TOWAMENCIN – “I made $600 over the summer without working,” Clarke explained, “I did yard work, used birthday money, and watched horse races.”

How did he do it? Why did he do it? Most importantly, where do I go to get in on these “horse races?” Landon Clarke, a senior at North Penn High School, has created an extra revenue source for himself in order to help support his future career.

Many students may be wondering exactly how watching horses run across a finish line helped Clarke make money. The answer would be the Kentucky Derby that was held on May 6, 2023. 20 four-legged friends ran in the derby allowing another year of profit for Clarke.

“My mom has a Kentucky Derby party every year since she’s from there. Every year, we have this party and you put in 5 dollars for a horse. I put in 20 dollars for four horses, and I am usually the luckiest one. I always get one that ends up in the top three,” Clarke said, “This year, I made 50 dollars from my horses.”

With the money Clarke had earned from betting on his lucky horses, he decided to spend it on advancing in his career. For Clarke, getting experience in the field is important, but can be tricky since he wants to be a pilot.

“My uncle has flown for Pfizer for 30 plus years, and what I really wanted to do with my life came down to becoming an engineer or flying a plane. My uncle said to do an exploratory flight, so that’s what I did and I realized I wanted to go with the pilot route,” Clarke explained.

After taking his uncle’s advice and doing an exploratory flight, Clarke was never more set in his tracks about what he wanted to do in his life. The experience was nothing but positive for him.

“It cost a bit of money, but it was just to get me into the sky and let me get a feel for everything. I had an instructor the whole time. Once you realize you have control it’s crazy. I’m flying the plane while the instructor is taking care of air traffic control and radio transmission,” Clarke detailed, “He said it was good for my first time flying a plane. Overall, it was a good experience and it’s definitely something that sparked a passion for me to do it as a career.”

Being a pilot has its perks, but for Clarke, one of the most exciting things about being a pilot is the traveling aspect. Who doesn’t love getting to see new places everyday?

“I travel a lot in my life, mainly to go to baseball stadiums. I go to all the states for the baseball stadiums. I have seen every team play at their home stadium,” Clarke said, “I have also been to places like Ireland, Canada, and the Bahamas. I like traveling, seeing new things, and experiencing new cultures. I like the idea of doing that for a job.”

In all, the love for flight and seeing new places makes piloting a perfect career for Clarke. His career exposure and even his horse betting helped him to fully understand where he wants to go in the future.