Disney Imagineering

[disneyfanatic593]

Can anyone tell me about how much money Disney Imagineers get paid? I'm only 13 but I want to become an Imagineer. Is it worth it? Is it fun? Can you ride rides before they open to the public? I really want to know.

[ryguy222]

Well, I hate to burst your bubble, i was pretty sad when i found out, but there isn't a good chance that you'll get to be one. First thing, they don't have very many openings, since they get paid quite a lot, they don't have too many. Maybe a few hundred across the world. Yes, you do get to ride the rides before the open to the public, why yesterday i was on the sun wheel and there were a few imagineers running the orange stinger, (its opening from its re-hab tomorrow i think) and they were testing it, and riding it. It probably is a lot of fun, but its also very challegning. There is tons of math envolved in imagineering, physics, trigonmetry, things you will learn in high school, and there not very fun. For more info on imagineering, go this site on the disney page.

http://corporate.disney.go.com/careers/who_imagineering.html

I've been looking for a while, there was a page on DL's site about how rare it is to get a job at imageineering, but with the new site, lots of things are gone.

[Zip~a~dee~doo~dah]

But don't get too downhearted. I know a former Imagineer who was a show designer for things like Tarzan's Treehouse and the Tower of Terror, and I've talked to him about your questions. Disney actually employs a little over 1000 Imagineers of all trades, for now at least (they're outsourcing a bit of the work now-a-days). Is it worth it? Heck yes! Especially for a Disney-fan such as yourself. At WDI HQ in Glendale, you'll find that the atmosphere is relatively casual most of the time. Being an Imagineer means you get to contribute to putting as smile on the faces of thousands of people around the world. Is it fun? Depends on if you like your job. But hey, even if you're the janitor, you still get to dust up old models of your favorite Disney attractions and parks :biggrin:! Concerning riding the rides before they open, that also depends on your relation to said attraction. If you're one of the engineers or architects, then yes (you have to make sure everything looks right and is working). If you're one of the graphic designers (like myself), then probably not. But they do have special events where they invite all Imagineers to the testing and opening of some of the bigger attractions.

About the things like math and physics-- what you need to know is entirely dependant upon what your specialty is. WDI employees hundreds of different disciplines, so you concentrate on your area of expertise. Me, I chose graphic design (I dislike math).

[disneyfanatic593]

Thanks. I hate math too. Well anyway, despite what ryguy said, I'll keep trying. Hopefully I'll be able to do something that doesn't involve cleaning up. Don't worry, I'm not discouraged. I'll keep going at it...

[ryguy222]

^good, if your persistant, and you won't give up, then you can get it. I was just seeing if you were going to give up, if you said ok i give up, then you would probably not get in.