I agree with points from both sides of the discussion. If you are set up in NYC and have a steady living arrangement and job I would say finish your degree in New York (especially if you are still able to live at home with your parents, its fun to be on your own, but paying bills and rent stinks!). Networking is a big part of this industry (who you know will help get you in the door, skill will keep you there). Orlando is a great place to network and talk to professionals frequently, joining organizations like the Themed Entertainment Association as a student is very beneficial. However the people don't exist in a vacuum, during my time at UCF I took full advantage of the networking opportunities in my program. Thats how I initially met some of the professionals from the major theme parks, I kept networking and joined a couple of different groups before TEA. I would attend networking events and mixers and just meet people until I became friendly with them. I moved to Las Vegas for three months last summer during my internship with Cirque du Soleil. While there I attended some of the events TEA had in San Diego and Burbank. I met some new people but also ran into many familiar faces. I was recently in Pittsburgh for a 3 day TEA event, and again, met new people but saw many of the regulars (and I am not talking about other students like I was, but people who can actually hire you). I guess the point is that this is a small industry and everyone knows everyone. They travel a lot for conventions, events, and meetings so you can easily network from there if you are proactive and know where to look. I know TEA does events in New York on occasion (they jump around all the time and happen frequently).
But if you're dead set on UCF thats okay too. I don't exactly know how our Architecture program is, so I can't say much on that. But it is a good place to become active in networking and a good place to get your name and face out there.
Also, talking to professional designers and theme park professionals, having ops experience is a plus. It is good to have intimate knowledge of how the theme parks work and flow from an ops stand point. But I would not expect to move from loading rides to creative with out the skill, professional experience, and networking that comes before it.
But the the biggest piece of advice I can definitively give is to take advantage of being a student. The words, "Hello, I am a student at ABC studying DEF and was interested in learning about XYZ" can open all sorts of doors. Being a student is an incredible tool to opening conversations, setting up shadowing opportunities, or just networking in general, be it through email or in person. Take advantage of that while you can.
But if you're dead set on UCF thats okay too. I don't exactly know how our Architecture program is, so I can't say much on that. But it is a good place to become active in networking and a good place to get your name and face out there.
Also, talking to professional designers and theme park professionals, having ops experience is a plus. It is good to have intimate knowledge of how the theme parks work and flow from an ops stand point. But I would not expect to move from loading rides to creative with out the skill, professional experience, and networking that comes before it.
But the the biggest piece of advice I can definitively give is to take advantage of being a student. The words, "Hello, I am a student at ABC studying DEF and was interested in learning about XYZ" can open all sorts of doors. Being a student is an incredible tool to opening conversations, setting up shadowing opportunities, or just networking in general, be it through email or in person. Take advantage of that while you can.
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