My buddy did it in H.S, one summer, spent the summer tripping on acid and collected a sweet STD.

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Guessing somewhere between beer money and 10 an hour

"Fluid Carni"?  Do you mean "fluent carni?"

Never a carni myself, but operated rides as a teenager when it came to our small town for a few days. $50 for, oh, 3-4 days. I got $75 once because one of the ride operators walked away for some reason (probably to get drunk or something), and the bossman told me to operate that one as well as the ride I was originally assigned to. Walked back and forth between the rides to collect tickets, make sure everyone was seated, and start the ride (they were automated, mostly). I don't know what would have happened if there was an emergency. We also had to help with teardown on the last day. Pocket money back then in the early 80's.
Things were a lot "looser" then for sure. A ride blow a fuse? stick a penny in the fuse box and put the fuse back in (several rides plugged into a central power box).
Now, everything, that the public sees anyway, is a lot cleaner, ID cards on neck cords for the employees, and AFAIK, they don't hire locals anymore.

We had a female classmate, definitely not good looking, who supposedly joined the carnival after graduation. Nobody has heard from her since.

If you have small hands and smell like cabbage you to can have a carnie career