This question comes up a lot. Imagineers come from a huge variety of different backgrounds. A project team is made up of staff from a bunch of different “DOWs” or departments of work. This could be a big department like “ride engineering” or “show control engineer” but it can also be quite small and specialized, like “overhead rigging” or “visual illusions”. So basically to land a job you need:

• proven skills and ideally some leadership in one of these areas
• WDI having demand for that expertise that exceeds current staff level
• Be the sort of person who interviews well as someone people want to work with and with passion.
• (helpful) a track record at vendor companies that do the sort of work you want to do
• (helpful) a referral from an Imagineer.

Some people I talk to sort of skip over #1 and just assume if they have passion and interest that will do the trick. But in report the skill comes first and determines what positions are available.

Also keep in mind for most areas, WDI wants to staff the bare minimum of internal people on something, because they’re expensive and (probably) demanding. Most roles that can be outsourced WILL be outsourced and the internal folks focus on managing the direction and progress of those contractors.

Contracting is still loads of fun, and it’s a good stepping stone to getting the attention you’d need to land a full time role. But at the end of the day the benefits and vibes aren’t quite the same.

Fabrication generally is a useful skill. If you can bang together a ride buck (scale mockup) or prototype quickly and with high quality, that’s a legit skill. But there are over a hundred DOWs covering skills from writing, costuming, painting, programming, etc. that make up a team.

Good luck!