She Worked in Custodial Services at Disneyland. Then She Worked Her Way Up to Manager: ‘Every Day is a Job Interview!’
In the end, she said she received the Walt Disney Legacy Award.
One decision can lead to an unexpected yet wonderful series of events. When Day (@femmewithforesight) took on a custodial job at Disneyland, she thought it would simply be a break from her job as a medical tech for dementia patients. But what was supposed to be a one-year endeavor ended up lasting a decade, ending with her being promoted to a managerial position in the happiest place on earth.
“That job was very draining. I would get too emotionally attached to my patients, and I was attending funerals every single week,” Day said on TikTok. Essentially, her job as a med tech took a toll on her. She wanted to take a year-long career break and do something fun, so she applied to Disneyland.
Day stated that she initially applied for housekeeping but was offered a role in custodial management in the park. The hiring manager asked her if she wanted to work at Downtown Disney, California Adventure, or Disneyland—she chose Disneyland without a hitch.
“Getting hired at Disney is a whole experience. You get to go through traditions and step into the magic, which are courses that you take before you even set foot into your on-the-job training in your specific department,” Day explained. It seemed like a straightforward job, but Day claimed that Disney prepares and provides sufficient training for their staff so that they’ll feel “ready and comfortable” when they finally get to the park.
Shifting to a different department at Disneyland
“The day I earned my ears, I went out, and I got this tattoo,” Day said, gesturing at the Mickey tattoo on her arm. After completing their on-the-job training, they still had to go through a four-month probation period. If the employee passes the probationary period, they’ve successfully “earned their ears” and can transfer to other departments.
Day also wanted to transfer departments. Initially, she set her sights on Adventureland attractions and gave her transfer form to her manager. But he didn’t agree with her decision. Day alleged, “He ripped it up right in front of my face.”
Her manager’s reaction seemed extreme, perhaps just a step below what this real-life Miranda Priestly did to her young subordinate. But Day wasn’t offended, even calling the act a “divine intervention” that she still thinks about from time to time.
“He sat me down and told me that I didn’t belong in attractions, that he knew I would go far in guest relations,” Day said. She didn’t know what to think of the comment, because she had only been in the company for five months. Guest relations also felt like a foreign concept for Day. Nevertheless, her manager took her on a two-hour tour of every guest relations location. Day said she was introduced to guest relations cast members and their managers. She was also given a rundown of the pros and cons of the job.
“He said that he had been observing the way that I work and the way that I speak to guests, and he really thought that I should consider it,” Day said. Eventually, she and another friend from custodial applied, and Day said only she got in. Day recalled that it wasn’t easy at first. But eventually, she adjusted and even took on the difficult task of working at Disneyland City Hall.
Doing the hard thing can be rewarding
Later on, she applied to be a VIP tour guide. She was accepted and was in charge of hosting celebrities and dignitaries who came to the resort. From that, she slowly worked her way to becoming a VIP trainer, yet another step up from her position. But Day also found it to be one of her favorite roles. With it, she was able to train many VIP tour guides and then became a VIP tours dispatch lead.
Day’s career has been taking off at Disneyland for some time at this point. Then one day, a manager sat her down. They were looking for another manager to join the team, and she had already recommended Day for the job.
“At the time, I was sure I didn’t want to be a manager. I had been in management before outside of Disney, and it just wasn’t for me,” Day stated. She negotiated with the manager and told her she wouldn’t take the job unless she could focus on training. Her manager bumped her up to the boss. He said that he respected her work and wanted her to join them. The boss also agreed to Day’s requests, and she became a manager.
“I’m really proud of all the things I got to accomplish within the company and all of the change I was able to make happen,” Day said. She did so well at her roles that Day claimed she earned the Walt Disney Legacy Award, reportedly given to fewer than one percent of employees at the company.
One social media commenter reacted to Day’s story, saying, “Every day is a job interview!” Because consistency and hard work can pay off. But not everyone who’s earned their keep gets rewarded, like this woman who got fired for talking about her pay raise.
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