FARMER

Most high-school students spend their summers doing typical summer jobs—things like waiting tables, lifeguarding, mowing lawns, or baby-sitting. Not Doug Smillers. A high-school sophomore in a small town in Nebraska, Doug earns money doing everything from helping his neighbors move cattle to selling llamas. His main job, however—the one he finds himself at most often—is at a local dairy. The dairy has 600 head of cattle, most of which need milking twice a day. “Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason for when they need me,” says Doug. “They just call and I go to work.” His eight-to ten-hour shifts usually take place early in the morning or late at night. He milks, feeds, calves—just about anything and everything a full-time, professional dairy farmer would do. In fact, he works so hard he's developed a bit of a reputation. “People say I have a good work ethic,” says Doug. “And that makes me feel great.”