So here it is...I am pushing 30 years old. I like to consider myself an accomplished business professional - I have worked for various Fortune 500 companies and have my MBA from a highly accredited university. I was also the unfortunate victim of the economy and in February of 2009, received the feared pink slip that so many people are prone to these days.
I wasn't so sure I was happy in my office life anyway. A drone in front of a computer, pumping out reports, surrounded by a group of selfish, vain and (to put it mildly) rather unintelligent peers, managers and executives. I was unchallenged, unhappy and wracked with anxiety well before that slip was handed to me.
I took a week off...ate an astronomical amount of pizza. Played an even more astronomical amount of XBox in between buffering and updating my resume. And I made the decision to go where I was always happiest: Orlando.
People might say I'm crazy...I probably am, but this city is not life and death. It's not deadlines and budgets and 7am Monday morning reports. It's about vacation, sunshine and smiling...and who doesn't love that?
Within two weeks, I had chosen an apartment, packed my bags, and headed from the big city to the tourist capital of the known world to start a new life. To follow my dream. To hopefully work my way back up into the corporate world of hospitality in the business of making magic, creating smiles, and thrilling guests from around our humble little planet.
Result? After a year and a half...I have worked an equal amount of time for the two major destinations in this city. First, for Universal Studios...currently, for Walt Disney World. It appears that others had the same idea as me, and in a cruel yet amusing twist of fate I find myself STILL working in the parks every day. I won't tell you what I do, but I will say it doesn't involve sweeping trash, working on a ride, or taking tickets. I speak to guests more than any other position in the park, and it has led me to believe that "everyone" is a character, not just the folks dressed up wearing a furry chipmunk costume.
It has been a long year and a half of probably the most physically demanding job of my life but in many ways the most rewarding. I make about half of the money I need to cover my bills, I spend much of my time walking around, sweating my hypothetical balls off, and being trampled upon by guests who think they own you because you're just "some lowly theme park worker".
I have seen a lot of fanny packs. A lot of mullets. A lot of obese women double fisting turkey legs in a motorized wheelchair because they are too fat to walk to the next attraction. A lot of rain, a lot of sunburns, and a lot of spilled popcorn.
I have also seen a lot of smiles. Received a lot of hugs. Taken a lot of photos. Made a lot of friends. And in general, grown to understand the value of a dollar, of hard work, and the wonderful way in which your happiness can blossom from those of others.
