Finding Jobs in the Industry

You have all been incredibly helpful, so thank you so much. It's very true that sometimes a hobby is better as a hobby. I have been finding that true from working in non-profit arts administration. I love the performing arts, but being so close to it sometimes makes me enjoy it a bit less. I wouldn't want that to happen to my coaster/park enthusiast life.

I think I should just find a job that is satisfying and pays enough so that I can go to more parks and ride more coasters!

There have been comments about needing experience or a degree to get hired. What type of experience would I need to get a job in the PR dept. of a theme park? (I see that as the ideal job, although from what others have said about working in the industry, it may not be.) I'm a published writer (about theme park attractions) and good at public speaking but that may not be sufficient; my long years of experience as a paralegal would not likely translate very well to a theme park. And Joseph, I see that you're rethinking your position but if you're currently based in Philly, Great Adventure is only an hour's commute.

Bobbie1951 said:

And Joseph, I see that you're rethinking your position but if you're currently based in Philly, Great Adventure is only an hour's commute.

That's very true, but I don't have a car, and public transportation isn't accessible between Philly and Great Adventure.

Man, is that ever true about public transportation being inaccessible between Philly and GAD. I don't have a car either and usually have to borrow my dad's in order to get there. Last year NJ Transit ran only limited bus service to the park, on weekends in July and August. (The previous year they ran it for the entire season but subsequently cut out the Philly market; the NYC market got the same service as always b/c it's more profitable for NJT.) On weekdays the only way to get to Jackson is to take a bus to Atlantic City and switch to several other buses during what ends up being a very long trip.

Bobbie1951 said:

What type of experience would I need to get a job in the PR dept. of a theme park? (I see that as the ideal job, although from what others have said about working in the industry, it may not be.).

To get a job in PR for one of the major (or even minor) players, you will need experience working in PR and a current portfolio of what you have done. The degree is important, but the experience is more important. And like others have said, being a cheerleader for parks and coasters likely is going to do more harm than good, as these places don't necessarily take kindly to enthusiasts.

I will echo some of the prior comments that working in the industry is not as great as it may seem from the outside.

I've had a very rewarding career in the amusement industry for the past 20 years, but I'm one of the few to be in a pretty good situation, with a great park with great ownership. But to be perfectly honest, if I turned back the clock 20 years when I chose my path, I'd be hard pressed to not at least think about taking a different direction.

In general, the industry is low paying, even for professional positions and most FT jobs come with great sacrifice such as long hours, working weekends and holidays and pretty much giving up your life during the summer if you work for a seasonal park. Several of my co-workers (professional level) are in their 30's/40's and still single because the work/life balance is that challenging in this business.

Don't get me wrong, I have no regrets. This industry has offered me a very rewarding and satisfying career over the past two decades. But it has come with tremendous cost and sacrifice.

This is all most illuminating, especially what Hanging n' Banging said about working weekends. I more or less assumed that the PR people worked Monday through Friday, as there was no-one around who could give me permission to videotape guests' reactions when I went to GAD to review Zumanjaro for a website to which I contribute. (While posting photos of the ride ops loading the gondolas is perfectly OK, videotaping guests is not.) This was on a Sunday, and while I might have been able to get permission in advance, my going there was a spur of the moment decision. I do realize that there are times when PR staff has to work weekends, such as the Sunday before last when they were on hand for a tour of The Joker's construction site (lift hill was a work in progress and there was a piece of track missing at the top right; track is now complete) but I assumed that this was the exception rather than the rule. Oh well. You learn something new every day. What still surprises me is the comments about low pay. These folks have got to be making a lot more than I am.

You will work many more weekends than you have off. Look at someone like Tony Clark at CP. It is rare he likely has a Saturday or Sunday to himself from May-November.

Didn't Cedar Fair leadership under Kinzel have a mandatory six day work week with a no vacation rule during the daily operating season?

You probably don't want to throw a fit on CoasterBuzz about being invited to a video shoot only to not be on camera, either.

Just when I think it would be nice to renew my CoasterBuzz membership - I actually started to within the last week but balked b/c you don't accept PayPal and I don't have a credit card, only a debit card linked to my bank account so that if something went amiss I could be wiped out - Jeff comes up with a comment like this. OK, I made some mistakes here; it was a different time in my life and since then I've mellowed considerably. A piece I submitted about The Joker's construction didn't get published but I'm not going to get upset about it; I'm just sorry to let GAD down after they were so hospitable. (I also used to be extremely naive, not realizing that the so-called "roller coaster enthusiasts" in video shoots were paid actors.) Is everyone on this site going to continue to make snide remarks about something that happened in the past? CAN'T WE MOVE ON, PLEASE?

Yes. I am going to continue to make snide remarks. The post you just made about how you've outgrown your sense of entitlement - is full of all kinds of entitlement. Kind of ironic, isn't it?

Isn't there a delayed RMC opening for you to be complaining about or something?

Entitlement? I can't see that my post said anything about entitlement. When I get invited to cover some event at a park, I consider it a privilege, not something to which I'm entitled. Oh, should I be complaining about Lightning Rod's opening being delayed? Well, I'm not. The only thing I'm complaining about is people being so petty and mean. CB is a good ol' boys' club, something from which I as a woman am excluded. I frequent this site b/c there's a lot of intelligent discussion from people who are extremely knowledgeable about roller coasters, and I appreciate that. What I don't appreciate is all the gratuitous insults. There are websites on which comments considered offensive would not be permitted and while I don't believe in censorship, there must be some middle ground.

So, you're saying you need a safe space?

You're not being "excluded" because you're a woman. You get called out because of your attitude, and yes, your sense of entitlement. You don't have to use the word "entitlement" for it to count as such. Honestly, you're just another bratty enthusiast who thinks this hobby is strictly about them.

Go on and make it about you, because you're a woman, because you're a fat activist, because you need a "reality-free zone/bubble" to hide in - but just because you put your fingers in your ears and repeatedly say "LA LA LA LA I don't want to hear it!!!" doesn't make it any less true.

I'll never understand why someone shows up in an established community that's been around for more than a decade and declare that everyone needs to post "their way". The feel and the culture of the community here (or any other similar site for that matter) is no secret. Lurk for about a day and you can figure it out. If it isn't for you, move on.

Bobby there were plenty of active female posters were very popular and got along great with everyone that came before you and that will be herelong after. Just ask Carrie, Dawn Marie, Kristin, Maddy, Tina, Lori, and the others.

Don't turn this into a gender issue. It's not one.

Bobbie1951 said:

CB is a good ol' boys' club, something from which I as a woman am excluded.

Please. The CB community is pretty equal opportunity when it comes to taking on trolls, the entitled and the grammatically challenged.

Bobbie1951 said:

The only thing I'm complaining about is people being so petty and mean.

CBuzz can be a rough room. You've been on the site since late 2011, so you know how some people roll.

CB is a good ol' boys' club, something from which I as a woman am excluded.

If you're feeling excluded, it's by your choice. I think of CBuzz as a good ol' coaster geeks who also have interesting, far-ranging discussions on matters having nothing to do with coasters club.

.... there must be some middle ground.

I think that middle ground lies wherever you choose to draw the line between offensive comments and your comfort level with overlooking them for the conversations.

I do think there's a valid point to be made that being civil when discussing topics over which we may disagree can certainly be helpful in convincing people that your position has merit. Just because you may not "know" the other person you're conversing with doesn't make them any less human.

Gator, you hippie.

Gator gets a pass because he's a true hippy. :-D