
(12) days until the premiere of Jonas: LA

Nothing too exciting has happened this week. I've fallen into a bit of a rhythm with my job. I love it! Good hours, good pay. I'm trying not to spend a lot of money. I bought a pair of TOMS the other day but that is the LAST thing I'm buying. (BTW, if you follow me on Twitter you got a chance to vote and help me decide which pair of TOMS to buy. Thanks for your opinion if you voted! It was fun! haha.) Anything else I buy will be dinners or movie tickets. Everything else is going into savings. I'll keep you updated with totals and stuff. Here's how I'm splitting up my savings percentages:

To Credit: 50%
To Disney: 30%
To Me: 20%

Money to be transferred to savings as of now: $368 ($230 of it will go to pay off my credit card). Once I pay off the balance on my card those percentages will change. I want to have my card completely paid off before I get to Disney.

You guys will have to help me stay accountable for my spending. I'm not buying anything else except for things that have to do with going out and enjoying the summer with my friends. Nothing else.

Also I started my "internship" with Winston-Salem Monthly last week! It's not technically an internship (because they're not supposed to have one) so we're calling it "shadowing". I go in once a week do some grunt work, sit in on some meetings, and learn a lot about how a magazine is put together. I really enjoyed my first day.

I have to call financial aid tomorrow and clarify some things about the federal awards I accepted. I'm confused because I was under the impression that I could accept the federal awards for one semester, but I wasn't given that option. So now I have to call and ask my adviser what to do. I also have to contact this girl about subleasing her apartment for second semester, and see what her room mates are like.

Also I'm turning in my key and having my apartment inspected on Friday morning. I can not wait to be done with that apartment. I'm very excited to hand back that key.

I need to start making a packing list soon. If anyone knows where I can find a really good one let me know! I don't even know where to begin making a packing list for 5 months worth of things.

That's all for now! Until next time, have a magical day!

Job Hunt and Final Exam Countdown

Finally, I have time to do a personal update post. I feel like it's been a while.

New TOP 5 things to do list:

-Call Financial Aid and ask questions about leaving and coming back. (I've already done this once, but I want to ask everything again just in case. If anyone out there has any suggestions for things I should ask, then please comment and let me know!)
-Find a Job (I've already applied for 10 jobs. If I don't hear from any of them by next Wednesday I'll applying for more.)
-Create a Spec Ad for Angie at Skirt Magazine (This is for my internship supervisor. She wants to see what I can do, but I'm having a hard time finding time to sit down and make an ad for her.)
-Stop spending so much money. (I need to cut out everything unnecessary. Just need to spend money on food and things for school. Nothing else.)
-Finalize who's going to be in the apartment in Florida. (The apartment is essentially full, we're just waiting to hear back from some people.)

I've left out things related to school assignments (of which there are many) because I just wanted to focus on things that will affect my summer and the DCP. I've got a crazy amount of things to do for school right now. I've got 3 group projects to do, 3 huge single projects coming up, a ton of quizes and exams, and then after all of that...Finals.

Dum, dum, DUM!

But all in all I'm just trying to get through the semester because once the semester over I'll only have to wait three months before going to Disney. 12 weeks! YAY! Right now there are 16 weeks until I check in at Vista Way! Woo!

Also, I have 53 followers! *FIVE SECOND DANCE PARTY*

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Awesome! I think I might record my next Vlog this weekend. It will be a normal average vlog. With my awesome intro. I'm going to read a few of my formspring questions from the last two Formspring Wednesdays, and talk about the make over my purple folder received (It was starting to fall apart so I had to save it.) See you guys this weekend!

Until next time, have a magical day!