For many students at Parkway South, the daily schedule is to wake up between six and seven in the morning, get ready for school and attend classes for 7 hours, then go directly home afterward to relax and not worry about homework for the next few hours. But for many others, they have to go to work directly after.  

There are a plethora of students with jobs at South, one of which being junior Adam Slade, who runs a lawn company with his brother. 

“My brother and I, we both mow lawns, trim the edges, blow the grass, clean up the lawn, rake leaves, sometimes they’ll ask me to move things. It depends on the client, but we just do general yardwork,” said Slade.

While others at South are working for someone else, Slade has made the most of his company by being his own boss.

“I have to respect my clients but the scheduling is up to me. Being that I am my own boss makes it a lot less stressful,” said Slade.

Slade said doing this job and being the boss has taught him many lessons such as time management and how to make a proper schedule, as well as money management and how to deal with customers. 

As the weather gets colder, the hours are getting shorter for people like Slade in the lawncare business. However, the hours remain long for students like junior Ethan Schrader who works at Dunkin’ in Twin Oaks.

“Some days I leave my house and don’t get home until 9 or 10 at night, but it’s worth it because of the paycheck every couple weeks,” said Schrader. 

There are some perks of working at this establishment, such as free drinks and a 50%- off employee discount. However it may not always be good every time he goes into work.

“Every single time I work I consider quitting. Payday is the only thing that keeps me going, ” he said.

This new wave of income that is coming in for Schrader has also created a new stream of income; cryptocurrency investing.

Cryptocurrency is a type of currency that is fully digital. You invest in it, like how you would a stock, and as the currency gains popularity and value, you get more money back. Many believe that it’s the future of a decentralized financial system. 

“I invest almost every penny that I get into different cryptocurrencies, and it’s paid off so far, I’ve made almost $500 and I haven’t been doing it for that long. I like to think of myself as the crypto Warren Buffett,” said Schrader. 

Other South students find work doing what they love–junior Brock Ramsey works at SoccerMaster on Manchester Road where he restocks shelves, sets up merchandise, helps out customers and more. 

“Me and my coworkers are really good friends and it has been a really good experience overall,” said Ramsey.

Ramsey gets 40% off of merchandise in the store, which he frequently uses to buy jerseys for his infamous jersey collection.

“I’ve never really thought about quitting because I’m not sure where I would go afterwards. There aren’t many jobs that have the same things that go on at SoccerMaster,” said Ramsey.

Someone else who loves their job is junior Grace Smith who works at Waterway.

“I love having my job; I’ve made a lot of new friends and it gives me a good sense of responsibility,” said Smith.

One thing that Smith seems to really like about her job is the paycheck at the end of the week.

“I make complete bank; the money is flowing so hard,” said Smith.

While Smith does enjoy the paycheck at the end of the week, she also enjoys the activity of working and having a job.

“I really like having something to do after school, it makes me feel more responsible and like I’m not wasting the day,” said Smith.

While it seems as though Smith loves working at Waterway, much like marketing teacher John Barnabee who worked at Tropical Sno when he was in high school not too long ago.

In the multiple years at the snow cone shop located just off Manchester Road and Hanna Road, Barnabee would make snow cones as well as develop customer service skills.

“A first job is a lot of work when you’re not used to it but you get out what you put into it but I made it fun. You learn a lot in that first job: what you like and what you don’t like,” said Barnabee.