Today at school, one of my professors let me know, in front of the entire class, just what he thinks of me doing the Disney College Program. I guess I talk about it enough that he felt like he had the right to weigh in on the topic. Whatever the reason, he talked about how “kids these days” (I am 23 and he is about 35, just 12 years older than me) have taken to working jobs outside of their field, and then want to be upset when they can’t get a job after they graduate. He despaired at how we have no work ethic, how all we want is to have fun, with no sense of responsibility. My response to him was a simple “you’ll never understand, because you don’t want to”. I refused to have this conversation with him because it had nothing to do with my education, and he took it as a defeat. But here’s the thing:

When I was 20 years old, I took a job at a local day camp as a reason to get out of the house. You see, I was taking care of my terminally ill grandmother, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before she was gone. I had no interest in being stuck in the house all summer. After one summer I was promoted to director, because I was really, really good at my job and at taking charge. It was a job that required a lot of off season work, like hiring, planning, scheduling, recruiting, and more. Sounds a whole lot like relevant work experience for my teaching degree to me. On top of that I was still going to school full time and had started nannying everyday after school and most weekends. Again, relevant work experience. I pay for school as I can afford it, because I work my ass off and I refuse to take out loans. The fact of the matter is, though, this man is just one of many who don’t care about what I’ve already accomplished, and are instead choosing to look at this internship as a foolish choice. Maybe he’d rather I was working in an office all summer, or grading papers for some teacher this spring. He probably would see that as a safe, more career oriented choice. But after giving more job references for my counselors than he has for students, I’ve learned a thing or two about why an office job is so much worse for you.

Every summer, hundreds of twenty somethings flock to cities to work the not so glorious unpaid internship. They’re lured in by the promise of a good reference, and the chance to learn from professionals in their field. The fact of the matter is though, when looking at applications, all nearly identical with their degrees and internships, the person looking at your applications knows exactly what they’re seeing. Because they’ve hired interns before, and they know all they let interns do is get coffee, run copies, and answer the phones. Now take what you know about the Disney College Program. Which sounds better?

When working at Disney or a summer camp, you’re going to be doing so much more than running errands for people who won’t remember your name in 2 weeks. You’re learning how to be a self starter, how to be a problem solver, and how to take REAL direction. When you create magic for that little girl who just dropped her ice cream cone? You’re learning how to put the guests happiness first. When you saw a co-worker struggling to get the floor stocked before closing so you go over to help? That’s team work. Those 12+ hours a day you work for a week straight without a day off? That’s dedication to your job. These are the things companies and schools want to see when they’re hiring you. This is why having a company, a job, like Disney on your resume is an asset, even if it’s not in your field of study.

Am I saying don’t take the unpaid, office job internship if it’s offered to you? No way. Lots of people have made it to where they are today by starting exactly there. All I’m saying is, if I had two nearly identical applications sitting in front of me but one had the Disney College Program on it? I know which one I would chose.