PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Many teenagers are looking for summer jobs, and CareerSource Pinellas has an opportunity for teens to not only make money but also earn invaluable, hands-on job experience as part of its "Summer Pays" program.

Students aged 16-19 can apply, and all jobs pay $12 an hour.

“These programs are focusing on youth that have never had a job before,” said Kristopher Lucas of CareerSource Pinellas. “They don’t know about career readiness, or even financial readiness, so we’ve teamed up with Pinellas County Schools — also teamed up with Bank of America and Junior Achievement — and they’re going to make sure the youth get these classes so they have career readiness and financial readiness."

Spectrum News met one student, Raymond Lewis, who participated in the program last year and said he enjoyed it so much that he’s planning to do it again this year. He said he knows it will help him in his future endeavors.

Going into 12th grade next year, Lewis is already thinking about college and his career.

This past summer, the football player participated in the "Summer Pays" program.

“I was trying to find a way to get into the field of veterinary medicine,” Lewis said. “That’s what I want to be when I’m older.”

On his way to English class, he talked about his job at the Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. He worked at the summer camp, where he learned a lot about nature and different animal species, even snakes.

The only thing Lewis loves more than football is animals — he said he's always known he wants to be a vet. It’s even documented in a photo he has of himself on Halloween when he was a little boy.

“It’s something my grandma instilled into me, which back then, she was more like, had a lot of dogs and I loved playing with all her dogs," he said. "And then, when she had her only dog Diesel, before he passed, me and him were pretty cool, so I was kinda like, ‘I want to go into the field of veterinary medicine where I get to play with dogs and work with animals.’”

Thanks to the "Summer Pays" program, he now has work experience and references from an employer to help boost his chances of getting into the University of Florida’s veterinary school. And whether he makes it to the NFL or is saving animals lives, Lewis said he will be living his dream.